So what’s the twist? Soulslikes, or at least heavily-inspired action games, are everywhere, with FromSoftware’s influence creeping ever further. Thankfully, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn developer A44 Games has some clever ideas of its own.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn previewDeveloper: A44 GamesPublisher: Keplar InteractivePlatform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam and Epic)Availability: 18th July 2024
As the name suggests, Flintlock’s set in a world powered by gunpowder and pitches its protagonist Nor into a battle against magical, meddling Gods. Split from her party, Nor meets an enchanting fox god named Enki and, in typical fashion, they’re forced to team up. Gunpowder and magic make for a novel combination, but it’s the Reputation system that’s the real killer concept here.
One of the core tenets of the Souls games is death and the player’s loss of valuable currency that death brings. It’s this that Flintlock plays with in its Reputation system, which I got to test out in a preview build. In simple terms: killing enemies stylishly builds a combo multiplier and bankable experience, while getting hit loses it.
Reputation is this game’s souls or runes equivalent, and it’s used to level up Nor’s abilities in three skill trees equating to melee, ranged, and magical abilities. Every time an enemy is killed Nor earns Reputation, but this must be banked. Temptations await, though: kill additional enemies before banking and the combo multiplier will be boosted. Kill enemies with a variety of abilities and it will be boosted further. However, a single hit is enough to lose your multiplier and any unbanked Reputation.
It lends Flintlock a welcome risk-reward feel that’s integral to any Soulslike – the risk of diving in for another hit, the reward for finally felling a colossal enemy. Here, do you bank your Reputation after each enemy slain, or risk it for a higher multiplier and reward? It means beginner players are free to grind while advanced players can test their skill, ensuring the game is approachable for all in terms of challenge. (There are difficulty levels to choose from too.) Still, Reputation is dropped upon death and must be re-collected.