The Android Closed Beta for Warframe started at the tail end of last month, and since then Digital Extremes has been sending out invitations to testers. My own invite arrived recently, so I jumped at the chance to experience the looter shooter in this form. Of course, the game has been available on iOS for quite some time already, so those on the Apple side of things may find this version pretty familiar.
First things first, as the Android iteration of the game is still in closed beta, it pretty much exists in its own bubble. That means there is no cross-play or cross-save. And just as the developers have mentioned previously, all Tenno start from the very beginning of the game with fresh accounts. So, should you be among the lucky ones to be included in this final wave of invites, you will essentially be getting the new player experience.
Aside from that, the current Android build is a bit behind compared to other devices in terms of content. While the current update for these other platforms is Update 41: The Old Peace, Android users are on Update 40: The Vallis Undermind. That said, given that all testers are starting from zero, there is plenty to do.
As with the iOS iteration of Warframe, the Android version is pretty much the same looter shooter, just adapted to fit the mobile format. At least, the best it can anyway. Where most mobile games have a skip button to jump past NPC dialogue in quests, Warframe has a speed up button. It does exactly what it says on the tin, so if you have no patience for the yapping, you can hold the button to get to the next part faster.
Worth noting that this button only exists in the orbiter and will only speed up transmissions. It won’t skip past any scripted animations for your character, so you will need to wait for those to finish before moving on. Beyond that, there is still a skip button for cinematics, much like on other platforms.
A new and much-welcomed feature is the Unified Movement controls option, which was also added to the iOS version recently. One of my main gripes with mobile games is how ill-suited touch controls are for moving around. Warframe’s defining trait is its fluid movement system, which does not translate well to touch screens. Initially, the game implemented multiple buttons for the different types of jumps, which makes for a cluttered and messy interface.
With the Unified Movement option, your regular jump, double jump, and bullet jump are all grouped under one button. Interacting with this button will trigger different moves depending on what you do. Single taps will result in a standard jump, while double taps net you a double jump. The more advanced manoeuvres are done by holding the button. Overall, it’s cleaner and smoother, emulating the PC experience a little more accurately.
Of course, it takes some getting used to, but the overall result feels more natural. It’s also similar to the controls in Duet Night Abyss, which adopts a similar parkour movement system. That said, you do have the option to switch to the older “legacy” layout if you prefer. I should note that I did encounter a bug with the controls while playing. After opening the settings menu, I would often find that my controls have reverted to a custom setting instead of being set to universal or legacy.
Speaking of bugs, the game also does not play nice with foldable devices. Switching to and from the internal display will mess with the screen resolution. The UI also gets warped and stretched. Other than that, I encountered some screen flickering when entering the arsenal, though this does not happen all the time.
In the grand scheme of things, though, these issues are relatively inconsequential. Some of these problems have also been acknowledged by the developers, so they will hopefully be fixed by the time the a public release rolls around.
That said, it does seem like a full Android version is close at hand. Minor bugs notwithstanding, the game does feel polished enough already. It pretty much plays just like the iOS version, and the changes to the movement system offer significant improvements to the overall experience.
