Summary

• Accessible yet deep combat, gorgeous art direction, and voice acting make Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn a fun experience for players.
• While the story may be disappointingly shallow and the dialogue awkward at times, the game shines in its combat and exploration elements.
• The world of Flintlock is a joy to navigate, offering players plenty of opportunities for exploration and rewarding them with meaningful upgrades.

Setting out to design a Souslike game to be as accessible for newcomers as possible while still catering to veterans seems like an almost impossible task, and yet that's exactly the tightwire act Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn attempts. It's a valiant effort that's ed by some excellent art direction, voice acting, and combat but when it comes to wrapping all those separate components together into a single package, it struggles to stick the landing. There's plenty of fun to be found in Nor Vanek's quest to kill the gods, but the story that ties it together is disappointingly thin.

Set in a "Flintlock Fantasy" world, players are tasked with stepping into the boots of the aforementioned Nor Vanek, a Sapper (or combat engineer who specializes in demolitions) who inadvertently unleashes a trio of monstrous gods upon the world. To make up for her mistake, she partners with Enki, a mysterious yet adorable entity who wishes to aid her journey, although his motivations are suspicious, to say the least. Exploring a handful of fantasy tropes, the duo must grow in strength to defeat their enemies and hopefully liberate Dawn from the tyrannical entities laying waste to the world.

Great Premise, Disappointing Writing

Before discussing the things Flintlock does well, it's worth pointing out early that the game's story is underwhelming. The actual premise is compelling, especially given how rare the "Flintlock Fantasy" genre is within the realm of video games, but The Siege of Dawn skips over its characters and setting, rushing Nor through the opening segments to get her into the core gameplay as quickly as possible. There's very little context given to anyone and anything, which makes the dramatic opening death, which is presented as something players should care about, hollow and pointless.

The rest of the narrative largely serves as a means to have players move from hamlet to hamlet, striking down whatever enemies they come across. This doesn't need to be an issue; Doom is a prime of example of using a narrative to simply contextualize its mechanics. Yet when Flintlock attempts to have its characters engage in some kind of growth or share an emotional moment, it almost always falls flat due to how little the game spends fleshing them out to be more than upgrade stations, which is a pity because the voice acting, in general, is strong.

It's a good thing that Flintlock's combat and traversal is so much fun, otherwise monotony would set in much too early.

This issue also permeates in the Flintlock's quest design which often boils down to talking to an NPC, killing off some enemies, and returning to earn a reward. There are some standout moments: an adventure in a spooky, destroyed manor toward the end of the game is a fun twist on the formula, but these are few and far between. It's a good thing that Flintlock's combat and traversal is so much fun, otherwise monotony would set in much too early.

Flintlock's Combat Is Explosive

To say that Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn resembles a more approachable Dark Souls is perhaps not the best point of comparison. Developer A44 Games may position it as a "Soulslite" like Another Crab's Treasure but in reality, the game plays much closer to more recent God of War titles. Nor is equipped with a small arsenal of weapons that range from her trusty sidearm to two-handed grenade launchers - but more often than not, players will fall back on their melee weapon which is quick, snappier, and always feels impactful.

Combat is fast and while that may be a negative for other games in the genre, it works for Flintlock. Players will have to choose their moments to swing, but thanks to a generous dodge mechanic and the ability to cancel enemy attacks with a quick-fire pistol shot, the game never feels too punishing. That may disappoint fans looking for a more grueling experience (but as an Xbox Game title, Flintlock is easy to take a flier on) but it helps make Flintlock accessible for those who may not have the skill or coordination to successfully parry every attack.

Adding another layer to combat is Enki himself who can be activated to place a curse on opponents that can do anything from whittling away their armor to inflicting a light poison. Flintlock is happy to provide players with as many tools as possible to succeed, which is especially evident in the equipment it hands out as rewards for quests. The variety in loot isn't extensive, but every item feels distinct in its design, meaning players will be able to create a build that works for them without having to fine tune it with different percentage modifiers.

Flintlock's World Is A Joy To Navigate

Flintlock may be a more linear experience than some may expect, but the size of its levels could easily trick those who aren't paying attention. Across its three maps (two of which are dramatically larger than the third), Nor is able to leap up mountains, drop on enemies from above, and warp through the air thanks to unlockable portals scattered about the world. It verges on full-blown sandbox territory at times, given how much Flintlock encourages players to really dig into the corners of the various environments.

It helps that while not every collectible is meaningful, there's generally a substantial pick-up to be found at the end of a long, out-of-the-way route. Whether that's a feather to level-up Enki or a shrine to increase Nor's maximum HP, exploration is always rewarded with a decent upgrade. It's all bolstered by Flintlock's visuals, which are absolutely stunning in of sheer graphical fidelity and the art direction on display; the Hosts that are sheltered within every Hamlet's coffee shop are particularly inspired.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

3.5/5 - "Very Good" By Screen Rant's Review Scale

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an excellent start to what could be a very popular franchise for A44 Games. While the narrative is lackluster and borderline dull, the combat, exploration, and art direction are all top-notch and help to make what could have been another Dark Souls imitator stand out from the crowd. There's a lot to love about it, especially for those who've been put off the Soulslike genre and want to finally dip their toes in with an accessible, fun starting point - though veterans of the genre may want to be wary of what could be another Steelrising difficulty level experience.

Screen Rant was provided with a Steam code for the purpose of this review.