How do you combine hacking with an axe, shooting with firearms and having a cute creature put curses on your enemies? Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, a third-person action adventure “Souls-lite” game, does just that.
Developed by New Zealand’s A44 Games, Flintlock has gaming elements similar to Souls games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring that focus on well-timed parrying, dodging and attacks, but is a lot less punishing.
You play Nor Vanek, who lost her family when her hometown of Dawn was besieged by the undead. She has joined the Coalition as a soldier to push back the undead forces and liberate people from the dominion of evil gods. Early in the game, she encounters Enki, an adorable big-eared, fox-like being who fights alongside her using magical powers.
Nor is respectful to NPCs (Non-playable characters), like calling them “Uncle” and consoling them when they are down, but is relentless and merciless on her foes, making her a fun character to play.
The game does try to shed some light on her past during her conversations with the inquisitive Enki. such as her humble occupation as a trench-digger in the Coalition, and her disdain for being awarded medals.
Enki, who is adorable in a naïve and curious “you humans are so interesting” way, is a great asset in helping Nor in her quest. Enki is able to curse enemies, distract them, cause them damage over time and even launch a devastating “limit break” Withering attack which is crucial for tough boss battles. In addition, Enki enables Nor to use Rift portals which are activated using skull pedestals and can teleport Nor to otherwise inaccessible places.
Guns and axes
Nor is armed with an axe and a flintlock pistol that uses gunpowder as ammunition. As she progresses in the game, she unlocks more weapons, including a musket that lets her snipe foes from afar, a cannon to deal with enemy hordes and also a variety of grenades to clear the room.
Unlike most games where ammo can be picked up for firearms, gunpowder for the primary firearm needs to be earned by landing four melee attacks to fill a single round. In contrast, secondary firearms cannot be refilled until resting at campfires, lodestones or coffeeshops in hamlets.
This adds to the complexity of combat since you cannot just rush into battle with guns blazing. Some careful strategising of weapons and abilities is needed especially for tougher bosses.
There is also an assortment of protective gear with magical properties to be found, which can add to Nor’s abilities and skills. Both gear and weapons can be upgraded by Sappers hanging out at campfires using resources like iron, sulphur and wood that can be found when exploring the map.
Flintlock’s world features hamlets dominated by mini-bosses bandit leaders who are more challenging than regular mobs, and the hamlet can be liberated when the leaders are defeated. Freed hamlets have a coffee shop where you can purchase cosmetic items and find side quests that you can partake in to earn Reputation points.
Nor will encounter a wide range of enemies, including the undead, exploding zombies, bandits, enemy soldiers and knights who serve the evil gods, and even the gods themselves. Some enemies have a tendency to appear sneakily, and I was caught off-guard several times when exploring a new area.
The game gets a lot easier once you manage to upgrade Nor’s gear and abilities, and also level up Enki’s powers, although the major bosses still prove pretty challenging!
Big reputation
Instead of experience points, Flintlock uses Reputation points as the main currency. These are used to gain new skills and abilities via the skill tree, upgrade gear and also to trade for cosmetic items.
Reputation points are gained by defeating enemies, completing quests and playing minigames with NPCs in the form of Sebo. Sebo involves moving coins on a board to form a triangle and stopping an opponent from doing the same within a fixed number of moves, which adds a strategic dimension to an otherwise action-heavy game.
The game also has an interesting mechanism with a multiplier for Reputation points, which is gained if you perform special attacks and different actions during combat. It works to multiply your recently earned Reputation points but you need to activate it when you feel it is most profitable to do so, since the multiplier is removed when Nor is wounded.
This serves to heighten the stakes and adds to the stress of deciding when to hold out or cash out. Needless to say, it’s definitely worth cashing out Reputation points with high multipliers before charging headlong into a Boss fight!
Flintlock incorporates some Souls-like game mechanics — combat prowess focuses on more parrying, dodging and well-timed attacks and combos rather than button-mashing. Like most Souls games, all enemies are respawned after resting, and you are penalised for death in that hard-earned Reputation points will be dropped upon defeat.
Dropped Reputation points can be picked up by returning to the spot where Nor fell, but if she dies again before that, the points will be gone. Choosing to restart at a checkpoint also loses any Reputation points.
Since boss battles are closed off, there is no escape and you can only win or die. This means risking hard-earned Reputation points if Nor decides to give up on a Boss fight after death.
The stakes are much higher later in the game as higher level skills require more Reputation points to be amassed before investing, so it can be a pretty crushing experience to lose them when you’re close to attaining enough points to trade for a high level skill.
Taking in the sights
Although Flintlock is a limited open world game, rather like God of War, there are some hidden loot and secrets to be found. Some will require solving jump puzzles that utilise Nor’s gunpowder jump, which is essentially a double-jump propelled by an explosion.
The level designs are quite clever, with plenty of vertical areas and hidden corners that can be accessed by gunpowder jumps or Rift travelling, which also means falling to death (and losing Reputation points) is a very real threat.
Apart from finding resources for gear upgrading, there are also collectibles like Conscript’s Buttons which can be sold for 150 Reputation points, as well as notes and diaries for getting some perspectives of the characters in the game.
Additional perks for exploration include Inaya Shrines and Enki Feathers that are scattered throughout the world — the former increases your total health, while the latter increases how quickly Enki fills up the Prime meter to cast curses on your foes in combat.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a great looking game, with beautiful scenery of mountains and oceans in the distance, and plenty of vantage points to survey the land. The game’s graphics are impressively detailed with realistic lighting and shadows, and even show flies swarming around leftover food.
In terms of performance, I experienced some severe stuttering and the game hanging on me when playing on my PC. The situation improved after updating the graphics drivers and getting the game updated. Granted, my gaming rig isn’t the latest and greatest with an economical RTX 3070 graphics chip, but it has served me well for most new releases.
Unfortunately, there are game-breaking bugs which do not recognise an objective being completed in quest if certain actions are done out of order, which inhibit progression through the game.
TL;DR
With a refreshing combat system involving melee, shooting and magic, as well as a rewarding and punishing multiplier mechanism for Reputation points, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn sets itself apart as a Soul-lite game.
Although exploration is limited and only a handful of side quests, it is a succinctly enjoyable game with Souls-like features. Having a cute companion in the form of Enki helps to create some banter and provide insight into Nor’s background.
The game is aesthetically pleasing, with beautiful views of mountains and oceans and detailed graphics. However, the occasional stuttering and crashing, as well as game-breaking issues with completing quest objectives, mar the enjoyment of the game.
For those who are new to “Souls” games or don’t want to be too frustrated (cue Elden Ring and Sekiro), definitely give Flintlock a go, especially if you are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass.
Flintlock is also available for the PC and Xbox Series X|S at S$57.75 in the Microsoft Store, S$48.90 on Steam, and $55.93 for the PlayStation 5 in the PlayStation Store.
