Common Sense Media Review
Combat-heavy sci-fi war game rewards players for killing
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Warframe
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 21 parent reviews
Parents say this game is suitable for teens, offering an engaging experience with a rich storyline and cooperative gameplay. While it contains violence, blood and gore can easily be disabled in settings, making it more family-friendly, though some reviews still caution about its intense themes and certain mature content.
- suitable for teens
- disable gore
- engaging storyline
- cooperative gameplay
- some mature themes
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 62 kid reviews
Kids say the game is visually appealing and offers thrilling gameplay, but it contains considerable violence that may not be suitable for younger audiences. Many reviewers note that gore can be disabled in the settings, suggesting that with proper adjustments, it could be appropriate for players around ages 12 and up, while caution is advised for those below this age.
- - Visual appeal
- - Adjustable gore
- - Suitable for teens
- - Fast-paced gameplay
- - Community friendly
- - Strategic elements
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
WARFRAME revolves around a war between a race of ancient warriors and a militarized race of human/robot hybrids known as the Grineer. As one of the ancient warriors, you're pulled out of stasis to fight off the Grineer and are quickly reacquainted with your high-tech battle suit (called a "Warframe"). The suit lets you give and take damage as well as run and jump to superhuman heights. It also gives you unique combat skills that can be modified and upgraded. Gameplay involves two things: completing story missions to advance the main narrative and going on repeatable missions to gather resources to unlock further areas for exploration. This can be done either alone or cooperatively with up to three other players. Mission objectives vary in difficulty, and rewards are proportionate. As of November 2017, an expansion called Plains of Eidolon introduced an MMO-like (massively Multiplayer Online) element to the game that lets players explore, take on bounties, craft weapons, mine, and fish.
Is It Any Good?
Players looking for hours of engaging and intense science-fiction multiplayer combat are in for a treat. Warframe is a fast-moving shooter that takes you zooming through space exploring spaceships, planets, and moons. Missions can be taken on alone or with others; either way, you earn resources and experience points (XP). The idea is to gather enough currency and resources to upgrade your armor and weaponry, which means lots of exploration and replaying missions. Thankfully, mission environments are randomly generated, which cuts down the tedium.
Naturally, missions are easier with other players, and Warframe's slick matchmaking system takes the intimidation factor out of cooperative play. You could stay busy for a long time just joining up with other players, fighting and upgrading your skills, but the recent Plains of Eidolon expansion offers you new ways to interact. The scavenger town of Cetus offers lots of shopping options, the option to learn fishing and mining, and the ability to create your own weapons. It also offers bounty-style missions you can complete within a large, open MMO-like area. Both the expansion and the main game are cool to look at thanks to good graphics, effects, and sound design. At its 2014 launch, the game had unfortunate camera and connection issues and lacked a tutorial. Thankfully, those things have improved. Admittedly, the game's upgrade/mod system remains almost overwhelmingly complex, and players' complaints about the time and effort needed to earn resources remain valid. Still, the game is constantly changing as the community makes its needs known, and all signs point to it continuing to change for the better. Parents of younger kids are right to be concerned about the constant violence and unmoderated in-game chat, but Warframe's easy matchmaking and tons of content make it a solid choice for older teens and adult fans of sci-fi shooters.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fantasy violence. Is violence against aliens in a fantasy setting like Warframe more acceptable than violence against humans in a realistic setting? Why or why not?
Discuss the risks of online play and cyberbullying. Do you know what to do if other players get mean or start inappropriate conversations?
Think about budgeting time and money for online games. How much of either is reasonable to spend on an individual game?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 4 , Windows
- Pricing structure : Free (Contains optional in-game purchases.)
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Digital Extremes Ltd.
- Release date : November 15, 2013
- Genre : Third-Person Shooter
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Robots , STEM
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
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