Of all the demos available in the 2024 Steam Next Fest, one commanded my attention long after I put down the controller. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn immediately caught my interest—and now, after a 40-hour playthrough, it’s one I’ll be thinking about for months to come.
In Flintlock, you play as Nor, a pistol-wielding, axe-swinging soldier accompanied by Enki, a fox-like creature who fights with magical attacks. You explore the world of Kian, a “flintlock fantasy” realm where gods rule, but humans fight back with the power of gunpowder. In this world, humanity has been in a 10-year war with the dead, and now the gods have wriggled their way out from the Great Below to wreak havoc on the world.
Together, Enki and Nor fight undead foes and godly bosses through “rhythmic combat,” as developer A44 Games describes it, in an experience that combines action-adventure, Soulslike, and even 3D-platforming elements. Flintlock, although far from perfect, pulls it all off with fluid movement, customizable combat, and gorgeous environments full of secrets to uncover.
Magic meets gunpowder in Flintlock’s core gameplay loop
A big selling point for Flintlock is its movement mechanics. Powder-jumping, the game’s double-jump system that launches you upwards or sends you flying forwards, can be used to dodge in combat or get to hard-to-reach places to find hidden items. There’s also Rift-traveling, a means of quickly maneuvering through areas where Nor and Enki race through the skies—often against awe-inspiring backdrops.
Explorers like me who love testing the limits of how far they can go will greatly appreciate how Flintlock toys with verticality. The City of Writ, one of the largest and most densely populated areas in the game, for example, is home to many twists and turns full of hidden areas. Once you’ve trekked through the city on foot, you can scale ladders to get to the rooftops, only to discover an entirely new level with its own set of secret nooks and crannies packed with useful items.
Combat starts slow, but as you unlock skills and find new weapons and armor, it picks up speed. There are numerous armor sets to find, each bringing their own flare to gameplay. One set rewards perfectly timed dodges by slowing enemy movements or refilling weapon charges, giving you more time to launch your counterattack. Another plays into curses, a form of Flintlock’s magic attacks, creating explosions or increasing the length of their effects. You can further customize their playstyle by mixing and matching items from different sets.
Like armor sets, weapons bring their own effects into combat. Some apply burn or increase an enemy’s Priming Gauge (which, when filled, allows you to land a critical hit). Others excel at fighting large groups of enemies through explosive effects or AoE damage.
The game’s arsenal is split into different categories: primary, secondary, melee, and grenades. Secondary weapons and grenades have a limited number of uses that are reset upon resting, meaning you must carefully plan your attacks. Primary weapons, on the other hand, have charges that can be restored throughout combat, but only when Nor lands a successful blow against an enemy.
You can upgrade these weapons with Reputation, a currency gained from defeating enemies but lost upon death—a defining characteristic of Soulslikes. A44 put its own spin on this system, introducing a modifier that increases the amount of Reputation earned by a percentage based on successful hits. If you take damage before claiming this Reputation, though, you lose the modifier completely. This adds a layer of decision-making: Cash in your hard work? Or risk it all for the chance to double or even triple it?
Combine all of these mechanics with ultimate attacks, side quests, a surprisingly addictive mini-game, and nearly a hundred collectibles to find, and you’ve got a game that’ll keep you entertained for well over 20 to 30 hours.
Lost Reputation with performance issues
My time with Flintlock wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows—or gunpowder and explosions, as is par for the flintlock fantasy course. I experienced frequent but minor bouts of dropped frames and screen-tearing, most of which were promptly fixed by restarting the game. Sometimes, particle effects muddied the screen or looked downright strange. In a few instances during my playthrough, the game crashed entirely, usually right after I defeated a boss. These issues never stunted my progress, but Flintlock’s performance worsened slightly as I trenched deeper into my playthrough. A44 has stated it’s aware of many of these issues and plans to implement fixes in future patches.
Other minor issues include a lack of a “Hide Helmet” option, a small feature most won’t notice when it’s there but will sorely miss when it’s absent. Thrown grenades also lack an indicator, meaning occasionally you’re blown up by a grenade you never even saw coming—a frustrating way to lose all that hard-earned Reputation.
I played on Normal, the middle of three difficulty options, and had nearly upgraded most of the skills in the tree as well as several weapons before leaving the first of three regions in the game. Enemies became easy to take down for me, and at one point, I switched to Possessed, the toughest difficulty, to up the challenge. The leap was too great, however, and regular enemies felt too tanky to kill but could easily two-shot me, even when I had upgraded health and armor.
The Possessed difficulty could pose a greater challenge for those who want a true Soulslike experience—an unforgiving playthrough where perfect parries, equipment upgrades, and timed attacks become absolutely critical. But for those looking for a middle ground experience, you may struggle to find one.
A world to get lost in
Despite Flintlock’s issues, I couldn’t put the controller down. The world of Kian—influenced by the rich environments of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and New Zealand—is beautifully intriguing. I’m not usually one for Photo Modes, but I now have a folder full of screenshots of Nor and Enki Rift-traveling over cities, leaping through mountains of jade crystals, and scaling a giant gunpowder factory, walls neatly lined with barrels of explosives. Cinematics, although few and far between, were awe-inspiring, and the gods’ designs were intricate and grand.
Even smaller details—like idle animations in which Nor hums a gentle tune or Enki sticks out his tongue mid-stretch—brighten the experience. Occasionally, you’d get interactions between the duo that contributed to their budding companionship; at one point, Enki marveled at a nearby water wheel. In another, he attempted to teach Nor the language of the gods. Spoiler: Nor’s not a very patient student.
These details only made me want to know more about Kian. Who—or what, exactly—are the Hosts? What’s up with the giant ostrich-like birds roaming every city, campsite, and roadside, and why do their attacks hit so hard? While the narrative team sprinkled lore tidbits around Kian—letters, books, and flavor text from your companions—I longed for even more ways to immerse myself in this fantastical world.
Is Flintlock worth the $40 price tag?
Although far from perfect, Flintlock is an explosively fun experience that beautifully blends the action-adventure and Soulslike genres—all while dabbling with a bit of 3D platforming. It will appeal to those who, like me, love going the extra mile to see what hidden items they can find in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.
If you can wade through Flintlock’s performance issues, you’re in for a gorgeous ride. With the game priced at $40—free on day one for those with a Game Pass subscription—it’s hard to not recommend this game to any fan of the action-adventure genre.
- Fun movement and customizable combat systems
- Great for explorers and collectors
- Beautiful cinematics and environmental design
- Performance issues
- Noticeable lack of minor but impactful features
Published: Jul 17, 2024 07:00 am