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If you’ve played Ashen, you know A44 has a taste for action RPGs. The dev describes Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn as a Souls-lite, though its aesthetic hews closer to Skull and Bones than Dark Souls. Its combat mixes swords, magic, and firearms, but the real draw is the black powder leaps and acrobatic dodges. Nor Vanek is a member of the Coalition army, but in battle, she’s more akin to a whirling dervish of death than a stuffy soldier. Accompanied by Enki (a fox-like god-thing and Nor’s partner in crime), you’ll traverse a ravaged world, make friends, build combo strings, and snipe unsuspecting dodos. Welcome to Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.
Enki and Weirdness in The Siege of Dawn
My hands-on time with Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn left me with an incomplete picture. Though graphically impressive, its imagery feels inconsistent. The closer Flintlock clings to classic Western fantasy images, the weaker the results. The weirder and more original its contents, the more engaging. Every time that I almost dismissed it as just another Western fantasy, Flintlock showed me something special. The Hosts (multi-armed, possibly supernatural beings that run coffee shops) are my favorite bit of weirdness, but Flintlock‘s dive into the arcane and obscure doesn’t end there.
It’s too early to judge the story of Nor and Kian, their portals and undead hordes. You don’t always need a 12-hour lore video to explain what makes a story special, but you do need some solid details, and the game’s opening hours keep much of Flintlock‘s story close to the chest. Setting aside worldbuilding and the “why” behind it all isn’t a bad thing, however. The Soulslike genre often ditches linear narratives in favor of fragmented ones, focusing on action and exploration instead. We could do worse than follow suit.
A key part of Flintlock‘s combat involves combos. Varying your attacks with a mix of explosive leaps, sword slashes, and musket shots builds your multiplier, and you can turn that combo in for Reputation with the press of a button. Get hit before converting your points, however, and you lose any unsecured Reputation. Considering that Reputation acts as both a currency and upgrade material for skills, it pays to get good. Die, and you’ll drop any Reputation you’ve banked, meaning you’ll have to brave whatever killed you if you want your golden earnings back. It’s a classic Soulslike mechanic, and it works.
The Souls-lite moniker feels appropriate. Although nowhere near as difficult as boss fights in Elden Ring and its siblings, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is happy to remind you how killable you are. Getting surrounded by saber-wielding mobs typically means death unless you can break through the enemy ranks. Thankfully, you can use black powder explosions and acrobatics to give yourself a triple jump. Think half Quake rocket jump and half Prince of Persia flexing. Dark Souls fat rolls? Not here.
Kill Cams and Black Powder Leaps
I’d love Enki even if the only thing he did was sit there looking floofy, but he’s a tactical asset, too. You can command your vulpine assistant to attack enemies, help with guard breaks, and enable some stylish finishers. Although unimpressive at first, Enki’s contribution in battle grows as you invest Reputation into skills. Most of the skill tree remained locked in the preview build, but every skill I’ve seen in Flintlock feels unique and impactful. It’s too early to say how much build variety there is, but at least everything’s fun.
I’m less happy with the jumps and dodges. Despite their slick animations, they feel floaty, falling short of selling the illusion of weight and momentum. Granted, that’s the kind of thing the devs could fix before Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn gets released. I assume they’ll do just that. Even if the jumps went live in their present state, it wouldn’t ruin the game. Still, considering how integral movement is to the action, the sooner the fix, the better. Flintlock‘s gunpowder leaps already separate it from the Soulslike crowd, and polishing them would elevate the game’s combat that much more.
Flintlock shots get kill cams, and while it’s no Sniper Elite, putting a musket ball through an enemy in slow-mo might be my favorite part of combat. This mechanic also speaks to Flintlock‘s design philosophy. Skill matters here, but so does style. It’s this axiom that ties combo length to Reputation gains. Elden Ring doesn’t care if you grab a Great Club and spam-bonk your way through every boss. That’s somehow both freeing and terribly dull. Compare that to Flintlock, a game that rewards style and innovation with a shower of Reputation. Being an interesting fighter to watch pays better, and it should.
The jury is out on Flintlock. If you’re a fan of Soulslikes or action RPGs, however, you should keep an eye on Nor and Enki. Like a necromancer’s favorite skeleton, the bones of this one are strong. If The Siege of Dawn maintains the upward trajectory of its opening hours (and gets 10% more polish), it’ll be a welcome addition to the Halls of Combat. I like this game so far, and I want to keep liking it. A44 has talent. If we’re fortunate, we’ll get to see a lot more of it in the land of Kian.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
