Summary

• Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is marketed as a Soulslite, offering flashy gameplay with magic, guns, platforming, and stylish finishing moves.
• Players will access guns in a fantasy world, with more focus on story and a fully voiced protagonist than in typical Soulslike games.
• The game has faced delays but offers an open world with magic, gunplay, and hack-and slash-elements for a fresh gameplay experience.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an exciting, title that seeks to push the Souls genre forward by marketing itself as a Soulslite, rather than a Soulslike. From the creators of Ashen, the game will be a test of what A44 Games has learned from their last project, introducing high-energy gameplay with magic, guns, and platforming. With more stylized visuals and hack-and-slash elements, Flintlock will be a departure from titles in the Soulslike genre, offering more gameplay variation thanks to its open world.

A defining feature of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is its setting. Rather than the more typical medieval fantasy or feudal, mythical Japanese settings that have become popular places for Soulslike worlds, Flintlock takes place in a later time period, giving the player access to flintlock guns as secondary weapons (as the name of the title would suggest). It also has a fully voiced, pre-existing protagonist, with a stronger emphasis on the story than titles created by FromSoftware.

Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Release Date

When Is Flintlock Releasing

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn will be released on July 18, 2024, six years after A44 Games' first title, and is currently available for preorder. Unveiled during the Xbox Showcase 2024, it will be available day-one for Xbox Game . Flintlock will launch on the Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and on both the Steam and Epic Games Store for PC.

As is the norm, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has suffered its fair share of delays. When it was announced in March 2022, it was originally expected to be released in early 2023 but will finally be available to play more than a year later. If players cannot bear to wait any longer, A44 Games announced that a demo for the game will be available on Steam from July 10 onward. On Steam, both the standard and deluxe editions of the title are 10% off until July 25, with the deluxe edition including new outfits and weapons.

The deluxe edition includes three customization packs for Nor: Noble Outfit, Champions Outfit, and Vanguard Outfit, as well as the Champions Axe and Pistol.

Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn's Soulslite Gameplay

How Is It Different To A Soulslike?

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has specifically been called a Soulslite (not a Soulslike) by A44 Games in its latest trailers. The distinction is likely similar to Roguelike and Roguelite, with A44 wanting to use the skeleton of a Souls title while making more drastic changes. For one, Flintlock seems similar to the Remnant series in that it combines gunplay and melee combat. Together, these weapons showcase stylish finishing moves. In general, the gameplay appears more flashy than what is often seen in Soulslike games.

Players have access to magic for devastating attacks. Although this isn't too great a departure from Soulslike games, this magic has uses outside of combat too, being utilized for platforming segments in the game's open world. The greater emphasis on jumping has made the player agile in defense, able to jump and flip away from attacks as well as dodge them. This seems to be more reminiscent of hack-and-slash titles, like Devil May Cry, showing where A44 has pushed the boundaries to make the game a Soulslite rather than a Soulslike.

The leveling system revolves around Reputation, which is earned after encounters. Reputation can be used to upgrade armor and weapons as well as unlock new skills in one of three paths: Powder, Magic, or Steel. These add new dimensions to the fast and fluid gameplay, and working with the fox creature, Enki, allows players to 'prime' enemies, resulting in critical hits. This has a magical gauge and is somewhat similar to the poise mechanic in Sekiro.

Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Story Details

Take Control Of Nor And Enki

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is all about killing gods. The trailer even states that this won't be a job left half-done since the premise is to kill all the gods. These divine beings have taken over the world and unleashed an army of the undead against the forces of humanity. The game's protagonist is a soldier named Nor, who fights for the human coalition and has sworn to be a slayer of the divine. She allies herself with a fox-like creature, Enki, who just so happens to be a god as well.

Enki has declared that they will help Nor on her vengeful road since she is the one who inadvertently unleashed the gods. She must make amends and slay the would-be oppressors of humanity before they are able to take over the world. The world in question is part of the flintlock fantasy sub-genre, which has high fantasy elements but flintlock technology and gunpowder. Players will get to explore this open world and complete a myriad of side quests along with the main, god-killing story.

In an interview with Screen Rant, A44 CEO Derek Bradley revealed that the open world will have three continents, each with multiple biomes.

Open-worlds are becoming more common with Soulslike games, but the flintlock fantasy setting, fluid, dynamic movement, and gunplay will help sperate Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn from other titles and earn its Soulslite label. With a talkative protagonist, a willingness to depart from the formula made by Dark Souls, and an interesting premise about killing gods, A44's second title will be one to look out for. It is definitely one worth trying out today.

Releasing soon on July 18 and a day one Game title, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn should be a title on any Souls fan's radar and one with a setting rarely seen in gaming as a whole. With platforming elements, more hack-and-slash-focused gameplay, and its open world, it could also be one for players who aren't traditionally fans of Soulslikes. The addition of difficulty settings will make it more accessible, too, and its reasonable price will make it an appealing title for all.

Source: Steam