As a child of the late 1980s and having grown up in the 1990s, seeing games dig into the rich and weird culture of 90s imagery is wild to me. When Digital Extremes first pulled back the curtain of their upcoming Warframe 1999 expansion, it was like a shot of pure nostalgia shot right in the arm, and every new bit they have shown at their own Tennocon this past summer and recently at their debut appearance at Tokyo Game Show, the more and more I am pulled in.
A brand new demo for Warframe 1999 goes On-Lyne (see what I did there?) today, so while you wait for it to download, check out this short interview with Rebecca Ford (@rebbford), Warframe’s Creative Director, where I got to dig a bit deeper to see what other nostalgic goodies people can expect – from more banger On-Lyne tracks to beepers/pagers. Then hop over and try it out yourself, earning those sweet bonuses!
Scott: With the Proto Frames and their dialogue, will the lines be more generic for broad situations or will the lines be more tailored or self-aware of the situations (ie. if there are multiple Arthurs applied in a group, or multiple members of the HEX together, will they banter, Will the Gemini skins directly respond and comment on the things happening in the Origin system and all the future tech they see, etc.)
Rebecca: The Gemini skins do have contextual gameplay banter, yes! But they won’t necessarily be interacting with each other if another player also has a Gemini skin. Our main goal with these skins is to enhance the core Warframe experience with something super novel and fresh for both veteran and new players. So regarding the “what” or “how” around them interacting during gameplay and within the Origin system, you’ll just have to see for yourself in 1999!
Scott: You have announced that 1999 takes place in the fictional world of Hollvania, but will we learn anything more about this world outside of it? What other countries or political powers may be around, or any of the world’s history?
Rebecca: Höllvania is a city on an alternate version of Earth – it’s sort of like our Earth, but things are a bit off and different here. One could hypothesize that this Earth might struggle with a lot of the same things we struggle with – power, conflict, money, suffering, revenge, greed – whatever it may be. We’re getting a glimpse at a new faction, The Scaldra, that clearly have some larger stakes in place throughout this version of Earth, but we don’t really know much about them yet or who they are or what they really struggle with. Without giving away too much, we have always gravitated towards telling relatable, human stories through the weird abstract sci-fi lens that is Warframe. We will absolutely continue to do that.
Scott: Is 1999 and Höllvania being developed / looked at as a place that future stories will take place in for future updates as well, or is it going to be a one-off visit?
Rebecca: We’ve mentioned that, figures crossed, that as long as players dig the Protoframes, that we plan to explore more of Höllvania and introduce more of these characters. We’ve gone back to locations before to expand them out further, like Deimos in Whispers in the Walls! We will definitely be coming back!
Scott: How many On-Lyne songs can folks expect to hear in the final release?
Rebecca: I don’t think I can answer this directly, but I hear you, PARTY OF YOUR LIFETIME is a certified bop. Players can expect to see a variety of ‘90s music genres explored in Warframe: 1999 – we looked at punk, rock, grunge, pop and other genres with five original tracks on the way for the Update overall. So please look forward to our incredibly gifted music team flexing their talent.
Scott: As someone who grew up in the ’90s , I’m a big fan of things like Power Rangers, Pokemon, Cartoon Network, and such. Will players get nods and glimpses into this alternate world’s take on these staples too, like we are with boy bands, instant Messenger, and mall culture?
Rebecca: I’m not going to speak directly to this too much, because Easter Eggs are Easter Eggs – discovery is a part of the fun! So we did work with Valve and were able to integrate the cardboard cutout of Gordon Freeman of Half-Life notoriety as a subtle nod to the late 90’s. In the TennoCon demo we also showed off some of the arcade games in the Höllvania Mall, which are absolutely inspired in some way or another by our favorite classic arcade cabinets. Is there quite possibly more to find in this strange new world we’re creating? You’ll see!
Scott: Can we get pager/beeper cosmetics to put on our frames or change the throwing stars into Nokia phones?
Rebecca: This has come up once or twice or thrice among the team, even things like Razor Scooters as melee weapons, Tamagotchis as armor adornments, playable ‘90s style RPG mini games in the arcade, etc. Trust me when I say we’ve gone through nearly every piece of iconic imagery from that decade and have either tried it or are sitting on it for the right time. So not a yes, and not a no, but you know we love to have fun and we promise to have the most fun in 1999 before that clock strikes midnight.
