Warframe Creative Director Says New Characters Were Inspired by Super Smash Bros.
Jade Shadows: Constellations, the upcoming Narrative Chapter for Warframe, is set to launch on June 17 and promises to bring a fresh and unique experience to players. This update introduces the 65th Warframe, which is actually two Warframes in one. In an exclusive interview with Rebecca Ford, Warframe’s Creative Director, we discussed the mechanics of switching between characters, Ryoku’s Railjack, the long-awaited Stug Incarnon, and the surprising influence of Super Smash Bros. on the new update.
The Super Smash Bros. DNA inside Jade Shadows: Constellations
“There is a Super Smash Bros. reference for all of our choices because originally we did not know what to do with Sirius and Orion,” Ford explains, referring to the two characters who share a Frame in Jade Shadows: Constellations. “I was like, okay, this is going to kind of be like having Pit or Dark Pit or Samus and Dark Samus in the Smash roster. They're two different characters, but they're a very similar flavor.”
Ford noted that many players have drawn parallels to the iconic Ice Climbers duo from Super Smash Bros. “We want Cain and Abel. We want biblical and heavenly levels of cosmic violence,” she says. Design Director Pablo Alonso embraced the concept, ensuring that the characters feel truly cosmic and planetary in their design and abilities.
How Sirius and Orion occupy the same Frame in Jade Shadows: Constellations
Ford describes how players can switch between Sirius and Orion during missions. “Imagine you enter a Warframe mission and you have an empty constellation,” she says. “It's an empty slot with all these stars that you get to fill in. Every time you actively choose to swap, you're starting to build out the constellation. Once it's built, you can do the most effective cosmic clash, which is the brothers fighting.”
Players can alternate between powers, giving each character control. “Once your constellation is complete, you can spend them beat by beat. It's very much like a ‘Simon Says’ game, but it happens in the sky. It's huge. It takes over the map. You are basically bringing the battle of the gods to whatever mission you're playing.”
How in-game choices change the player experience in Jade Shadows: Constellations
Replayability is a key focus of the update, with Ford confirming that the team plans to add a feature allowing players to restart the quest and tweak actions and decisions. “There's different dialogue, different cinematics, some of the VO is different, and some of the moments are different,” she says. “It's not just plot, it's also story and theme.”
Ford emphasizes that the choices players make will lead to different outcomes. “When and if you get to the end of the quest, which will be about 35 minutes, you will find a world state that is only possible because of the broader themes that this quest explores.”
Why Warframe developers finally made the Stug Incarnon a reality
The inclusion of the Stug Incarnon is one of the most anticipated features in the update. “The name alone is kind of absurd,” Ford says. “The way it works, equally absurd. We only made five Incarnons this year so far. So giving it one of those five spots is a very intentional choice of saying, ‘We're committing to this bit and you're going to like it. And if you like the Stug, this is your day.’”
Ford compares the decision to a farmer rotating crops. “If you're overdrawing from the same fantasy every update, your crops will fail to thrive. So in this case, it's very much a crop rotation of us picking fresh things to put some fertilizer on and say, ‘Okay, this is the time of this Stug and we know it's a ridiculous time, but by God, you can't do it so we'll do it for you.’”
Exclusive first look: Ryoku's trap-filled Railjack is more than just a ship
In an exclusive first look, Ford revealed Ryoku’s Railjack, which she describes as more than just a ship. “This is [Ryoku’s] headquarters. This is going to be the scene, the setting of one of the most environmental boss fights you'll ever see in Warframe.”
The Railjack features brand-new traps, puzzles, and obstacles. “The team that worked on the interior and the exterior of this basically committed all the way. The ship itself is basically a fight. So it’s very, very fun.”
A matter of unfinished business for the team
Ford explains that Jade Shadows: Constellations was initially codenamed Jade Shadows 2 and was a matter of unfinished business for the team at Digital Extremes. “We needed our place to accept that the story wasn't finished,” she says. “And we think right now, based on all the reactions to the materials we've put out, [the community] agree[s]. ‘It couldn't have ended like that! You can't just end the story that way! There has to be a Part 2!’”
Ford is excited for players to see the personal dilemmas and motivations of the characters. “To me, it feels like we've been able to tell a complete micro story within Warframe. The excitement is absolutely fueled by character introductions, developments and character choices. If Jade Shadows was preschool, this is high school.”
