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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (PC/PS5/Xbox Series | Summer 2024) - a third-person ARPG from "Ashen" developers, update (02/21): "New Gameplay" teaser trailer


Commissar SFLUFAN

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We saw a 40 minute presentation of Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn at Gamescom and reckon it's shaping up to be a great mix of Elden Ring and God Of War.

 

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There's no denying Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn's Soulslike credentials. It is very much a Soulslike, and has all the hallmarks of one: you build a currency (Reputation) as you defeat monsters, lose it all if you die, and restore it if you nab the pot from where you died; there are intense one-vs-one duels; and as for the story? The door to the afterlife has opened and the Old Gods' army of the undead has risen, so you've got to put a stop to all that by murdering all the undead gods to make them even deader.

 

Except that Flintlock doesn't seem to fall into the trap that many of its soulslike compatriots do, which is drill so far down into combat that it leaves an otherwise shallow pool of water for the world's story, inhabitants, and character (Thymesia isn't awful by any means but is a good example of this). Flintlock looks to combine the grandiosity of say, God Of War, with the sensibilities of a Souls game to produce an action RPG that's closer to your triple-A fare. I mean, Holding said himself that a good way to conceptualise the game would be to look at it as "somewhere in the middle" of God Of War and Elden Ring.

 

 

 

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WWW.PCGAMER.COM

The Ashen developer says it's somewhere between Dark Souls and God of War

 

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Despite being enamoured by what Souls games offer, I've never been one to dedicate the time and effort required to learn their intricacies. For Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn's development team over at A44, they want to capture the fun and grit of a Soulslike while also trying to make it approachable for people like me.

 

During my brief look at the game, I'm told that it lies somewhere between the Souls series and modern-day God of War and while that wasn't immediately obvious to me, I start to see it. Flintlock blends theatrical, twirling attacks and grand cinematics with strategic fights that require spacial awareness and trial-and-error to nail. The team has come a long way since its predecessor Ashen—I watch as protagonist Nor and her furry companion Enki scramble across platforms scattered across pretty environments, a blend of the medieval and magical. Nor brandishes her axe, swinging with weighty force, weaving in her gun attack as she whips it off her back to shoot the stumbling enemy. It looks like it flows lovely, and A44 says that the way you go about tackling each enemy matters. Getting an axe kill will net you bullets for your gun, which you can then use to kill baddies for extra armor.

 

 

 

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WWW.THEGAMER.COM

Gunpowder, magic, deity slaying, and undead baristas - this game's got it all.

 

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What do you get when you cross ancient Mesopotamien myths and imagery with Napoleonic technology? The answer is Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, an upcoming game that has shot up my most anticipated list. Developer A44 Games describes it as a cross between Elden Ring and God of War, and after seeing the explosive traversal and devastating magical combat in action during a Gamescom preview, I can see why.

 

I watched as protagonist Nor Vanek launched herself up and over rocky ledges, propelled forth by the power of a magical gunpowder explosion, perfectly befitting her flintlock pistol armament and the game’s over-the-top namesake, and an excellent way to get around in an open world action RPG. It’s one of the few magical flares she’s allowed, with the rest reserved for her mystical animal companion, Enki. They balance each other out well. Among his many abilities is the power to siphon the skills of the Old Gods that have entered the world through an opened portal to the underworld who are currently laying siege to the city of Dawn. Hence the name.

 

Combat is a satisfying mix of ranged, melee, and magic. Nor can use her pistol to get some chip damage in from afar before closing in for a vicious axe strike, while Enki uses his magic to suspend a foe in midair as crowd control, giving her space to use brutal finishers to send enemies back to hell. There’s a fluidity to it all that’s encouraged by the game’s systems, too. Ranged kills reward armour, encouraging a more up-close and personal fighting style, while melee kills offer more ammunition, meaning once you’ve taken a few blows you can back off and fire away from a safe distance.

 

 

 

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GAMERANT.COM

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn and Forspoken are two games releasing soon, but can the former step out of the latter's shadow?

 

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The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase gave fans a look at the upcoming action RPG, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. The gameplay reveal showcased combat and movement mechanics, a fantasy world setting, powerful bosses, adorable friends, and dangerous monsters for the players to experience. Everything about the Flintlock reveal makes it out to be the perfect rival for the upcoming PlayStation 5 exclusive title from Square Enix, Forspoken.

 

Forspoken has already built up a lot of hype thanks to its explosive, magic-intensive combat, and its stunning visual designs. However, Flintlock’s approach appears to be slightly different. Offering a larger emphasis on a heavier and slower style of melee combat paired with the use of a gun and special magical abilities, the game does not give fans quick-paced combat, but rather something closer to 2018’s God of War. With a fantasy world to discover as well as multiple types of enemies to fight, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is different from Forspoken in a number of ways, but there are still some reasons why fans are making comparisons to Luminous Productions' upcoming release.

 

 

 

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WWW.VG247.COM

We talk to A44, the makers of Ashen, about the ambitious Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

 

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Whether or not you know what this particular brand of fantasy is about, it all translates to a world that mainly fights using melee weapons, while relying on early firearms and some magic when the need calls. But it’s all very treacherous; magic is dark and could lead its user down a certain path, and Flintlock rifles aren’t exactly the reliable modern-day weaponry.

 

This combination makes for quite a unique opportunity to build varied, exciting gameplay scenarios that could still demand a certain level of skill from the player. Like Ashen, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is also taking cues from Souls combat, but it’s pushing those familiar concepts in unusual directions.

 

Bradley outlines the team’s design mantra for combat this time around. “The thing that we really are drawn towards is the sense of rhythm, the sense of commitment to your moves when you play a Souls-like,” he says.

 

 

 

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WWW.EUROGAMER.NET

Find out everything you need to know and watch brand new 4K gameplay of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn in this in-depth video preview.

 

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It's not just difficulty settings that set Flintlock apart from others games in the Soulslike genre though. The close bond between Nor and Enki also allows for a unique combat system that sees you controlling both characters at the same time. Nor, an explosives expert who wields an axe and a flintlock pistol, is adept at smoothly weaving between gunplay and melee attacks to quickly kill foes. Nor’s firearms in particular are incredibly powerful but to counter that the ammunition needed for them is in very short supply. Killing enemies with her axe will earn Nor more gun food for her shooty bangs though, whilst defeating enemies with those guns will reward the player with more armour; so in a way the combat also shares a few similarities with Doom 2016.

 

Enki is intrinsic to the flow of Flintlock's combat and he’s a useful tool who’s infused magical powers allow Nor to hold enemies in place or provide crowd control. As Enki is player controlled, this adds a unique spin to the gameplay because, unlike a normal Soulslike, you can use his powers to stop enemies attacking you if you, say, mistime a strike or need to back off to get some breathing room. There are also passive combat abilities for Enki that you can unlock during gameplay but we weren’t told what those were.

 

 

 

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn's gunpowder fantasy sets a good first impression for those looking for what can fill the Elden Ring void.

 

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn doesn’t have an open world but is instead split into three major zones players can explore and fast-travel between. The demoist explored a city, fighting the evil creatures within it before arriving at the Eternal Archive where Nor and Enki can fight the God of Knowledge. This battle was filled with as much tension and spectacle as you’d expect from a Soulslike, with the God of Knowledge starting by slowly swinging around a giant sword before eventually firing off magic attacks that had a large range.

 

Eventually, Nor and Enki were able to take the God of Knowledge down with the help of a few attack-interrupting gunshots, and the demo was over. Although Bruce is right when he says Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn doesn’t feel like an Elden Ring clone thanks to its slightly different structure and unique world, it’s exactly the kind of Soulslike romp that players will be looking for once FromSoftware’s latest hit is over a year in the rear-view mirror.

 

 

 

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WWW.GAMESPOT.COM

A44 Games' second project takes inspiration from God of War's collaborative combat.

 

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Flintlock takes place in a fantasy world where mankind is nearly extinct and engaging in a last-ditch effort to defeat the gods, who have gone to war against humanity with an army of the undead. Humanity's best bet is the coalition army, a group that uses gunpowder to even the fight against the gods' magic. You play as Nor Vanek, a member of the coalition army, who has a personal vendetta against the gods. She's joined by Enki, a strange creature with his own issues with the gods, who augments Nor's abilities with magic.

 

A44 chose this kind of setting for Flintlock--where magic and firearms coexist as equally powerful tools within a fantasy world--due to its rarity in games. "It is a big genre within books, but it's never been taken to film too much, or especially to games," Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn game director Hayden Asplet said during a preview of the game. "So we wanted to dive into that. It's an exciting thing to explore. To me, I love flintlock pistols. I think they're just so interesting, because of how effective, but also ineffective they are. You get one shot and then that's it, and trying to reload the thing is a pain."

 

A44 Games art director Robert Bruce added: "It's definitely a relatively untapped subgenre of fantasy. I think before this project, I didn't really know much about it. ...Shadow and Bone is probably a good example of the world and setting and tone of Flintlock's fantasy genre."

 

 

 

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WWW.IGN.COM

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn aims to build on Elden Ring by combining the challenge of a Soulslike with the cinematic flare of a Sony first-party.

 

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This approach is clear to see in the demo’s boss battle, which sees protagonist Nor Vanek face off against the imposing God of Knowledge, a towering spirit encased in golden plates of triangular armour. As the Soulslike genre dictates, the boss has an inflated health bar, deals huge damage with telegraphed attacks, and becomes more fearsome in its second phase. The initial steps to overcome all this follows the Dark Souls playbook; a well-timed dodge roll is followed by a few aggressive axe strikes, and then a patient wait for an attack that can be parried. But it’s in the parry that Flintlock’s God of War influences begin to show through; Nor knocks the God to its knees and the camera flies in close to perfectly capture a brutal blow to the side of its head.

 

The demo is filled with these moments. Nor might unleash a roundhouse kick that sends a foe flying, or tackle an enemy to the ground before firing her pistol into their face. The camera swoops around the action, triggering bursts of slow motion to truly emphasise spectacle. It may use the FromSoft ruleset, but Flintlock’s combat looks flashier - more fantastical, even - than any Souls game has ever been.

 

 

 

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SCREENRANT.COM

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn A44's CEO interview.

 

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is set in a world where gods have taken over, and legions of the undead fight against the forces of humanity. The story follows Nor, a soldier fighting for the human coalition, and Enki, a mischievous and magical fox-like creature. The pair grow together as they attempt to take on powerful gods, banish the undead, and regain control of their world. Both Nor and Enki will unlock new abilities and grow stronger as they adventure through a carefully crafted world.

 

Gameplay footage was recently released showing some of the exploration mechanics and combat abilities that Nor and Enki possess. Derek Bradley, A44 Games CEO and Game Director for the studio's previously released challenging but satisfying title, Ashen, sat down for an interview with Screen Rant to discuss the world of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. Information was shared regarding the crafting system, skill trees, biomes, gods, and more.

 

 

 

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WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM

The indirect follow-up to 2018's Ashen is looking good ahead of its "early 2023" release

 

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, the upcoming Soulslike from A44 Games, is a melting pot of ideas and inspirations. For one, it's the indirect follow-up to the developer's 2018 action role-player Ashen – a thoughtful slant on the genre which, whilst far from revolutionary, is a wonderful example of the formula executed well. The New Zealand outfit's next outing is also a Soulslike game, built in the looming shadow of Elden Ring – the biggest, most ambitious project Dark Souls mastermind FromSoftware has ever crafted, one which has undoubtedly set a new standard for other genre games to be compared against. And, in a previous life, members of the A44 Games team worked at Weta Digital, a special effects studio who helped bring the fantastical beasts of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film series to life.    

 

Which is to say: the DNA that underwrites Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is multifaceted. And while creating a straight Ashen sequel might have an easier proposition for the developer's second project, this team isn't one for shying away from a challenge. "Everything is dialed up in this game," says A44 head Derek Bradley. "After having previously worked on the Hobbit movies, it was refreshing for us to go into this really stylized minimalistic game with Ashen… now, in our stylish stylistic choices, we still like to push the colors, push the lighting, push everything as hard as we possibly can, and we try to be as bold as we possibly can. Starting with a new IP in Ashen, has, I suppose, emboldened us even more with Flintlock."

 

 

 

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A44's CEO on Flintlock's magic system, platforming, hub areas, and its Black female lead Nor

 

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If guns and fantasy is something of an atypical mix, so is (unfortunately) Black women and video games. Though things are improving - Deathloop had two Black leads last year, Redfall's most recent trailer focused on its WoC leads - the fact we all immediately go to a handful of the same examples shows progress needs to be made. If Flintlock is a success, it will also become one of these examples, being led by Black female character Nor. I asked Bradley about this decision, and what impact he hoped it might have.

 

"By being more inclusive with our cast, if you will, we have a range of things that we've done across the board," he says. "I think overall, there's that intention of inclusivity. We've also got two gender neutral members of the party as well, because there are so many ways that you can do this. There's such a kaleidoscope of ways that you can tackle representation. For our gender neutral characters, we don't particularly point at either or do anything hugely political on purpose, because the thing that we want to do is to say, like, the 16 year old kid picks us up and plays it, we just want them to think like that's how the world is, and that it's completely normalised for them. Our intention isn't that it solves problems, it doesn't do everything you could possibly do. But it's another thing out there in the world that is trying to do good, and trying to do it from a good place."

 

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2 hours ago, best3444 said:

What exactly ate you guys digging about this?

 

It looks extremely generic.

It’s a dark fantasy third person open area action RPG with a badass female protagonist and fun looking combat and traversal, it’s right up my alley. I don’t think that it looks generic, it looks really cool to me. :shrug:

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4 hours ago, best3444 said:

Thankfully it's coming to gamepass. What exactly ate you guys digging about this?

 

It looks extremely generic.

 

4 hours ago, best3444 said:

There is no effects when hitting the "enemy" either. It looks really early and not impressive in the slightest. 

Yeah it looks early,  buy what IS there looks good combat wise. Plus I PLAYED Ashen... I know what these guys can do and that game had a much smaller budget. If they can deliver an experience as good as Ashen with higher production values, that's good enough for me. The combat looks VERY good to me in this outside of any polish they may still need to do.

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45 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

 

Yeah it looks early,  buy what IS there looks good combat wise. Plus I PLAYED Ashen... I know what these guys can do and that game had a much smaller budget. If they can deliver an experience as good as Ashen with higher production values, that's good enough for me. The combat looks VERY good to me in this outside of any polish they may still need to do.

 

I never even heard of Ashen. I just looked it up and it got very good reviews. I watched IGNs review and it looked solid. They liked it a lot a gave it an 8.5 even though it is almost a copy paste job of a souls game. 

 

With that game getting great reviews, I guess I have to keep an eye on Flintlock. I wonder since it looks early if it gets delayed. 🤔 

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4 hours ago, best3444 said:

 

I never even heard of Ashen. I just looked it up and it got very good reviews. I watched IGNs review and it looked solid. They liked it a lot a gave it an 8.5 even though it is almost a copy paste job of a souls game. 

 

With that game getting great reviews, I guess I have to keep an eye on Flintlock. I wonder since it looks early if it gets delayed. 🤔 

I mean, you should go by what appeals to YOU and not what reviews or anyone else says. I like Souls games for the most part and Ashen was fun so I personally know that this game is more than likely going to deliver for me. @Phaseknox knows what HE likes too. I'm very rarely disappointed in games I put time into much less pay money for because I know what I like. The last game that was a HUGE disappointment to me was Resident Evil Village. A lot of people loved that game but I didn't. I thought it was a good looking, poorly playing non-sensical mess. Luckily I only paid 25 bucks for it on sale.

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13 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

I mean, you should go by what appeals to YOU and not what reviews or anyone else says. I like Souls games for the most part and Ashen was fun so I personally know that this game is more than likely going to deliver for me. @Phaseknox knows what HE likes too. I'm very rarely disappointed in games I put time into much less pay money for because I know what I like. The last game that was a HUGE disappointment to me was Resident Evil Village. A lot of people loved that game but I didn't. I thought it was a good looking, poorly playing non-sensical mess. Luckily I only paid 25 bucks for it on sale.

 

No. I only play games that other people and reviews say is good. I have no opinion on games.

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23 hours ago, best3444 said:

I never even heard of Ashen. I just looked it up and it got very good reviews. I watched IGNs review and it looked solid. They liked it a lot a gave it an 8.5 even though it is almost a copy paste job of a souls game.

I don’t think that you would like Ashen, it’s an indie game with a stylistic visual style that I don’t think that you would care for. It’s not a big budget AAA game with current gen graphics, so I don’t think that you could get into it for that reason. It’s also somewhat methodical and slow paced which I don’t think that you would really like, either.

 

5 hours ago, best3444 said:

No. I only play games that other people and reviews say is good. I have no opinion on games.

You do have your own opinion on games, but you seem to only like big budget AAA ones with great graphics, polish and refinement. That’s fine, but it also means that you’re probably not going to like a lot of AA mid-tier games such as this one because they’re made by small development teams that don’t have the budgets and resources to make their games the same quality as the big companies.

 

While I like big budget AAA games as well, I also find charm in AA mid-tier games too that don’t have the best graphics and are a little rough around the edges. I mainly care if a game is fun to play or not, I don’t really care about the technical side of things as much. Of course I still like the games that I play to look and play good, but I don’t need the best looking graphics and gameplay to still enjoy them if their core experiences are entertaining IMO.

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32 minutes ago, Phaseknox said:

I don’t think that you would like Ashen, it’s an indie game with a stylistic visual style that I don’t think that you would care for. It’s not a big budget AAA game with current gen graphics, so I don’t think that you could get into it for that reason. It’s also somewhat methodical and slow paced which I don’t think that you would really like, either.

 

You do have your own opinion on games, but you seem to only like big budget AAA ones with great graphics, polish and refinement. That’s fine, but it also means that you’re probably not going to like a lot of AA mid-tier games such as this one because they’re made by small development teams that don’t have the budgets and resources to make their games the same quality as the big companies.

 

While I like big budget AAA games as well, I also find charm in AA mid-tier games too that don’t have the best graphics and are a little rough around the edges. I mainly care if a game is fun to play or not, I don’t really care about the technical side of things as much. Of course I still like the games that I play to look and play good, but I don’t need the best looking graphics and gameplay to still enjoy them if their core experiences are entertaining IMO.

 

I was kidding with my remark. BUT, I have so many thoughts on what you just said but I don't want to cause any issues. 

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4 hours ago, best3444 said:

It's best that I don't comment. Trust me.

Come on man, it’s me. Just say what you want to say. By the way, I knew that you were kidding when you said that you only play games that other people and reviews say are good. And me saying that you only like big budget AAA games was an exaggeration because you’re always saying that you’re a graphics whore, and you don’t seem to like low budget games or indies all that much which is perfectly fine because we all like what we like and don’t like.

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9 hours ago, Phaseknox said:

Come on man, it’s me. Just say what you want to say. By the way, I knew that you were kidding when you said that you only play games that other people and reviews say are good. And me saying that you only like big budget AAA games was an exaggeration because you’re always saying that you’re a graphics whore, and you don’t seem to like low budget games or indies all that much which is perfectly fine because we all like what we like and don’t like.

 

It's fine. There is no need to comment because it's pointless. I'm strange with games and I'm mentally ill. One day I like something then I trash it the next. I've litteraly have lost my mind this year. 

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  • 8 months later...
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GAMINGBOLT.COM

A44 Games is working to create a "unique and deeply detailed open world" which rewards "exploration and a true sense of discovery.

 

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Remember A44 Games’ open-world action RPG Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn? It was meant to release in early 2023 but has suffered another delay. The Ashen developer confirmed on Twitter that it’s now releasing in 2024.

 

The delay is to ensure that it’s the “absolute best experience it can be at launch,” with the developer working hard at “crafting a unique and deeply detailed open world brimming with thrilling fights, rewarding exploration and a true sense of discovery.” It also promised that there are “exciting things” to show and there will be updates “soon.”

 

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (PC/PlayStation/Xbox, 2024) - a third-person ARPG from "Ashen" developers, update: release delay to 2024 announced
12 minutes ago, TheLeon said:

How far we’ve come since that more innocent time…

 

Let me just say you wouldn’t want my thoughts on this bad boy right here. There are opinions, and then there are moments where you lose all sense of self and slip into a haze of extreme emotional and physical  violence, and I’m all out of opinions.

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