Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Review

I have an insatiable sweet tooth. If you’re a block of Old Gold in my household, you live in constant fear for your life, not matter the time of day. That said, I’m quick to start hating myself when I snap out of a craving-induced trance to see that I’ve ravaged the entire pantry. My dreadful analogy is here to point you toward the universal truth that you can have too much of a good thing. And just like my shameful nights surrounded by torn Cadbury wrappers, I can’t help but feel as though we’re approaching the tipping point with the Soulslike genre, an offshoot of action RPGs that has become overcrowded and hard to avoid. It’s a sentiment that’s been growing in me for the past few years, and I couldn’t shake the thought while playing A44 Games’ newest title, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

Opening on a decimated battlefield ringing with cannon fire, Sapper (a cross between a mechanic and a soldier) Nor Vanek strongarms her way into a mission that will hopefully see the end of a decade-long war between the Coalition and the army of the Dead that poor from a mystical gateway that leads to the Great Below. Despite her efforts, the barrier that contained the malevolent Gods is shattered, allowing their entry into the world of Kian.

Following the botched attempt at finishing the fight, Nor encounters Enki, a fox-like creature and self-proclaimed God. Through the use of his silver tongue and a bit of good old-fashioned lightning, the mysterious figure convinces Nor to partner up and do as the game’s tagline says: Kill. All. Gods.

As a new IP, the narrative has a lot to chew on, with grand notions of gods, magic, and outer realms, and the world of Flintlock is an interesting one, both visually and conceptually. Taking clear inspirations from the Napoleonic period and fusing them with fantasy makes for an intriguing setting, and the lore behind the destructive pantheon has great potential. The design of some, if not all, the characters is exceptional, feeling very much connected to the same world. For as unique as they look, though, I just wasn’t invested in their story. With the exception of some late-game revelations, the narrative falls flat, with uninspired writing and performances failing to realise the setting’s potential.

As a Sapper, Nor is equipped with an axe, a pistol, and a musket to stave off the shambling forces of the Great Below. Faster than your average Soulslike, combat has you attacking, dodging, and parrying as you would expect, with your axe as your primary damage-dealing melee option and the musket for dealing with foes at a distance. The pistol also plays an integral role, used to interrupt enemies throwing unblockable attacks your way, opening them up for a counterattack.

More than a feathery guide, Enki also lends his powers to Nor in battle. Attacking targeted enemies with a button press, Enki’s strikes will progressively fill a curse meter, which, when full, staggers the foes and leaves them vulnerable to a critical strike. Enki can also unleash an ultimate attack known as a Withering that causes significant damage and curse buildup.

The character designs constantly impress

The components that make up Flintlock’s combat system are solid, but in motion, it just isn’t as satisfying as the description may imply. Upgrades add some depth in the form of additional moves and damage output, but like the story, the action feels a little lifeless. This isn’t helped by enemy attacks often being unreadable or messy, causing you to take damage out of nowhere and interrupting any momentum you may have had.

This particular issue becomes more apparent when factoring in one of Flintlock’s most unique features. You gain new abilities by spending Reputation (read experience) gained in combat. Hacking, slashing, and blasting your way through the dead without taking damage will add to a multiplayer that can help you net a great Reputation reward. The neat wrinkle is that you’re in direct control of when you want to bank it. Taking any damage will reset your multiplier, and you’ll get the unmodified amount, incentivising you to fight smarter. It’s a clever push-your-luck mechanic that I would greatly enjoy, were it not for the often-shaky encounters.

Not all areas are memorable, but the desert biome did stand out

Combat is reasonably challenging, but Flintlock goes one step further to highlight the Souls in Soulslite. Scattered throughout each area are campsites and Lodestones that act as checkpoints, places where you can rest and recover your health. But the price for doing so is that, and say it with me, all basic enemies in the area respawn. You could argue that it makes some thematic sense, but even still, it shouldn’t come at the price of the overall experience. Had this, and potentially the other RPG elements been stripped out of the game, we could be left with a more focused action experience.

While out of combat, you can explore the various semi-open areas that you visit throughout the game’s roughly eight-hour campaign. Using black powder and aided by Enki’s magic, Nor can double jump, as well as teleport using stationary portals scattered throughout the world. These are tied to skull altars and must be found and interacted with before opening up new pathways and platforming opportunities. Chaining together these portals looks and feels pretty cool, and it’s a decent way to avoid tediously wadding through the same enemies again and again after a death or rest, but an easier way to avoid that would be to avoid the respawning mechanic altogether.

Large portions of the story are told through narrated static storybook cutscenes, similar to The Witcher 3

Final Thoughts

While it might seem like I actively dislike Flintlock, that’s not the case– the truth is far worse. The reality is that I just don’t have particularly strong opinions on the game, purely because it hasn’t left much of an impression on me, negative or otherwise. The setting and mythos that A44 created has potential, and I can see the makings of something worthwhile in a handful of the systems, but this attempt hasn’t landed. There’s nothing here that’s outwardly terrible or broken, it’s just lacking life in many vital facets. Even if I were to excuse the shoehorned Soulslike systems thrown into the mix, there’s still no compelling reason to play The Siege of Dawn.

Reviewed on PS5 // Review code supplied by publisher

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