SilverFrame is here to let you achieve the Macross Missile Massacre in style
by Amr (@siegarettes)
- SilverFrame (纯白星原)
- Developer: phixcat
- Publisher: phixcat
- PC
Presented entirely in white silhouette, SilverFrame translates the acrobatic combat and wild missile trajectories of anime space operas into streaks of white that cut through the shadow of space. Each encounter is a dance between missiles, with your craft changing between jet and mech form, easing from and moving into being the leader.
The models lack any detail, but in motion they’re beautiful. The 3D battlefields are likewise sparse, basically large voids with few obstacles other than the enemies, but they work well enough as a stage for combat.
Control is familiar to anyone who’s played a space or jet combat game, with movement operating along all three axes of space. What’s notable here is how fast you can traverse these axes. Boosts throw you through space at high speed and drifts allow you to turn even faster if the already fast default turn speed wasn’t enough.
The three ship forms each allow a different approach. The jet allows high speed approaches and missile locks, the mech strafes around enemies at close range to secure a kill, and the half-mech state can carry ordinance that can take out groups that evade missile fire.
Between the animation, the interface, and the gunplay, SilverFrame pretty much nails the Macross style vibe that it aims for. Combat is fluid and fast, and the sheer speed of movement is wonderful. Each form feels useful as well, even the half-mech that most Macross style games have trouble finding a purpose for. I never felt like I didn’t have an option in a bad situation.
It’s a shame that technical problems drag it down. Despite the high speed and relatively simple models, SilverFrame struggles to maintain steady performance, which undercuts how good it looks in motion. Still, I’m having a good time with it, and it is in early access, so I’ll probably return to it later and see if that’s fixed. Until then, SilverFrame is a cool, if compromised take on space combat.