Summary
- Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a unique "soulslite" adventure, lacking full soulslike elements but offering exciting exploration and combat.
- Players who enjoyed Flintlock might not find similar experiences in other soulslike games, but action games like Darksiders 3 offer a blend of genres.
- For fans of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, games like Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden provide engaging storytelling, combat, and exploration.
A44 Games, known for their soulslike Ashen, has just released Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, a game that was in development for almost six years. Unlike their previous work, Flintlock isn't quite a soulslike. The developers describe it as a "soulslite," which is a tricky categorization. The new game lacks many elements of a true soulslike, even more so than expected. Essentially, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an action-adventure game that mixes combat with exploration and platforming sections, with just a few soulslike elements sprinkled in.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Review
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn excels in as many areas as it falls short, meaning players' mileage will vary based on where they can compromise.
Therefore, recommending other soulslike games to players who enjoyed Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn might not be accurate. With its simplified combat system that lacks stamina management, limited weapon and build variety, and traditional storytelling with plenty of character dialogue and NPC interactions, fans of the game might be better off trying other action games from the past few years. These games below might borrow some soulslike elements but aren't overly devoted to the genre's hardcore staples.
1 Darksiders 3
One Of The First Hybrid Games Between Traditional Action And Soulslikes
Darksiders 3
While the first two entries in the series are traditional action-adventure games, Darksiders 3 by Gunfire Games was one of the first to borrow some soulslike elements, such as a checkpoint system and respawning enemies. This experiment received mixed reception at launch, primarily due to notable changes to the established series, but as an action game, Darksiders 3 won't disappoint.
Playing as Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, players embark on a quest to locate and kill the Seven Deadly Sins, portrayed as enormous bosses. With a cast of intriguing characters, a compelling story, and a robust combat system that mixes melee and ranged weapons with magical powers similar to Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, the game offers exciting exploration with plenty of hidden secrets and treasures, as well as decent platforming sections.
2 Kena: Bridge Of Spirits
Often Overlooked, This Gem Is A Charming And Tough Adventure
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
- Released
- September 21, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Ember Lab
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Kena: Bridge of Spirits was the debut project for Ember Lab Studios, and the developers nailed it. The game features breathtakingly beautiful visuals, a charming atmosphere and characters, combined with surprisingly deep and tough fast-paced combat and deadly bosses. This action-adventure title is often overlooked by players seeking a great action game that will keep them engaged for hours, so don't miss out on it.
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The following action games incorporate a significant amount of strategy, forcing players to think carefully about the next combat encounter.
Despite not incorporating soulslike elements, Kena: Bridge of Spirits can be quite challenging. However, with the help of adorable Rot companions and some powerful magic abilities, a young Spirit Guide named Kena might succeed in restoring the once-majestic world now lying in corruption. Like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Kena offers enough exploration and platforming to balance out the plentiful action and boss encounters.
3 Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden
A Beautiful Action Game With An Emphasis On Characters And Story
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
- Released
- February 13, 2024
- Developer(s)
- DON'T NOD
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is the latest adventure game by Don't Nod. Unfortunately, it went rather unnoticed, which is a shame because it is a rare breed of single-player, cinematic, story-driven action adventures that players don't get enough of nowadays. Like Flintlock, Banishers might attract players with its unique setting alone, delivering a ghost story set in the 1695 American frontier. This setting is as beautiful as it is tragic and dangerous for its people struggling to survive.
Inspired by the modern God of War games, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden features a dynamic combat system blending melee and ranged weapons with spiritual abilities, offering powerful synergies between two playable characters, Red and Antea. With plenty of skills to unlock and master, gear to obtain and upgrade, and choices to make, fans of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn won't want to miss this one.
4 Lies Of P
One Of The Few Soulslikes With A Story That’s Easy To Follow
Lies of P
- Released
- September 19, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Round8 Studio, Neowiz
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike
The only pureblooded soulslike here, Lies of P by Neowiz, inspired by Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, stands out from many other soulslikes due to its traditional narrative, which is quite easy to follow and make sense of. This is just one of the game's many strengths, which also include stellar visuals and music, a great combat system with a variety of weapons and possible builds, interesting boss fights, and a unique robopocalypse setting for immersion.
Additionally, Lies of P, like Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, is a fairly linear game with a straightforward progression that doesn't waste players' time exploring huge empty spaces. The game is tough as nails, with no difficulty options, but fans of Flintlock who don't mind a challenge will likely be satisfied with what it has to offer.
5 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Combat And Exploration Feel Very Familiar To Flintlock
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Released
- April 28, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
If players liked Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, they will most likely feel right at home with both Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. These action-adventure games by Respawn Entertainment incorporate several soulslike elements to spice things up, but with adjustable difficulty settings, players can tweak the intensity of the experience to their liking.
One of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's major advantages is its exciting story and characters, complemented by plenty of puzzles, great platforming, and exploration. The game features memorable and vast levels on different planets with numerous ways to navigate them in search of hidden chests. This comes second only to the refined combat system with several stances, including one that allows players to wield a blaster and lightsaber simultaneously (akin to Flintlock), and truly intense boss fights.
6 God Of War: Ragnarok
One Of The Best Cinematic Action Games Available Today
God of War Ragnarok
- Released
- November 9, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Santa Monica Studio
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Games that probably need little introduction, the latest God of War and its sequel, Ragnarok, by Santa Monica Studio, are considered pinnacles of cinematic action-adventure today. Emotional and exciting, packed with content that can easily take about 50 hours each, the latest journey of Kratos and Atreus is a worthy addition to the iconic series, bringing it to new heights.
Mixing narrative, exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat in nearly perfect proportion, God of War: Ragnarok is an easy game to recommend to anyone who enjoyed Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. Especially when the latter seems to have been created with God of War in mind, given how many of its elements feel directly inspired by it.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
- Released
- July 18, 2024
- Developer(s)
- A44 Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG