When it comes to the Soulslike genre, several distinct features must be included in a game for it to be considered a true Soulslike. That being said, so long as the Soulslike roots are there, any game can put its own original spin on those traditions, and that's exactly what Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has done. Developed by indie game developer A44 Games and published by Kepler Interactive, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an upcoming action RPG title with plenty of Soulslike elements to boot.

While more accurately defined as a "Souls-lite," even by its developer, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn still includes plenty of Soulslike traditions, albeit with a unique twist put on many of them. Flintlock's inclusion of these traditions is likely what allows it to be classified as a Soulslike in the first place, as it is much more accessible and leans more heavily into the action RPG side of things than a typical Soulslike. Even so, there seem to be plenty of features for fans of the Soulslike genre in Flintlock, though they might find the creative liberties taken in these traditions to be a bit of an adjustment.

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Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn's Original Soulslike Features

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn's Combat Is Souls With a God of War Twist

Flintlock retains the core fundamentals of Soulslike combat by limiting Nor to basic attacks she can use against her enemies. However, unlike most Soulslike games, rather than giving Nor a heavy attack, Flintlock replaces it with a ranged attack that can be made from her Flintlock pistol. Unfortunately, this hardly deals any damage and is primarily used to interrupt enemy attacks. Where Flintlock's combat truly differs from traditional Soulslike games is in its rapid dance-like nature, similar to God of War's combat.

Once Nor joins up with her fox-like friend Enki, she obtains magical abilities that allow her to perform inhuman evasive maneuvers. She can also use Enki's magic to fill an enemy's priming gauge and inflict a powerful critical attack on them. Finally, Flintlock has a parry system like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which is becoming increasingly traditional in the Soulslike genre.

Reputation Is Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn's Version of Souls

Almost every Soulslike game uses the same progression system. As players defeat enemies, they collect a resource that they can then use to level up their character and purchase or upgrade weapons, armor, and other items. In the Dark Souls franchise, this resource was known as "Souls," and Flintlock uses a similar system but calls its version of Souls "Reputation."

Reputation can be earned and used in Flintlock similarly to Souls in the Dark Souls series, but Flintlock includes a multiplier that increases the amount of Reputation acquired with each kill — so long as players avoid getting hit, as their multiplier will reset upon an enemy's attack making contact with them. Furthermore, as with almost any Soulslike game, players will drop any Reputation they've acquired upon death and must retrieve it before being killed again, or they will lose it permanently.

Reputation can also be used to purchase new cosmetic items for Nor to wear via Coffee Shops that open up once players liberate the game's Hamlets, which are akin to Far Cry's outposts. Fashion Souls, which refers to the ability players have in Soulslike games to make their character's wardrobe more aesthetically pleasing, is thus included in Flintlock's list of Soulslike features, as it carries on one of the genre's most iconic traditions.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn may be fairly liberal with its use of traditional Soulslike features, but the inspiration is clearly there. Taking the core of Soulslike combat and combining it with a Dark Souls-like progression system, somewhere within Flintlock is a Soulslike, even if its action RPG elements shine a little brighter.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn releases on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on July 18, 2024.