If you were ever put off by Warframe’s otherworldly, sleek sci-fi aesthetic, you might want to catch up: Warframe 1999 is in full-swing and has seen the game basking in nostalgic novelties and trading in the cyborg ninja shtick for motorcycles and rock and roll on an alt-history Earth.
Today’s update, Techrot Encore, continues the intense weirdness with a brand new playable warframe: Temple. While they’re the game’s second music-themed playable character, they’re the first to shred a flaming guitar and kill enemies with the power of distorted metalcore riffs. Not only will players be able to buff their allies and engulf their enemies in the flames of rock and roll, but they’ll get massive benefits if they play abilities in sync with a metronome.
There’s also a new stage defense mission in Höllvania spent defending a concert from hordes of the villainous Scaldra, and a bunch of “protoframes,” which are full-makeover cosmetics that take an old warframe and dress them up as a new character, similar to Dota 2’s personas.
Players of the new warframe will be able to use the Flare Varleon protoframe, turning them into a smoldering rocker with suitably giant hair, but Saryn, Nova, and Frost will have new era-appropriate looks to unlock as well. It’s all in line with the sort of ostentatious stage regalia you’d expect from post-apocalyptic purveyors of angst.
Being a “mainline update,” Digital Extremes said in a forum post that Techrot Encore represents “everything the team has been working on since the launch of Warframe: 1999” and “is more stacked than your dad’s record collection.” As someone who was always puzzled by Warframe’s bizarre world and seemingly endless supply of inscrutable alien lingo, this sudden shift to cheeky Y2K nostalgia is one I’m still finding novel months in. Given Warframe’s impossibly long run as one of the most played games on Steam, it’s good to see it surprising its players so many years on.
Lore nerds will be well-served too, as each of the new protoframes can be talked to daily for nuggets of worldbuilding. Unlike the last batch of protoframes though, The Hex, these rockers cannot be romanced, which isn’t very sex, drugs, and rock and roll of them. Regardless, players will have plenty to dig into as they continue their adventures in Höllvania.
Warframe is available on Steam, if you’re itching to take the stage.
