Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Review

Soulslike games are becoming increasingly common, but it’s not as common for a studio to call its game a “Souls-lite.” Yet, that’s exactly what developer A44 Games callsFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn. The Souls-lite moniker means that it is a Soulslike-styled action RPG, but one designed with more approachable and accessible features.Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s combatis one of its best parts, but in some areas, it also exemplifies the general lack of depth spread across the game.

That’s not to sayFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnis a bad game; it’s a budget game and it wears that on its sleeve. If you were to look atFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnfrom the top down, it becomes clear that the top has a lot more depth than the very bottom, and a lot of little design decisions do not live up to their full potential.

a focus on the blur in Flintlock’s inventory screen

Flintlock’s Worldbuilding is Paid Off With Amazing Vistas and Locations

WhereFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnexcels the most is in its wider worldbuildingand gameplay ethos.Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnfeatures a bespoke fantasy world that combines Flintlock fantasy with Mesopotamian mythology. Flintlock Fantasy is perhaps most easily defined by a world where Napoleonic-era weaponry is on par with gods and divine magic. This creates an interesting scenario where the game’s Coalition army is capable of holding back hordes of undead, if not able to take back the city of Dawn. It also bleeds into gameplay, with protagonist Nor Vanek having plenty of weaponry and magic at her disposal.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s lore, vistas, locations, and more all feed into this Flintlock Fantasy world-building that makes the game stand out. It’s a unique flavor, something rarely seen in the video game space, and it’s as easy to appreciate the design of the evil god Uru as it is the Knights of Three Peaks. It’s as fun to learn about Nor Vanek’s beliefs regarding the Gods (in the face ofher god companion Enki) as it is to learn why the Knights of Three Peaks abhor gunpowder. Players can walk into a bandit camp and become their champion, subjugating them through strength and gunpowder, while they can walk face to face with a God and put a bullet in their face. There are a lot of little moments like this where the unique world ofFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnshines, as well as how players directly engage with it.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Combat Is Best in Moment-to-Moment Gameplay

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s combat isn’t complex, but there are a lot of moving parts. Players have axes to initiate melee combat with, a primary firearm that can be used to interrupt or quick-shot enemies, and longer-ranged secondary firearms. Players can also dodge, parry, or engage/disengage by utilizing what’s effectively a triple-jump mechanic. Without thecommon Soulslike stamina system, there’s a freedom of movement in combat that’s refreshing, but players will still need to be up-close and personal to defeat enemies. Enki is able to attack enemies, bestow curses to build up a sort of Poise meter, and interrupt enemies/break armor. After a period, players can utilize powerful spells known as Witherings to deal massive damage (in conjunction with other effects).

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Skill Tree and gear progression system go a long way in complementing this too. The Skill Tree is divided into three main paths focused on Enki’s magic, firearms, and weapons, and as players get near the end of one side, there are a lot of powerful game-changing abilities. Players can further empower Nor by upgrading weapons for more damage or equipping unique gear that grants fun little perks that complement someone’sFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnbuild. However, these builds are somewhat undermined by a lack of depth across the entire game.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Tag Page Cover Art

There is an odd Photoshop-like outer glow that surrounds Enki and Nor in the inventory screen; after a short time with the game, we had to avoid spinning Nor to look at our gear or looking directly at the inventory screen because it hurt our already bad eye-sight.

Soulslike games(and action RPGs) must juggle build variety and build depth, ensuring that there are plenty of viable builds and that they are fun to lean into.Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn doesn’t go far down either path. That’s not to say builds add nothing to the game, they are just not as extensive as some may hope. There’s little incentive to try out different builds, and once a build is locked in, that’s pretty much it. The strength of its core gameplay covers these weaknesses to some degree, but anyone who loves buildcrafting is going to be quickly cut short.

When it comes to its Souls-lite features,Flintlockgets a lot right. The camps make the journey feel like a genuine trip, while lodestones are well-paced and reasonable for every section. Camps and lodestones are both the equivalent ofDark Souls' bonfires. The challenge present in boss battles and even standard enemies is evident on Normal but never insurmountable. At most, it’s sometimes best to go out, level up, and come back.

Flintlock’s Difficulty Options and Builds Highlight Lack of Depth

Reputation isFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Souls or Runes, but the devs take it further by adding combat multipliers where, depending on performance, players can earn even more Reputation. All of this is compounded by its difficulty options range, which include Easy, Normal, and Possessed.Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnis a more traditional Soulslike experiencefor anyone really wanting the challenge.

The difficulty select screen will tell players that if they choose the easiest option, they are locked out of achievements.

The lack of depth in its builds also applies to the exploration and story ofFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn; it’s much thinner than what was at the top. The worldbuilding does a lot to cover this, but when it comes down to it, exploration across its semi-open world is just about smelling the roses and not noticing the garden is empty. It’s easy to enjoy the sights andlocales ofFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn, but that exploration is going to be thinly rewarded. A good example of this is that there are only 5 Enki feathers to find (Enki upgrades), 3 Revenants (powerful world bosses), 3 Bandit Leaders, 7 Hamlets, and 8 Shrines of Inaya (health upgrades), none of which take much time to complete. The irony is that, while it’s best to do as much content as possible to tackleFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s hardest bosses and challenges, it’s really just ticking off boxes and not genuinely engaging with the content.

It’s worth noting that Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a day one Xbox Game Pass game; those who purchase it also do so at a budget price: $39.99 versus the traditional $69.99.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Story Falls Short of Its Potential

The story sadly falls into the same trappings. After the prologue,Nor and Enkimust venture out, defeat the Gods, and ultimately break the siege of Dawn and defeat a big bad. It’s very circular: players start at point A, take a detour, and end up back at A. The story development along the way treats predictable tropes as major surprises and the drama built up in scenes doesn’t pay off once players are in control again.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnfocuses so much on the big picture that the small details escape it. The world is big and beautiful, but it fails to live up to its potential at every turn, with thin content and thin delivery upon its promises. However, the big picture is so good that some fans will easily overlook the minor flaws. Mileage will ultimately vary when it comes to someone’s experience with the game, and when considering the budget price, that’s not a bad thing. There’s just clearly more thatFlintlock: The Siege of Dawncould have been.

At the end of the day,Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnis a fine addition to any Soulslike or action RPG fan’s library, made all the better with itsday one release on Xbox Game Pass. While its general lack of depth may be off-putting to some, there’s no denying the worldbuilding around its meager plot or the fun found in its Flintlock fantasy approach to combat.