Flintlock The Siege of Dawn review - a powder keg of potential

By all s, 2019 was a landmark year for soulslike fans. We got our first glimpse of Elden Ring, carved a path of vengeance in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, took a bite out of Code Vein, and traversed a root-choked multiverse in Remnant: From the Ashes. Amid these heavy hitters, indie studio A44 Games sought to make its mark with Ashen, a love letter to Dark Souls penned by fantasy author Mark Lawrence. Half a decade later and with Elden Ring’s DLC looming large in the rear-view mirror, A44 delivers us a spiritual successor to that lukewarm first attempt. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn follows the same creative principles as Ashen, but this time around, A44 is marching to the beat of its own militia drum.

I already anticipate Story games often adopt cinema-style pacing, but The Siege of Dawn has the cadence of the first installment in a series of fantasy novels. We find protagonist Nor on the frontline at the end of the world, a gun in one hand and an axe in the other, as she strikes an unlikely alliance with the cutest fox-bird deity I’ve ever seen to slay the gods and save humanity. No pressure.

Flintlock is billed as a god-killing game, and while it’s impossible to criticize it for a dearth of gods when ever-present companion Enki fits the bill, some players may be disappointed to discover that this is no grand massacre of the divine a la God of War. Instead, the first eight hours of Flintlock are concerned with immersing me in the history, politics, and culture of A44’s open-world games than any boss rush formula.

Nor’s journey extends across two vast regions that couldn’t be more visually distinct. The alpine reaches of Three Peaks stand in bold contrast to the rocky desert landscape of Wanderer’s Rest. Still, the Coalition colors and Mesopotamian architecture create a cultural throughline that binds them together. I was surprised that A44 didn’t extend Flintlock’s scope to three regions to compliment its three-act structure, but I’ll happily take two dense maps over three sparse ones. The limitations that come with A44’s double-A budget are offset by the constant reminders that these are only two regions of a far greater expanse, and the areas we do get to explore are crammed with points of interest – a counterpoint to Forspoken’s vast emptiness.

This attention to detail follows through to Flintlock’s level design, which I cannot praise enough. It delivers that quintessential Dark Souls moment of fighting up a mountain and through a sulfur mine to emerge, breathless and battered, to the hamlet I’d liberated a few hours prior. The City of Writ’s frostbitten piazzas and crooked alleyways converge into a convincing one-woman siege, as I tangle with patrolling guards and traverse snow-laden rooftops. Along the way, I delve into a hidden undercroft to investigate a slew of abductions and interrupt a wrongful execution at the gallows. A44 resists the urge to inundate me with busywork; instead, each detour I take from my main objective offers a new window into Kian’s world. The overall impression is a journey I’ve undertaken myself, rather than one A44 has dictated for me.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I used Flintlock’s fast travel system, and it’s all down to rifts. These spatial tears propel Nor through the air much like Sekiro’s grappling hook, and offer a scenic shortcut to areas I’ve previously explored. Verticality is undeniably Flintlock’s greatest strength. The inclination to walk into a new area and immediately look up is refreshing – not least because it gives me a moment to take in the sweeping vista that inevitably lies before me, but also presents myriad opportunities to enrich exploration and combat encounters. Unfortunately, the same issues with mantling and gravity I experienced in the demo are still here. Nor is a slender woman, but in mid-air, she’s as light as a feather; many attempts to land on a ledge or outcropping end in me frantically hopping around to find my footing. Regardless, I’m delighted to discover that I can sur a locked gate with enough elevation. I worried this might be a bug until I was rewarded with rare loot – proof that A44 wants players to push Flintlock’s platform game mechanics to the limit.

A44’s preference for quality over quantity extends to Flintlock’s loot table. Whether obtained from side quests or general exploration, A44 refrains from throwing rewards at me to appease a thirst for loot. Instead, Flintlock boasts around half a dozen choices per equipment slot, and each piece in this small collection is more distinctive and valuable as a result. When I stumble upon the Warlock Helm – a death’s head helmet trimmed in gold and embellished with a spiked mohawk – I can’t suppress an audible gasp. Its design is completely different from any helm I pick up before and after, and its effects perfectly complement my curse-heavy playstyle. I can switch to the Sunderer’s armor set to access a dodge teleport to mitigate tough boss battles or equip the Irregular’s armor set for a more punishing combat experience. This value of choice extends to Enki’s modest collection of cursed stones, which offer damage debuffs, armor value reductions, and more.

Flintlock’s melee combat hinges on parrying, so if you don’t enjoy it in hack-and-slash approach with any axe, sword, or hammer that falls into my lap, I survive Flintlock’s skirmishes by baiting enemies into attacking first and seizing an opening the first chance I get. I divest them of their armor, knock them off-balance, and press the advantage to punish the break in their guard – and you best believe I look damn cool doing it.

A44’s reputation system marries FromSoftware’s genre-defining “souls” system with spectacle fighter performance ratings. Instead of enemies dispensing a set amount of reputation on death, Flintlock bestows a bonus determined by the actions I take to bring them down. Crucially, this reputation bonus is reset whenever I take damage. It’s a simple twist, but remarkably effective; instead of living in constant fear of dying, this system invites me to use everything at my disposal and strive for perfection rather than survival. A44 also introduces a new element to the cadence of traditional soulslike combat in the form of Enki himself. His capabilities aren’t as extensive as God of War’s Atreus, but the execution is the same. At the touch of a button, I command Enki to inflict a curse on my target and fill their priming gauge, which functions like Sekiro’s posture bar. If Ashen hadn’t already established A44’s penchant for tinkering with soulslike conventions, then Flintlock certainly does.

That said, Flintlock’s combat isn’t without its flaws. The most egregious issue is the apparent lack of collision when I block or parry. Instead of a clear impact, enemy weapons clip through my guard, and the only indication Nor hasn’t come to harm is the absence of a flinch or stagger animation. It’s the soulslike equivalent of pins and needles; without that , it’s difficult to gauge the moment a parry window closes. I’ve also got a major bone to pick with break attacks. These moves can only be dodged or blocked, but their Sekiro-like red indicator appears a second or two after an enemy has begun its animation – around the same amount of time it takes for me to commit to a parry instead. It’s not so bad once I learn their specific animations, but it’s undeniably frustrating when going up against new foes.

Unfortunately, I’m also hounded by framerate drops at moments that really shouldn’t warrant it, despite my PC meeting Flintlock’s recommended specs. These performance issues aren’t as endemic as the framerate drops I called out in my Dragon’s Dogma 2 review, but when they happen in Flintlock, you best believe you’ll notice. While A44 has already assured me that it’s cooking up a launch-day patch to address it, there’s no getting around that a soulslike so dependent on combat timings can’t survive poor performance. As it stands, Flintlock’s final battle makes Elden Ring’s most egregious frame drops look butter-smooth by comparison. Without delving into spoilers, I spent this showdown wrangling a stop-motion picture, often dying in the attempt. Suffice it to say, it’s one of the few times I’ve had to put down my controller and come back later.

Flintlock’s cast of characters pushes me through these moments of frustration. If the player doesn’t believe in the relationship between Nor and Enki, Flintlock’s plot would crumble to dust, but their dynamic is consistently delightful. Enki marvels over the most primitive manmade inventions; his fascination with clotheslines and waterwheels leaves Nor endeared and bemused in equal measure. Conversely, Nor’s hatred of the gods morphs into curiosity as Enki’s anecdotes grant her insight into a reality beyond her own. By the end, both characters are irrevocably changed, though I foresee the inevitable test of faith long before it arrives. This depth of interiority extends to Nor’s companions. Each campsite conversation dispenses precious breadcrumbs of history: Luca’s private tutelage; Baz’s fling with a sea captain; and the Forgemaster’s unfortunate nickname. In a world so preoccupied with the macro, these micro details are the perfect garnish to A44’s worldbuilding.

Of course, Flintlock’s script benefits from the voice talent, which includes a stellar performance from Alistair Petrie as Enki (aka Sex Education’s Mr. Groff, a realization that left me simultaneously baffled and impressed). Olive Gray holds her own as Nor alongside acclaimed voice-acting heavyweight Elias Toufexis. Gray’s performance has an effortless naturalism; Nor’s biting sarcasm, quiet affection, and guilt-ridden bitterness come alive through her line delivery. However, I can’t help but feel a smidge disappointed that A44 didn’t lean into its roots and treat us to a cast of New Zealand voices. Instead, it delivers the usual gamut of English accents endemic in high fantasy – acceptable, but rote. That said, there’s no question that Flintlock’s dialogue barks lack variety; Enki reassuring me that I’m “beginning to get the hang of this” during rift travel rings hollow after 18 hours of playtime.

All in all, I’m conflicted. Flintlock’s concept has extraordinary potential but it’s not quite there in its execution. The Siege of Dawn calls to mind the first instalment of landmark series’ like Assassin’s Creed, The Sims, and Portal, in that it feels like a conceptual pitch to a much stronger follow-up. I desperately want it to receive critical attention for what it does achieve so that A44 can deliver the vision in the sequel that’s clearly primed and ready to go. Flintlock’s characters and world are rich enough to warrant one, but second chances for indie games are few and far between. I trust that publisher Kepler Interactive will serve as a safe harbor for A44 to nurture Flintlock beyond The Siege of Dawn, but it’s not a sure guarantee. Regardless, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a massive leap for A44. Their vision of gunpowder fantasy is a spark of innovation in a landscape so preoccupied with FromSoftware’s specific brand of dark fantasy, and I’ll be disappointed if this is the last I see of Nor, Enki, and A44’s universe.