New Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn gameplay shows intense Soulslike combat, base building, and more

Developer A44 Games created one of the most popular Soulslikes ever made with Ashen in 2018, and several years later, the studio is back with its second game, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. We haven’t heard much about Flintlock since it was announced in March, but during the recent PC Gaming Show, the developers released a brand new trailer that gives fans a closer look at what to expect from the game’s story and gameplay features. 

Here’s an in-depth overview of everything we learned about Flintlock during the showcase, including the game’s setting and characters, what we know about Flintlock’s combat, what the game’s release date is, and more.

Challenge the Gods

The story of Flintlock is a textbook David vs. Goliath story—a tale of humans going toe-to-toe with ruthless gods and their vicious undead armies. You play as Nor Vanek, a member of the coalition army that’s attempting to retake their world from the forces of the divine. Together with your magical companion Enki, it’s up to you to lead the charge against the gods and reclaim the home of the living.

Over the course of your adventure, you’ll come across numerous settlements and locations that will flesh out the narrative and reveal more about the world you’re fighting to save. One such location is the imposing and mysterious City of Dawn.

You’ll also come across the Blackstream Sappers during your journey, which are a legendary group of elite soldiers that have a pedigree in weapons and explosives. By befriending and reassembling this group, you’ll be able to take advantage of their expertise when fighting the gods and their legions. 

A grand an intense adventure awaits

Like Ashen before it, Flintlock is a Soulslike at heart. The core of your combat abilities are your melee combos and jumps and dodges that allow you to avoid heavily-damaging enemy attacks. However, based on what we saw in the gameplay trailer, it looks like Nor will have several other abilities and tools at her disposal as well. For example, Nor is seen using a pistol to initiate combat, finish off opponents, or as a combo weapon with her large hatchet. The gameplay footage also showcases an explosive grenade launcher, as well as a burst of energy that Nor can deploy from her hand before leaping backwards. 

Enki gets involved in combat, too; Nor’s companion is seen teleporting behind an enemy with a triangular magic portal of some kind, and appears to support the player by distracting opponents with attacks, acting as a disruptor that helps Nor deal with a large number of enemies and set up her attack combos. Notably, Nor can also briefly merge with Enki and fly to floating portals outside of combat that can be unlocked through exploration. These portals allow her to traverse distances quickly or get to high ground. 

The trailer also shows a diverse skill tree that players will have access to during their adventure, allowing them to unlock new abilities. One skill, named “Armoured Poise,” allows Nor to equip pieces of armor and ignore flinches that would normally knock her out of attack animations. Another, labeled “Destructive Descent,” gives her the ability to slam into the ground while mid-air, explosively knocking enemies back. The farther you fall before landing, the farther you’ll blow enemies away. There are three skill trees to choose from: Powder, Steel, and Magic. Powder is themed around ranged damage with firearms, Steel is all about melee combat, and Magic seems to be themed around Enki and its magic capabilities.

The trailer also gave a glimpse at the game's base-building system. As players explore the open world, they'll come across caravan sites that give Nor a safe place to recuperate, respawn after tough battles, and also upgrade and develop gear. As you progress, these villages will expand with new shops and items to buy, fresh options for crafting and upgrades, and NPC quests and side stories to engage with.

When does Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn release? 

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn looks great, and many are no doubt wondering when they’ll be able to get their hands on the game. Thankfully, the new trailer also revealed when the game will be released. Officially, Flintlock is slated to launch in Early 2023. We don’t have a specific month or date yet, but fans can expect the game to release in Q1 or Q2 at the latest. 

The price of the game is currently unknown, but we do know that the game will be available on most platforms. This includes Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC through both Steam and the Epic Games Store. Note that Flintlock will also be available on the Xbox Game Pass service, though it’s not clear if it will appear in the Game Pass for PC lineup as well.