Caliber Chicks 2 – Warframe Mini Game Review

In Warframe: 1999, Digital Extremes added the first new mini game to Warframe in years. The last notable addition was Frame Fighter, which, as the name implies, is a fighting game where you can face off as a warframe of your choosing, and fight against another player. It is very basic but can be fun if you face off against a friend. That being said, the newest mini game added to the game was Caliber Chicks 2. A side scrolling Contra-inspired shooter with a basic premise.

While Frame Fighter is reliant on the novelty of the idea. Caliber Chicks 2 ‘s premise is good enough to justify playing through it multiple times to earn rewards from it. I obviously came for the rewards but stayed for the addictive nostalgia trip. With a decent amount of enemy variety, unique few boss encounters, and a level of quirkiness I found endearing.

Saving the President in a Time Loop

In Caliber Chicks 2 you will strap on the boots of Jillian or Lillian Killian, as you fight against the dreaded Anna-ki who kidnaps the President to plunge the world into chaos. When you defeat Anna-ki, you will eventually get trapped in a series of loops, fighting your way through her soldiers to break the cycle once and for all.

As far as the story goes, it is basic, but gets the job done. In Caliber Chicks 2 there are a total of five loops for the player to go through before finishing the mini game altogether. But as you progress through each loop, the game will get progressively harder, and weirder. Luckily death is only a minor setback, as you can continue despite losing all your lives.

But when it comes to the gameplay overall, that is where the real fun begins.

Running and Gunning in Caliber Chicks 2

Caliber Chicks 2 is a side scrolling shooter, with enemies spawning as you progress. There is standard melee focused bad guys, and even standard gunman on elevated platforms. But the game shakes it up with flying drones, power ups, different guns and annoying shield users you have to go prone to kill.

There are also three unique fights against Anna-ki in three different levels of the game. All three levels also sport different platforming challenges, like chunks of the ceiling falling, having to outrun rising water and timing jumps in a sewer. A classic feel to the games of old.

The fights against Anna-ki are also pretty classic feeling. The first has her in the air, where you have to make use of precise timing with your gun. The second has her on one side of the arena and using attacks you have to dodge with a platform to jump on to avoid. With the final being a cool multiple platform arena where she moves around with devastating attacks.

Playing through this mini game multiple times as Jillian or Lillian also yields unique rewards for Warframe. For example, doing the first run gives you unique profile glyphs that resemble either Jillian or Lillian. But doing all five loops gives you a cute and quirky emblem for your shoulders. I was not expecting a Corgi with a crown and royal robe to find its way into most of my fashion set ups.

Closing Remarks on Caliber Chicks 2

When I originally heard of this mini game coming to Warframe: 1999, I was mostly lukewarm on it. The past mini games never really gave much reason to enjoy them outside of their novelty on the surface. But Caliber Chicks 2 was incredibly fun, and at times rightfully challenging, even without a real fail state (unless you hate having lower scores). If you have yet to swing by the Arcade in Hollvania, playing through this mini game is definitely worth your time, even if you are there for the rewards.