The Starting Village — Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Walkthrough

Yahtzee reviews Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, a game with Napoleonic-era fashion, undead hordes, and a unique protagonist-supernatural companion dynamic.

This is a review of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn by Yahtzee, originally published on Fully Ramblomatic. The game is set in an alternate world where Napoleonic-era fashion and technology coexist with a war against an undead horde from Hell. Players control a soldier who must team up with a supernatural being from the underworld to defeat other supernatural beings.

The review highlights the protagonist's dynamic with their supernatural companion, noting similarities to Forspoken but with a less engaging execution. The game's world is described as vaguely open-world, with linear environments that allow for some side-quests. However, the design is criticized for a lack of focus, with elements like double-jumps and environmental traversal not always leading to clear progression, sometimes requiring backtracking to trigger events.

Combat mechanics are also discussed, featuring a mix of melee attacks and flintlock guns. Guns are used for interrupts, while melee is used for parrying. The reviewer found the parry system inconsistent and the enemy animations difficult to read, though the combat was not particularly challenging due to the effectiveness of gun interrupts. The game also includes a magic mechanic involving the companion and a side-minigame centered around collecting Pogs.

Overall, the review suggests that Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn suffers from over-ambition, leading to a lack of focus and a feeling of being cut down due to deadlines. This is evidenced by a limited number of unique boss fights and plot elements that feel awkwardly placed. The reviewer concludes that the game's ambition, while making the player feel powerful, was misapplied.