As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I’ve played my fair share of action RPGs and souls-like games. But Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has piqued my interest in a unique way.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is described as a “lighter” version of soul-based games instead of the typical “souls-like,” leading me to believe it would be more accessible while maintaining the genre’s fundamental aspects. While it’s less punishing than From Software’s titles and includes bonfire-like checkpoints and an Estus Flask-style healing system, its gameplay style is closer to something like Star Wars: Jedi Survivor than any Dark Souls game. Essentially, Flintlock represents a unique blend of soul-based gameplay and traditional action game elements, creating a captivating experience that combines the intensity of fast-paced combat and the freedom of high-flying traversal.
In the realm of fantasy novels, Flintlock distinguishes itself from its peers through its distinctive blend of magical elements and historical influences, spanning the 17th to 19th centuries and the emergence of gunpowder. Flintlock’s intriguing world captivates readers as it merges high fantasy magic with historical backdrop. You find yourself stepping into Nor Vanek’s boots, a Coalition army sapper who inadvertently shatters the seal to the Underworld, releasing malevolent gods and their undead armies upon the lands of Kian. Haunted by guilt over the destruction of her home, Nor embarks on a quest for vengeance against these deities. She’s not alone; Enki, a fox-like enigma, accompanies her, eager to impart his wisdom about the gods and bolster Nor’s mission with a range of magical abilities.
In this game, the straightforward narrative with a single-minded purpose enhances the experience. The clear objective aligns well with the game’s fast-paced action and progression. Although there are instances of interpersonal disputes, the story remains committed to its primary goal, ensuring a consistent sense of urgency that propels it forward to completion. However, the downside is that you may not form strong emotional bonds with the game’s limited cast of one-dimensional characters, despite their competent portrayals by Olive Gray (Halo), Alistar Petrie (Sex Education), and Elias Toufexis (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided).
The world of this game, with its unusual characteristics, leaves me yearning for more depth. During quieter moments, Enki shares insights about the Great Below and the gods’ roles. However, there’s no corresponding exploration of the setting and its inhabitants. Although the environments are diverse, drawing inspiration from ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the American Revolution, there’s no explanation as to how these distinct elements came together. Consequently, many parts of the game feel like mere decorative backdrops. I can’t find any optional conversations or hidden notes that delve into this aspect of the game, and it certainly doesn’t provide upfront information.
Luckily, Flintlock boasts consistently impressive level design. What immediately strikes you about its environments is the significant vertical component in most areas. Instead of getting lost in intricate mazes that twist and turn back on themselves, you usually move from one end of a vast map to another. Throughout your journey, there are numerous chances to deviate from the main path, and each discovery leads to valuable rewards like upgrade resources and healing sanctuaries.
As a gamer, I often discover shortcuts by opening metal gates in my journey, but most of the time, I’m uncovering magical portals with Enki’s assistance. These portals sometimes lead me back in time, creating unique shortcuts, while other times they propel me upwards, enabling me to soar through the air and explore the game’s verticality. Leveraging Nor’s mobility features like double-jumps and dashes adds excitement to platforming in Flintlock as I swiftly navigate chasms and rooftops. The experience can be somewhat dreamlike and lighter than expected at times, but thankfully, the game seldom demands pinpoint precision platforming, allowing me to enjoy the ride without excessive pressure.
Traveling through Kian’s territories is essential, but Flintlock shines most in its combats. Armed with a diverse collection of lethal weapons, Flintlock offers a melee tool, a primary weapon such as a pistol or flintlock, and a secondary weapon like a musket or fiery flamethrower. In hand-to-hand battles, you can land light and heavy strikes, evade enemy attacks by dodging, shield yourself with blocking, and counterattack using parries.
In this game, certain adversaries will charge towards you with attacks that are clearly marked as unavoidable and unable to be blocked. Instead, you can dodge these attacks by sidestepping or, in a resemblance to Bloodborne’s gun-parrying system, use your primary firearm to halt their advance. However, be aware that you can only discharge a limited number of shots before needing to reload by landing some melee hits. This encourages aggressive gameplay, taking advantage of Nor’s swiftness and the absence of a stamina meter. The melee combat in Flintlock bears a resemblance to souls-like games, but offers a more forgiving and empowering experience compared to its counterparts.
In the course of battle, Enki plays a crucial part, influencing the overall progression. He possesses unique attacks that can afflict foes with a deadly curse while simultaneously filling their readiness gauge. Attacking cursed adversaries further increases this meter, and once it’s fully charged, enemies become vulnerable to devastating critical hits. This tactic is especially beneficial against heavily armored and shielded opponents, allowing you to bypass their defensive mechanisms and strike at their weak points. Additionally, Enki provides assistance through his passive abilities, such as taunting and distracting enemies when outnumbered.
Simultaneously, the unique talents of Witherings by him grant you the power to unleash potent abilities when needed. These could include charging your weapons with magical force or summoning a destructive storm from within. Battles can be chaotic with numerous elements at play, yet controlling Enki’s attacks feels instinctive. You may swiftly pepper an enemy with projectiles from your pistol, dodge incoming blows using your own offensive spells, and then seamlessly transition into a sequence of melee strikes before finishing them off with a well-placed shot from a musket.
Formidable and robust adversaries call for patience and deep understanding of their attack tactics. Flintlock offers a reasonable level of challenge on its standard setting, with enemies providing occasional hurdles without being excessively difficult. Attacks from enemies are predictable, and the opportunity to counter is ample and generally easy to execute consistently. For those desiring a more ruthless test, a higher difficulty level is available. Conversely, a “story” mode exists for players looking for a less demanding experience, albeit at the cost of disabling all achievements. It’s worth mentioning that this mode disables achievements, which seems unusual given that many other games grant them even on easier settings.
no matter how you choose to engage in combat, Flintlock’s axe swings and pistol shots exude style and leave a strong impression. The explosion of a blunderbuss against an adversary is gratifying, as is the ensuing barrage of hits from a armor-piercing hammer or fiery axe. Occasionally, there’s a lack of precision that arises, possibly due to animations not aligning perfectly or the small window to transform an attack into a parry appearing too lengthy and inflexible. These issues aren’t major concerns, but they may require some acclimation.
In simpler terms, the currency you gain from gaining experience points is referred to as reputation. You earn reputation with each kill, but also receive bonus multipliers for successful strikes, dodges, and parries. These multipliers increase the amount of reputation you can earn, making 500 reputation worth double or more. You decide when to cash in your reputation, but getting hit resets it to the minimum amount. Flintlock encourages aggressive play, and now rewards you for dispatching enemies quickly without taking damage. This adds an extra layer of excitement and challenge to each encounter.
After earning sufficient recognition, you have the option to invest your reputation points into a skill set. This will enhance your ranged, magical, and melee damage as you unlock new capabilities associated with each category. Some abilities are active, such as powerful charged attacks, while others are passive, increasing critical attack success against heavily armored foes. Additionally, there are utility skills that expand the time frame for executing a flawless reload. These new skills significantly broaden your capabilities and you may also utilize reputation to upgrade various aspects of your weapons.
As a seasoned gamer with countless hours spent exploring virtual worlds, I’ve come to appreciate the thrill of wielding powerful weapons that can take down formidable enemies in a blink. However, I’ve also learned the hard way that weapon upgrades don’t come cheap, especially when you’ve already maxed out the rarity of one.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn isn’t known for its extensive build customization. Instead, it offers a simplified experience as an action RPG with hints of souls-like mechanics. Its primary taste is fast-paced combat and travel that doesn’t feel overly challenging. The game has drawbacks, including insufficient exploration of an intriguing backdrop and a complex weapon upgrade system, which can be a barrier for some players. Despite its flaws, Flintlock delivers an engaging experience in the moment that caters to both newcomers and veterans of the souls-like genre. Let’s hope other games draw inspiration from this unique design.
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2024-07-17 15:39