Games with Studio Ghibli vibes are all the rage these days, but it's rare to find one that taps into the things that make Princess Mononoke great. Most games drawing from the Ghibli well take mostly from the cozy side of the equation, mixing the formula of titles like The Legend of Zelda or Harvest Moon with the low-key sensibility of My Neighbor Totoro.
Hayao Miyazaki's films have always been more than that, though, and the tragedy and violence in Princess Mononoke make its beauty and sincerity all the more striking. One upcoming game looks like an attempt to replicate that, a tall order that would be undeniably exciting to fulfill.
Soulframe, an upcoming game from the developers of Warframe, looks very different from Digital Extremes' previous hit. While both are free-to-play action RPGs — and both, obviously, share a naming scheme — Soulframe abandons the more obvious sci-fi trappings in favor of a lush fantasy world.
Like in Princess Mononoke, however, the flora and fauna of Soulframe aren't necessarily here to stay. A "world-devouring corruption" threatens affairs, invoking the corruption of Princess Mononoke and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Malice in equal measure. If...
