REVIEW: ‘Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn’ Is Rustic And Rusty (XSX)

Souls-lites lately have felt like a catch-all genre term. In a way, they’ve become the modern term RPG mechanics used to be back in the early 2000s up to mid-2010s. Even then, what does a souls-lite mean? That the game is going to be punishing from the start? Will the game have enemies respawn when you rest? At the same time, when a game is described as a soul-lite, fans think they know exactly what they’re getting into when they get the game. That’s not completely the case with Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, the souls-lite action-adventure game from A44 Games and Kepler Interactive. While being described as a genre that is becoming more and more ambiguous, A44 Games has attempted to try something new with a unique story.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn takes place in a magical alternate war-torn universe. The human race is at war with death. One of its fighters, a sapper named Nor Vanek, leads a fight that could change the tide of battle. Everything naturally breaks apart just when everything appears to be going according to plan. Her idea inadvertently shatters the loose container, keeping the dead at bay and unleashing the gods of the “Great Below” onto the lands of Kian. Nor finds herself teaming up with a fox-shaped god called Enki to take down the gods and save the world.

What’s odd about Flintlock‘s story is that, for the most part, it’s a strong aspect of the game. But it also feels like a letdown time and again. The chemistry between Nor and Enki evolves during the story, from strangers helping each other to companions fighting for what’s right. But there are shifts and major moments that happen off-screen. In video games, showing rather than telling can be highly effective. And that is what hurts major revelations here. After major bosses, big parts of the story will play out in 2D-style cutscenes that summarize points that should’ve been shown more openly. And these cutscenes rush that dynamic so quickly.

For instance, there is a point where Enki’s true nature is revealed. What he is and his history are told to us like a slap in the face in a boss’s final words. This revelation initially shatters Nor and Enki’s relationship. But during the cutscene, they quickly make amends and go on like what was just discussed never happened. And this happens at almost every pivotal point. Yet, what makes Flintlock‘s story memorable is its portrayal of humanity.

After being at war with an unstoppable enemy, it’s the slow change in the Coalition and the greater humanity’s feelings of fighting against the inevitable to hope, all thanks to Nor and Enki’s actions. They are the catalyst to showing that what at first felt unbeatable can be stopped—that they can free the city of Dawn from the undead threat and give humanity a future once again. But the story also regularly gets pushed to the side for a middling and rushed connection to keep Nor and Enki together when it portrays them both as having irreconcilable differences in the first place.

Even though the story can be hit or miss, the explorable areas are fantastic to roam through. You’ll travel through two and a half areas (the last area is much shorter and linear than the others). The first two have a direct path you should follow but are full of detours to explore. What makes it great, though, is Nor’s maneuverability. This includes her double jump, her dashing, and her ability to fly with Enki. Plus, each area is so varied that following the main quest to the next step could lead you to something fresh to play around in.

Take the first area, Three Peaks, for example. At first, you’re exploring ruins and old run-down towns. As you progress, you’ll get to go through mines and a large castle town. Each has distinct enemies to fight. Every bit has unique challenges to face, collectibles to find, areas to liberate, and so much more. For what at first glance felt barren is actually filled to the brim with content. That’s all if you take the time to go off the main path to look around.

Side quests, too, add some depth and brevity to the explorable world, giving it and Nor much more character growth than what you may get from the main story. There are dozens to find, particularly from each town you liberate or from your allies at different camps you may come across throughout each area. They can range from helping a rogue bandit get his treasure back to completing a pilgrimage to pay homage to all conscripts who have been lost during the war. My favorite one was one that I found by accident.

When exploring a hidden area, an uncle appears, hoping to meet up with a loved one for their monthly hike. His leg is hurt, so he can’t do it. He wants someone to go up the mountain to let a woman know and for her to meet him at his village. As Nor climbs the mountain, more signs of death’s army are revealed. This all culminates in finding that the woman was murdered by a rogue band of undead.

As Nor approaches the man to let him know, she gives him hope instead of the bad news. In a way, Nor’s simple lie revealed a lot about her, as she thought breaking this man’s spirit would do more damage than letting him know that she wouldn’t see him again. It’s heartwarming and so revealing. Why is this relegated to a side area that most players won’t find?

Exploration is highly encouraged, too. Not just to find these shockingly good moments, but to find ways to upgrade Nor and Enki. To take back Dawn, Nor has a lot of gear to bring with her to have a chance. There are pistols, flintlock rifles, grenade launchers, and axes. There’s also armor and four different types of grenades to bring. That may sound overwhelming, but the choices are limited enough not to feel overwhelmed with choice. And once you find what works for you, that gear can be used for the rest of the game. I used stuff I found in the first area to the end.

See, everything is upgradable five times. All you need is reputation, Flintlock‘s form of experience, and enough findable resources out in the world. If you have enough, you can upgrade that item to deal better damage, increase ammo capacity, or provide better benefits in combat. Same for talents. There are several talents for three categories for Nor to unlock through getting enough reputation. These can be as simple as giving Nor an explosion when she inflicts four effects on an enemy, all the way to getting a free resurrection from Enki if she dies.

Plus, depending on which tree you unlock a talent from, that specific form of combat deals more damage, too.  With how quickly the talent tree fills up, it’s almost shocking how powerful some of the minor ones make you feel. And what quickly becomes apparent is that gaining a reputation is not only unique compared to other souls-lites, but it really rewards you for learning the minutia of the game.

Reputation is a two-part effort. First, killing enemies awards a set amount. You gain a percentage-based multiplier as you perform various actions in and out of combat. If you do well enough, you could get a one hundred percent reputation bonus when you cash out by holding down left on the d-pad. If you get hit at any time, though, that multiplier is lost, and you gain the base reputation immediately. So, being skilled in combat is very rewarding.

But difficulty balancing feels left behind for ways to get overpowered quickly. Combat, while fun in its fluidity and visceral moments, almost feels like a tedious task to get through by the time you reach the third (and final area). Combat uses all the tools mentioned previously to create fun and action-packed moments. You balance using your melee weapon to build charges of your black powder to fire your primary firearm. That firearm is used to interrupt major enemy attacks or deal damage from a distance. You can also use secondary firearms for more distance-based damage with limited ammunition. Then there’s Enki.

Enki is like Atreus in God of War. He is your ally that you can call upon by pressing the Y button. Every attack Enki lands adds a death debuff on an enemy, which then allows Nor to build up an enemy’s stagger meter. You need to always be sure that you have that death debuff on your foes to get rid of their armor or take them out quickly. And, with some additional talents, he can stun or taunt extra enemies if you’re facing more than one baddie. Their synergy is something that does take time to get used to. Once you do, though, the game becomes a little too easy.

And this is where the weakest part of Flintlock lies. The game never fully builds on itself to meet you after you really get to know the game. Enemies only really deal more damage as you progress and do not get that much more complex in their attacks. And that’s most obvious in boss design. In my playthrough, the first boss was the hardest to get past. It required parrying attacks, using Enki regularly, hitting charge attacks to stop ultimate abilities, and being aloof to survive. After that, every other boss just got easier and easier.

The final boss was especially disappointing. Each boss just got lamer and lamer in not only their appearance but also their whole kit. By the time the last boss hit zero health, I was sitting around asking myself, “Was that it?” The whole ending of the game that was building to a grand moment, with its setting and hyping up the final fight in its entirety, ended in a whimper. Almost like every other revelation throughout the game. The game was fun overall, but the final moments soured the overall experience.

Thankfully the ending didn’t sour my experience too much to go through and do everything else the game had to offer. Exploration and tearing through fodder while trying to find any missed item or secret was still a joy. Plus pulling off brutal critical hits never got old.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn tries to chart its own path down the ever-growing souls-lite genre. In some ways, like exploration and its reputation system, it succeeds. In others, especially with its late-game combat, Flintlock shows more rust than polish. More balance felt needed in the grand scheme of things. Simple amounts of grinding or just getting into the groove of things trivialize most challenges that previously made you sweat. Everything together creates a package that at first feels hopeful and intriguing but ends in a chamber full of wet gunpowder.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.