Framed is a first-person co-op shooter set in the Finnish countryside during the economic hardship of the early 1990s and the years that followed. Players take control of brothers Kari and Janne Salmela as they pursue revenge against the Hautakorpit biker gang after being framed for murder and serving six years in prison. The game combines action and adventure elements with a distinctive PS1-era visual style, emphasizing weighty combat and environmental detail drawn from 1990s rural Finland.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on traveling town to town across southern Finland, clearing objectives tied to the gang's operations in houses, yards, and vehicles authentic to the period. Combat relies on firearms such as assault rifles, shotguns, and pistols alongside melee options like the meat cleaver. Hits deliver noticeable physical feedback, sending bodies flying and triggering chain reactions when vehicles explode. The PSX-inspired graphics keep the focus on raw action rather than high-fidelity detail, while the story unfolds through fully voiced dialogue available in Finnish or English with Finnish accents.
Co-op forms the foundation of the experience. Two players can join in split-screen or online, sharing ammo and supplies as needed. A downed partner can be revived on the spot. Solo play hands the second brother to AI control, preserving the paired dynamic without requiring another person. Keyboard and mouse or gamepad inputs support all modes, and the setting shifts with the seasons from summer into winter as the brothers close in on the gang's leadership.
Game Modes
The main campaign follows the brothers' revenge story sequentially across multiple locations. Each stop escalates the conflict as the pair dismantles the Hautakorpit network one settlement at a time. Progression mixes planned approaches that can quickly devolve into chaotic shootouts.
An endless mode called farm defense provides a separate survival challenge. Players defend the Salmela farm against successive waves of gang members that increase in difficulty. Combat begins with basic meat cleavers, with better weapons scavenged from defeated enemies. After each wave, players select a new perk to customize their run, and top performances appear on a global scoreboard.
Setting and Atmosphere
The world reflects the depression-era countryside and its aftermath between 1992 and 1998. All towns, characters, and organizations remain fictional, yet the architecture, vehicles, and daily life draw directly from the era's Finnish rural reality. The narrative tone stays dark and grounded in crime and betrayal, while the moment-to-moment action stays energetic through explosive set pieces and physical combat consequences.
Sound design reinforces the period with appropriate voice work and effects. The PS1-era aesthetic extends to low-polygon models and limited draw distances that emphasize the retro shooter feel without modern polish.
Is It Worth Playing?
Framed targets players who enjoy co-op shooters with a strong narrative backbone and a deliberate retro presentation. The campaign offers a linear revenge tale supported by consistent two-character mechanics that function equally well alone or with a partner. Farm defense adds replayability through wave-based progression and perk choices that reward experimentation. Because the game remains unreleased with no player reviews or post-launch updates available, any final judgment depends on how the finished product delivers on the described systems once it launches. Those drawn to weighty first-person combat, shared-screen or online pairing, and a specific 1990s Finnish setting will find the outlined features aligned with that preference.