What to expect from Warframe 1999's new mini-games

WarframeThe next big update will launch with a new mini-game, a retro-style run-and-gunner that is secreted in an in-game arcade. The new minigame is coming Warframerather than being spearheaded by Digital Extremes, has mainly been Sumo Digital's project. Dubbed Caliber Chicks 2, it has been part of the lore of the universe for some time, teased in-game for over a year. Game Rant spoke to Warframe creative director Rebecca Ford and Caliber Chick design director Nic Cusworth to learn more about what the game is like, as well as what fans can gain from playing it.

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Warframe 1999's Caliber Chicks Minigame Explained

Game in contrast style

Talking about the details of what Caliber Chicks 2 will look like, Cusworth explained how classic run-and-gun titles inspired development. In particular, he highlighted the influence of Versus series.

“The team at DE had already come up with character designs for Caliber Chicks and had a vision for the game to be a run-and-gun. It was up to us at Sumo which direction to take it. Looking at the time period we wanted place the game, I went back to the games I played at the time It was a lot
Against 3
on the SNES and
Favors Heroes
on Megadrive.
Favors
especially used to be my “cool down” game.

I would come home from work and just play through it. Something that my aging reflexes can no longer handle. Of course, since it's an arcade game,
Metal Slug
was also a huge influence and was the beacon of what the cutting edge of 2D arcade gaming was at the time.”

Cusworth also added more details on how the game will work, saying that “the core loop is about 15 minutes long, spread over three fairly extensive and varied levels.” However, he also mentioned that “the game ends with events that send you back to the beginning of the game – only things have changed. With each loop, the world gets a little weirder and the challenge a lot harder.” These concepts, in conjunction with time travel, seem fitting for the surrounding themes Warframe: 1999.

Ford went on to describe how the game will be affected Warframes wider community. The game will feature “global leaderboards for players to battle for the top spot,” encouraging repeat play sessions and community engagement. All of this effort to create a faithful retro-style arcade game, according to Ford, is largely to support world-building – to “make the Höllvania Central Mall mission center feel more alive.”

The rewards in Warframe's Caliber Chicks 2

Ford went into detail about the rewards players can reap from playing this arcade minigame, many of which tie in with what comes with Warframe: 1999. Players will also be able to get many cosmetic rewards from the store.

“Anyone who invests time and effort into side content should be rewarded in some way. If players make it far enough in Caliber Chicks, they can earn a pair of glyphs and an emblem as rewards to use anywhere in the Origin System. Also, when you rank up in The Hex Syndicate with the Protoframes will start offering Aoi Somachord tracks from Caliber Chicks to unlock.”

Furthermore, Ford clarified how much fans will have to invest to earn these Warframe rewards. When asked if the team was worried about the minigame having issues, she mentioned that “there are little bits of cosmetic content behind the minigame, but [they] wants people who feel invested in these side experiences to be fairly rewarded,” emphasizing its role as side content.