If you asked someone who regularly plays video games what they thought of free to play games they would probably say that they are often low quality and under developed with a large monetization incentive to get the most cash out of their players as possible. While this is certainly true for a number of games – most notably on mobile platforms – that is unequivocally untrue with "Warframe".

I have been playing "Warframe" almost since its first release back in March of 2013. It is a sci-fi, third person, action shooter that allows you to jump, flip, and glide through the air as any one of the many diverse playable characters called Warframes. The game now is almost entirely unrecognizable from its original form, having had multitudes of sweeping updates that both changed and improved upon existing systems in the game – all for free.

Since its conception, the development team has put their blood, sweat, and tears into the game to help it become what it has today. They originally had a difficult time even getting it off the ground, as no publisher really wanted anything to do with the game. At the time, sci-fi was beginning to be seen as a dwindling genre in the gaming industry and publishers decided against putting more money into another game that may very well fail.

After having been unsuccessful in acquiring a publisher, the developers of "Warframe", Digital Extremes (Also known as DE), decided that they would move on without one. This was a major risk. Publishers typically finance the game's development as well as handle the marketing. This lack of a publisher led DE to go into a rut, laying off employees to continue to be able to fund their game development. However, there was a bright side to developing without a publisher – creative freedom. Oftentimes publishers will limit how a developer can handle a game due to the publishers wish to make a profit off of their investment. This was not the case with Warframe.

DE could do whatever they wanted with the game without needing approval from the publisher. This quickly led to continuous updates and new content for players to enjoy. A microtransaction system was implemented with its release, allowing those that wanted to support the game to use real-world money to buy a certain type of in-game currency which was then used to buy weapons, characters, and cosmetics. Microtransactions can in a lot of cases be toxic to the game, but DE created it in such a way that nothing was unfair if someone decided to buy something for real money. Everything in the game is available to you just by playing, and even the currency you can buy with real money is able to be traded in the marketplace for certain items, potentially allowing you to obtain the currency without paying a cent of real-world money.

Over the years they have also achieved having one of the most friendly player bases I have ever seen in a video game before. Many great games are ruined by a toxic community and I am happy to say this is not the case with the overwhelming majority of Warframe’s player-base. Sure, sometimes you’ll get that one person who loves to complain about what a bad job you’re doing, but most everyone in the game is more than likely going to help you if they see you struggling or offer advice if you’re a new player.

DE also makes a point to host a community live stream every week and get the community actively involved in the game's development. They LISTEN to the players, get feedback on current development plans, and adjust accordingly to what the players want. I can't stress how important this is in an age of gaming where most developers either seem uncaring to their player-base or are so wrapped up in their publisher's list of what they can and can't do.

Complexity is not something that "Warframe" has backed down on either. Many games nowadays seem to be streamlined to the casual players who will only spend a small amount of time ever playing the game. DE has ensured that there is something here for everyone. Although it may be daunting to first start playing, the more you progress in the game and the more hours you spend figuring out the systems, the more you come to enjoy just how complex and intriguing all of the game’s mechanics are.

This is only compounded with each update they bring. New weapons and playable warframes are released every few months, major content updates in the form of cinematic story quests and new areas are pushed out, and most recently the biggest Warframe update ever in the form of a free-roam landscape was introduced.

Surprises are not uncommon with this game and its developers. There are very few things I have a problem with in the game, and when I do find something wrong it’s often so minuscule I honestly could care less.

I have no idea how this is a free game. From being cast out as an underdog by major publishers to becoming one of the most played games on the PC, "Warframe" is definitely a game you need to try out if you haven’t already. And if you have played it before and didn’t find it all that great, with all of the updates that are constantly released, come back to it and I assure you it will feel like you’re playing a different game.