Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn

A44 Games, known for the commendable game Ashen, is a small studio that ambitiously tackled the challenge of creating an engaging Souls-like game, despite numerous limitations. What set Ashen apart was its unique feature, allowing players to complete the game in co-op mode. This simple, yet innovative idea drew many of us into Ashen’s smooth gameplay and distinctive atmosphere, providing an enjoyable experience.

However, was Ashen a perfect and flawless game? Absolutely not. But it excelled in keeping its audience captivated. Ashen was a game with its own unique spirit, not striving to mimic the major titles in its genre. Unfortunately, this individuality seems to be missing in A44’s latest creation, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

Studio A44 set out to make its latest project, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, bigger and more ambitious than Ashen. In doing so, they traded the unique charm of their previous game for more spectacle, aiming to create a larger title by blending elements from several successful games. This shift in approach makes it difficult to recognize Flintlock as a creation from the same team behind Ashen.

The influence of God of War (2018) is unmistakable in A44’s new semi-Souls-like game. However, both the gameplay and the story of Flintlock, fall short of the standards set by Santa Monica’s masterpiece.

The game’s story can be summarized in a few sentences, the gates of the underworld have opened, unleashing zombie-like creatures into the world of the living, and the protagonist must find a solution to this crisis. This brief summary is enough to let you know that the game features a clichéd and entirely generic story, one that you have likely encountered in various forms in other works.

You might argue that many modern games feature such stories. You’re absolutely right, and I don’t have an issue with simple narratives in these types of games. However, what could have potentially rescued Flintlock from its monotonous and repetitive storyline, is its main character, Nor Vanek. But unfortunately, Nor is a character you quickly forget. Even midway through the game, you might find yourself struggling to remember Nor’s primary objective. This is because the developers don’t take their protagonist seriously, fail to create meaningful stakes for her, and don’t delve into her backstory in the game’s events.

A character whose past isn’t intriguing and whose goals and future don’t engage the player is essentially ineffective. Adding to this, Nor’s occasional quips seem designed to appeal to the modern video game audience, aiming to make a positive impression. However, the savvy audiences, will quickly realize that Nor’s character doesn’t align with the world and atmosphere envisioned for Flintlock. As a result, players eventually become disengaged from her.

Despite these issues, the world-building and unique atmosphere of Flintlock are among the game’s most commendable aspects. You won’t encounter a vast and bizarre world; instead, the environments are straightforward but effectively serve their purpose. The exploration mechanics are relatively well-implemented, and if you invest time in Flintlock’s world, you’ll be rewarded. However, even the exploration can sometimes become frustrating due to certain gameplay issues.

For instance, you often need to climb walls and jump between platforms to find specific items. However, the platforming mechanics don’t always function correctly, and you may find yourself repeatedly jumping from one platform to another for no reason, or worse, dying and being set back several steps. This can lead to a frustrating experience that detracts from the enjoyment of Flintlock. This issue also extends to action sections and combat mechanics. Flintlock is an action RPG that borrows heavily from God of War (2018) and Bloodborne. The over-the-shoulder camera, while inspired by Santa Monica’s work, isn’t the best choice for this type of game. It limits your field of view, making it difficult to see and react to enemies attacking from behind.

It’s also important to note that Flintlock isn’t really a Souls-like game. While A44 may have incorporated core elements of this sub-genre to attract players, Flintlock is ultimately a more linear and easier game with different levels of difficulty, making it appealing even to players who don’t have the patience for tough challenges.

Speaking of difficulty levels, it’s worth noting that playing Flintlock on a higher difficulty doesn’t significantly enhance the experience. At higher difficulty levels, enemies don’t become smarter or challenge the player in new ways; they remain the same, with bigger health bars and more damage output. This results in a flawed difficulty system that unnecessarily complicates progression, and also prevents players from sharing a consistent experience of the game’s challenges and discovering solutions together, like in Souls-like titles.

While the bosses may not visually compare to the iconic designs of the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne, they do offer a good level of challenge. No two boss fights are alike, and as you progress, you encounter more engaging challenges. This would be a positive point for Flintlock if the combat mechanics worked correctly.

We love From Software’s games because all the gameplay mechanics and combat elements work together seamlessly, like the intricate parts of a Swiss watch. Unfortunately, this level of cohesion is absent in Flintlock, and it’s unrealistic to expect it from A44.

Similar to Bloodborne, Flintlock equips you with a melee weapon for close combat and a firearm for countering enemy attacks. Additionally, you have another firearm with a slow reload speed, intended for long-range engagements. There are also various types of magic and throwable items that you can utilize depending on the battle situation.

On paper, these combat features are promising, allowing players to create unique builds through the game’s skill tree. However, a significant issue undermines all these impressive elements. In games like this, you need to strategize for each battle and use your limited resources wisely. Imagine trying to hit an enemy from a reasonable distance or attempting to dodge or deflect attacks. If these actions don’t work in practice because of flawed combat mechanics, you will end up facing a series of random defeats that only lead to frustration, and this is Flintlock’s biggest problem. Hits on enemies sometimes don’t register, or you take damage despite dodging correctly. These issues overshadow Flintlock’s well-designed levels, engaging boss fights, and charming atmosphere.

Overall, Flintlock isn’t a bad game. It’s an average but respectable title created within its own limitations. However, excessive sloppiness in defining gameplay mechanics and over-reliance on imitating major video game titles have squandered much of the game’s potential. Flintlock suffers from its own shortcomings, but if you can overlook them to some extent, the game has enough appealing elements to provide at least 10 hours of enjoyment.

Rating: 60/100