Frameshift is a brutal open world multiplayer survival game that sees you enhancing yourself with cybernetics and using advanced weapons and technology to battle genetically engineered mutants in a post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi world.
Frameshift is set in a post-apocalyptic future where bioengineers from Frameshift Technologies bioengineered a living organism whose blood can be used as a fuel source. The living biofuel was adopted by 95% of households within five years, but as in all good Sci-Fi, tampering with nature didn’t end well – the Framecell organism mutated to create powerful mutants that wiped out 99% of life and left the last 1% dealing with the fact that they’re now at the bottom of the food chain. You must now band together to fight the mutants and fight for your lives.
The gameplay in Frameshift draws inspiration from DayZ and Ultima Online, with you scavenging, crafting, fighting and building large underground bunkers as you attempt to survive in it’s huge 528km² game world. You can attempt to survive on your own if you want, but interestingly, each new player that joins the game is assigned a family name and given a relationship to others who are already playing – you you’ll become someone’s brother, sister, son, daughter, mother or father. It’s a great concept that should help build a community spirit and foster goodwill as players help each other out, especially as family members have items that are useful when combined with your own.
The world is a dangerous place, filled with grotesque genetically engineered monstrosities, but your bunker will provide a safe haven that can be kept secret and secure, with only a small hatch on the surface to indicate its presence. You can use a drill to create huge underground complexes that are safe from the bloodthirsty mutants and they also create possibilities for social gameplay too. You can keep the access hatch locked and camouflaged to keep it as your own private residence or you can set up a public area to offer goods to trade while you’re away and a place for weary travellers to rest. You can even broadcast your bunker’s location to bring more customers and possible allies.
The combat in Frameshift is mainly melee based initially, but as you progress you’ll be able to create more powerful weapons and traps, including the ability to hack the mutant’s AI and take control of them. Your cybernetic enhancements are an important factor in the gameplay, with you able to augment your body with scavenged parts and enhance your abilities significantly. For instance an ocular implant will give you a vision overlay that will give you more information about your surroundings. As you progress you’ll be able to specialise in different play styles, allowing you carve out a life for yourself as a surgeon, a treasure hunter, a taxi driver, a chef, a hacker, a realtor or a battle-hardened cyborg.
It’s still very early in development but the monster models look terrifying, the lore is very interesting and the social and gameplay elements are very well thought out. It should offer a very different and more social take on the survival genre – life in a monster filled post-apocalyptic wilderness won’t be so bad with some family, friends and cybernetic enhancements!
Sign Up For The Frameshift Alpha Here