Initial release date: 2024
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, GeForce Now, Microsoft Windows
Engine: Unity
Developer: A44 Games
Genres: Action role-playing game, Adventure game, Fighting game, Adventure
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Mode: Single-player video game
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn demonstrates exactly what an action-adventure game should be. A shorter game with a tighter narrative and fighting that’s only sufficient to advance you to credits. Its combat has a very strict flow that actively punishes any deviation, and its story isn’t all that interesting, but when you follow the rules, it can be really enjoyable.
The narrative centers on Nor, a Sapper who battles an invasion of the dead, and her newfound god friend Enki. Even though Nor despises the gods for taking the life of her adoptive father, she unwillingly joins forces with Enki to battle the invading gods in an effort to permanently put an end to the invading dead. The plot revolves on the clichés you would anticipate for a narrative of this kind, with our heroes learning they have more in common than they initially believed. It’s not that novel or captivating, but it’s secondary to fighting. The world building of the story is its strongest point.
Flintlock: There should be an excessive amount of exposition in The Siege of Dawn. It makes the wise decision to gradually impart all of the lore that has to be covered in its intricate setting over time. The world’s table setting is completed while you play, with brief explanations provided when appropriate. The world’s politics, the significance of gunpowder—which is simply referred to as powder—and the peculiar bond between the people and the gods in the tale are all revealed to you bit by bit. Although much of the politics and mythology feel superficial, the worldbuilding isn’t a masterclass, but it is presented in a way that prevents you from thinking about it for too long.
The main attraction is combat, despite its many shortcomings. It heavily draws inspiration from soulslike games, emphasizing deliberate, sluggish combat with little margin for error. Its battle loop is similar to that of Doom Eternal, which is where it differentiates. Enki’s curses must be used to prime opponents so that your damage can shatter their stagger meters. You can use a critical hit that usually results in death against an opponent without armor, or you can use a staggered strike to completely eliminate any armor the enemy may have. The majority of your assaults will either come after one of the two forms of parries, or in between opposing swings.
You are able to deflect both weak and powerful attacks with your pistol and other weaponry. It is also possible to rapidly sidestep, although parrying seems like a much better option. You have to play it more cautious in battle because your attacks hardly ever cause adversaries to stumble aside from parries. Attempting to overwhelm opponents with brute force signals that you are supposed to parry and exposes some of their weak points in terms of hitboxes and animations. While none of them is as accurate as other fighting games of this kind, the parry system doesn’t call for that kind of accuracy. While being forced to utilize all three weapons—your melee weapon, firearm, and Enki curses—in combat feels constraining, it also highlights how satisfying the game is when you follow the rules.
There is a fascinating twist to the leveling system: you bank the soul-equivalent points you get from beating foes during combat, so it doesn’t really get added to your total. Your multiplier rises when you perform specific tasks in battle, encouraging you to focus and become proficient in the art of fighting. You can select when to cash in, however points are cashed in without your multiplier lost if you suffer damage. It was simple to continue fighting without making any money because the risk was not very great. While this added another dynamic to combat, at no point did it feel like it was necessary to unlock new skills, with enemies and quests offering more than enough points to regularly unlock new skills. It’s a fun system, but it’s clear that engaging with it isn’t a requirement, which lessens its importance.
Although the game’s main boss fights aren’t very difficult, you still have to use these tactics flawlessly. On the other hand, it could be challenging to advance far on their health bar without making parries. The first boss concentrates on this, asking you to do three successive parries with its three-armed design—this is also the point at which the combat system of the game clicked.
A few open-world aspects are mixed in with linear levels in the level design. With a few branching parts where you can complete side missions and uncover hidden secrets, the levels mostly consist of a single, obvious primary path. Though the precise number you wish to finish may be much less, there are many of them in each of the major areas. Upon thoroughly examining the majority of the initial segment, it became evident that the side missions primarily yield new equipment as rewards, with little to no narrative depth. There’s not much incentive to go out of your way to find the equipment because much of it is different and not better because the game has a shorter runtime.
Additionally, the traversal shortcut system appears to have been designed as an afterthought. Every level has several skulls that, when activated, form rifts that, when you get close enough, you can teleport to. While it’s convenient to not have to retake a whole area when you die, the mere presence of purple triangles across the scene detracts from the overall aesthetic rather than adding to it. The shortcut is included into the level in a few places, generally as a gate and a lever, but most of the places are rift based.
A little romp of a revenge mission, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has a corny but not oppressive plot. While its combat does sing when you follow the cycle precisely and has a few original concepts, there are a lot of clumsy hit boxes and animations. There are just enough interesting worldbuilding components to keep things interesting in-game, but not enough to ponder over afterward. While it’s not the most memorable experience, it’s entertaining and rather well-made, making it a short fix for anyone who appreciates tactical fighting.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 65%
Story – 60%
Aesthetics – 70%
Content – 65%
Accessibility – 68%
Value – 65%
Overall Rating – 65%
Fair
Summary: Fun and well-made, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an action-RPG with a plot full of clichés. Although it won’t blow anyone away, this little adventure has enough redeeming qualities and a manageable length to be worthwhile, especially for fans of meticulous and focused combat.