Warframe Review

[AarkTheDragon]

I'm not a professional reviewer of games, but my chosen career path is game development and design so I know what to look for in a game. I like to keep my own reviews as bias-free as possible since bias only gets in the way of progress. So without further ado, here is my review of Warframe!

 

 

Story: 7/10

Warframe's story is kind of a flop in the sense that it only serves as a glue to explain why space ninjas are being badasses, as opposed to games where the actions in the game serve to further the story. Also, there are a lot of people who play the game without even realizing anything about the story what-so-ever. Nevertheless, the story portrayed in Warframe (when you actually take the time to look into it and pay attention) is an immersive albeit slightly overused one that paints a colorful and unique picture for the setting. 

 

Gameplay: 10/10

Warframe's gameplay is exactly as advertised: Space. F*cking. Ninjas. When I first heard of Warframe, I was given the impression of guys in high-tech suits parkouring around space stations and laying waste to everything that stood in their path. When I first started playing, I was not in any way disappointed. The way the game works out gives the feeling of almost god-like power, yet still has a nice balance of challenge to it that requires planning and reacting to situations. The combat is fluid, makes sense, and feels heavy and punishing. I can ignore the fact that the objectives are repetitive and don't feel like they make a difference or serve a purpose, because the way Warframe's core elements come together would allow for a game with no purpose what-so-ever that would still be fun to play.

 

Level Design: 8/10

The levels in Warframe feel repetitive and are confusing, and the fact that they map's objective waypoint can lead you in circles before it finally snaps to the door you need to exit doesn't help that. Even so, the different architectures are unique and varied, and the way the maps are randomly generated allows for a subtle-yet-present illusion of difference. The way the individual rooms allow players to use the terrain and environment to their advantage also is a nice touch.

 

Graphics: 8/10

For as fast-paced and FX-intensive as Warframe is, the graphics capabilities are surprisingly good. Textures and ragdoll effects often spazz out, and model animations sometimes make no sense and look sloppy, but otherwise the game is beautiful.

 

Customization: 7/10

The feeling of individuality from other players is an illusion at best. The alt helmets, syandanas, and color schemes allow for SOME customization, but it really reflects League of Legends in that you are given a fixed character that can be customized to some degree, but otherwise is the same as anybody else using that character. On the non-cosmetic hand, the mods allow for deeper customization behind the scenes that allows the player to alter their loadouts to fit individual playstyle and preference in a way that is relatively in-depth for a game like this.

 

Microtransactions: 4/10

The game's market is geared more towards people with lots of money, as opposed to the people WITHOUT lots of money who would be drawn to a high-quality free-to-play game. The prices are in many cases completely outrageous and deter people from WANTING to buy things. The only time this doesn't apply is when somebody gets extremely lucky and gets a discounted platinum reward from login bonuses. If things were cheaper and geared more towards profiting from impulse-purchases, not only would players be happier, but more money could be made in the long-run.

 

Replay-value: 10/10

Warframe is a psychological masterpiece in the same way that Angry Birds and World of Warcraft are: it's addicting, it's fun, it keeps people coming back, and it encourages people to be playing the same levels over and over. Constant rewards keep people happy and wanting more, with failures making people want to keep trying until they get it right. It's brilliantly set up, to say the least.

 

 

SUMMARY:  7.7/10

Warframe has it's flaws, but it also gets a lot of things right, and innovates quite a bit. The amount of potential this game has is incredible and I look forward to seeing where Warframe goes not only during the rest of it's beta, but after its launch as well, and shall continue to enjoy playing in the meantime.

 

[immolator1001]

Did you just rate microtransactions... and give it the same weight as everything else? I don't even... Also how did you review the story? There's barely anything and they haven't even added in any real amount yet.

[Asko]

Good review. But i cant agree about microtransactions if 4/10 rating mean that its pay-to-win game. Because in Warframe you can get everything (even cosmetics) without paying single cent. In my opinios players who dont want to buy platinum will enjoy more in game because there is no greater satisfaction than when you find all peaces and start crafting new warframe or weapon. But where is DE making mistake are prices in game market, they are badly distributed (for example, some common items like credits are too expensive compared to its low value). 

[liavalenth]

I agree with your scores, but feel that I should point at that;

 

Microtransactions: 4/10

...The prices are in many cases completely outrageous and deter people from WANTING to buy things....

They have said that this is intentional. This may seem completely counter-intuitive, but DE said they want people to play the game not pay the game. They want people to earn things by playing, not skip content. Now I can barely believe this for many reasons, but if true the costs in the store do make sense.

 

Also, @Asko

He never said anything about Microtransactions 4/10 meaning pay-to-win, he was saying that the price of almost everything is way, way too high. They are not so much microtransactions as just normal transactions. Not that this is bad, as you can get anything (except slots, and cosmetics) in game, but it does make it weird.