Games with Studio Ghibli vibes are all the rage these days, but it’s rare to find one that taps into the things that make Princess Mononoke great. Most games drawing from the Ghibli well take mostly from the cozy side of the equation, mixing the formula of titles like The Legend of Zelda or Harvest Moon with the low-key sensibility of My Neighbor Totoro.
Hayao Miyazaki’s films have always been more than that, though, and the tragedy and violence in Princess Mononoke make its beauty and sincerity all the more striking. One upcoming game looks like an attempt to replicate that, a tall order that would be undeniably exciting to fulfill.
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Digital Extremes</figure>
Soulframe, an upcoming game from the developers of Warframe, looks very different from Digital Extremes’ previous hit. While both are free-to-play action RPGs — and both, obviously, share a naming scheme — Soulframe abandons the more obvious sci-fi trappings in favor of a lush fantasy world.
Like in Princess Mononoke, however, the flora and fauna of Soulframe aren’t necessarily here to stay. A “world-devouring corruption” threatens affairs, invoking the corruption of Princess Mononoke and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s Malice in equal measure. If “The Omen Beasts they worshipped lay defiled, corrupted by Ode’n Ichor,” a quote from the Steam page, doesn’t remind you at least a little bit of Princess Mononoke, it might be time to give it a rewatch.
At the same time, Soulframe clearly has its own identity. The art design veers toward realism rather than embracing a Ghibli anime style, but not to the degree that it ends up looking generic. Like Ashitaka, players can wield bows, but blades and magical attacks seem like equally important elements.
Warframe players are likely to be interested in Soulframe simply due to the developers involved, but if you’re like me, the game’s presentation of nature could be the biggest draw. Like Princess Mononoke and The Legend of Zelda, Soulframe looks like a game with an appreciation for the beauty of nature’s minutiae, something that many other action-adventure games and RPGs often seem considerably less interested in.
The other huge selling point, of course, is that Soulframe will be free. Free-to-play games can often be more of a curse than a blessing, but Warframe has already proven that developer Digital Extremes knows how to deliver something that feels fair in its monetization and receives extensive support over the years. Although that’s no guarantee that Soulframe will meet the same standard, it’s certainly a good sign.
Any PC players interested in trying it out can now play Soulframe through the Open Preludes alpha, which requires no private invite or special list to access. There’s still no word on an official release date for the game, but hopefully, this RPG that blends Princess Mononoke with The Legend of Zelda will live up to at least the shadow of those titans whenever it finds its way to a full launch.
Soulframe
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