Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Preview and Q&A – Wide Linear Soulslite with 20 Hours of Content

03.04.2024 - 20:51 / wccftech.com / Kai Tatsumoto

At GDC 2024, New Zealand-based developer A44 (known for 2018's Ashen) provided an updated look at Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, its upcoming action RPG that sits between God of War and a lite, more accessible version of the Soulslike genre.

A44 is now composed of around 65 employees, and they've been working on this game for quite a while. Flintlock fantasy novels inspire the game's original setting with a striking central theme: Gods wielding magic versus armies made of regular people wielding guns from a Napoleonic era.

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At the beginning of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, main character Nor Vanek is attempting to close the door of the 'Great Below' death realm to prevent the dead from rising. Unfortunately, the mission heavily backfires and not only is the portal still open, the Gods have been unleashed in the world, too.

Gameplay-wise, A44 is attempting to blend melee and ranged gameplay in a completely seamless fashion. For instance, the flintlock pistols are very important because they provide Nor Vanek with the ability to interrupt otherwise unblockable and unparryable break attacks coming from foes. Deadly secondary weapons like rifles and grenades are available, too.

The main character will also encounter heavily armored enemies that sometimes are equipped with shields, but their armor can be shredded thanks to Nor Vanek's true ace in the sleeve, the fox-like God Enki. With Enki, Nor Vanek can 'prime' foes by filling a bar that can rip their armor and/or perform glory kills with the melee weapon or the pistol. Eventually, the companion can help distract or stun foes, teleport the player around, and even acquire the special skills of a boss character after defeating them. Moreover, Enki can be equipped to inflict other debuffs like poisons and weakness, and a Withering gauge will build to a devastating Ultimate attack from the duo.

Mobility is very important to A44's quest to provide an easier Soulslike game by 'freeing the user from the environments'. As such, the black powder double jump and double dodge are completely free at any time, without cooldowns or resource costs associated with them. Players will build a multiplier for the main currency of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, reputation, by defeating enemies, discovering new zones, and chaining unique combat and traversal moves.

However, the multiplier and the additional reputation gained will be lost upon receiving a hit. You can, however, choose to 'bank' the reputation at any time and reset the multiplier to zero. Reputation can be spent to unlock new skills in the three main talent trees (Powder, Magic, and Steel), but it's also needed alongside regular resources to craft upgrades