The Dead have risen in Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, A44’s newest Souls-lite since Ashen, the latter being an indie title released way back in 2018. Players take the role of Nor, a Sapper for a coalition hellbent on destroying the gods of the world, slightly hypocritical with the fact that players also fight alongside one. Enki is a fox-like god capable of giving Nor tactical advantages in combat and plenty of mobility during exploration sections. Flintlock seems to borrow plenty of elements from other games like parry systems, perfect dodges and the use of red marks to symbolise unblockable attacks, giving much less of a unique identity than I first perceived. Alas, its setting is interesting enough to explore with plenty of beautiful locations to discover on my journey.
I, Robot
Flintlock’s appearance is miles apart from Ashen, A44’s first video game, besides the fact that Ashen is also another Souls-like. Flintlock uses actual faces with more realistic graphical implementations rather than Slenderman-esque facial features with voice acting that was confusing to hear when characters have no mouths. Flintlock characters are soldiers that fight with swords, shields, eyes, noses and the occasional freckle, giving the illusion that A44 might be willing to design simple facial expressions in their characters. You’d expect characters to exhort pain during fights or react to the slightest dull breeze, but A44 might as well have designed faceless protagonists a second time. Using photo mode, I noticed that Nor’s face was pretty much static when entering combat, but alas, a soldier must show no fear. But come on, how am I supposed to bond with a character that has less expressions than a defunct robot?
Speaking of characters, Nor can set up campsites that provide respite from the terror of the Dead. Along the way, Nor will meet NPCs that will be added to the camp to provide side quests, Sapper quests and upgrade materials. Each character is designed to upgrade specific parts of Nor’s arsenal, like certain weapons or armour pieces to give her an advantage in battle.
Up, Up and Away
The emotionless drones fortunately don’t deflate the experience of exploration in the world of Flintlock. Nor can order Enki to teleport to anchor points as shortcuts or ways to reach higher points on the map. Don’t expect to be able to drop down and assassinate enemies like Ezio Auditore as Flintlock does allow for jump attacks but nothing compared to the likes of sneaky insta-kill moves from above. Nor will eventually come across black powder that she can use to enhance her manoeuvrability. For instance, the player might decide to double-jump over an attacking enemy and shoot them from above before dropping behind and hacking away. Furthermore, Nor can use these jumps to ascend to heights and leap great distances by combining the dodge button to go even further, giving the player plenty of options for traversal. Hidden chests containing goodies like armour and weapons can be found in hidden areas or behind optional boss encounters, providing more options than Nor’s simple axe and pistol combo.
Please, Define Insanity…
Alas, these boss fights feel more like padding than most. There were three or four times I encountered a “horde” boss encounter consisting of one strong enemy and several smaller mobs of The Dead. The stronger variants are okay at best, but the smaller mobs are all designed the same and can be very frustrating to fight considering how they gank on top of the player, which can result in an easy death if the player acts careless. I was expecting much more variety throughout my several hours of a playthrough, but A44 preferred to lazily re-use average enemies and give them a large, combined health bar.
Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’
Flintlock describes itself as a ‘Souls-lite’, borrowing control schemes akin to Dark Souls, like using the right bumper for standard attacks and the B button to dodge. Two presses of the dodge button allow players to use black powder to extend into a roll, which seems to have low invincibility frames, like a player panic button that punishes the player for spamming. I also found the enemy tracking to be quite unfair, like Nor was a magnet for swords that could defy the laws of physics, hitting her with attacks I was so certain would have missed. Players can use Enki in combat to curse enemies and inflict different negative effects, like armour degradation and higher stun counts. Armour sets found throughout the game can further enhance Enki and Nor’s abilities, vital for late-game encounters and boss battles, and they can provide options like black powder refills by attacking with Enki or causing an explosion on an enemy after a certain amount of stacked damage from the four-legged god.
Final Thoughts
In a nutshell, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn doesn’t do enough to stand out from any other Souls-like game before it. The game borrows far too much from its inspired titles, and its repetitive boss battles are a bore. It’s interesting enough with the slight difference in combat, utilising Enki to switch up the old hack & slash routines, but everything else seems mediocre, with the game being filled with many forgettable characters. Unfortunately, the positives surrounding its gorgeous locations and fun traversal aren’t enough to become a saving grace for A44’s latest title.
Developer: A44 Games
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Release Date: 18th July 2024
