Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Proves Not Every Game Needs To Be AAA In 2024

I’ve been enjoying my fair share of free time with Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn lately, due to the courtesy of the Xbox Game Pass, of course, and it’s gotten me to write about the game’s standing in today’s AAA-dominated gaming industry. My point is simple: Despite increasing player expectations and standards, not every game has to have that label of “AAA” quality for it to be able to stand out and offer a good time.

And that’s especially true in the day and age of today, where a larger portion of AAA games do not deserve that $70 price tag, so what’s even the fuss about? Many high-firing games with a line of expectations reeling behind them have failed to deliver, and I can be here taking names like Redfall and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League all day, but I take it you get the crux of the discussion.

So why shouldn’t we try and perceive Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn from a different lens? One that’s not tainted with the entitlement of expecting AAA-level quality and everything that comes with the latter. One that focuses more on the positives and the ideology of the project itself.

Let’s briefly go over the strongest suits of the action RPG ahead and how it manages to offer more than just a passable experience while also briefly casting a lens of Flintlock’s most glaring pitfalls.

Why Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn Is Refreshingly Enjoyable

Getting a couple of points out of the way, I’m not exactly a fan of the way Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn oscillates between different difficulty modes mid-game, down to the point where it just comes across as unfinished and unbalanced. It’s labeled a “Souls-lite,” I get it, but drastic, unexpected changes in gameplay here and there don’t get a lot going on for the game.

That said, I’m hoping that A44 Games, being the competent developer that it is, will polish Flintlock in a future update.

Now, here’s the fun bit. The forthcoming subsections elaborate on the reasons I’m having fun with the action RPG in question, and why you should be tempted to check it out as part of your Game Pass subscription as well. Not  a lot to lose, is there?

The Combat And Movement Are A Plus

First things first, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn passes with flying colors in the combat section. It flows well across different regions, and you can really feel each strike as it registers on enemy combatants. The abilities of the character Nor are multiple, and your fellow god companion Enki makes sure to pitch in during every foe encounter, lending a great helping hand.

That bit is plainly inspired by the whole Kratos and Atreus dynamic, where the Ghost of Sparta’s son is contributing to fights more than ever in God of War Ragnarok, being grown up and all. Mashing a specific button, therefore, will compel Enki to intervene more, and take out mobs at your command. It works really well honestly, especially when you’re outnumbered by a good margin.

The Story Keeps You On The Edge

Another thing about Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn apart from its fluid movement and combat that had me gripped from start to finish is how the RPG presents its storyline, making me feel committed to the cause. It’s fairly interesting, to say the least, but I do feel like I need to say this, the writing and the dialogue could use some improvement.

The dialogue bit, specifically, feels clunky at times, rubbing me the wrong way as to gauging the quality of the title as a whole. It’s understandable that budget constraints tend to bring out the worst in some games, where the devs try cutting corners and making things “just work.” However, there’s another area where that kind of thing swoops in, leaving a bad taste, and that’s the sound design.

Flintlock could use some improvement on that front.

Other Meticulous 2024-Released Indie/AA Experiences

With the long and short of the matter out of our path, it’s high time that I cast a lens on some of the other relatively small-scale games released earlier in the year that have been able to mark a true, solid impression. These just go on to show that the indie gaming scene is here to stay and is soon going to blur the line between itself and comfortably financed, huge-budgeted AAA titles.

Balatro

Balatro is one of those fairly rare, few games that let you have a quick 20-minute session right before you hop off to either work or school, depending. No matter if you’ve played Inscryption, which is one of the most iconic deck-builders around, Balatro is going to astonish you still with its sheer gameplay quality, terrific boss battles, and a remarkable blend of two different genres, with one of them being something that I’m not going to name here.

eXputer rated Balatro 4.5/5.0 in its review, with author Moiz Banoori remarking,

The constantly challenging nature of Balatro makes it an unforgettable experience and a delight for Poker enthusiasts.”

Pacific Drive

Again, the creativity, passion, and uniqueness of indie games realize no bounds, honestly, and Pacific Drive is the prime example of this thought. It’s a “survival driving” simulator that has you making expeditions on foot, scavenging for resources, and, of course, finding solace in your vehicle to navigate through unknown threats and terrors. Seriously, it’s too distinctive and special. Give it a go.

eXputer holds Pacific Drive 2 in high regard in its review, rating it 4.5/5.0, with author Huzaifah Durrani remarking,

Pacific Drive is one of the most fascinating survival games I have ever played, and the sense of tension it manages to evoke is unmatched.”

Hades 2

Although Hades 2 isn’t out yet properly for different platforms across the board, I think we’ve all seen, heard, and experienced what we wanted to from whatever state the game is in currently. All I can say is, Supergiant Games never misses, and considering how the first Hades won a literal Game of the Year award, it successor seems to be following in its footsteps all the same.

eXputer reviewed Hades 2’s early access, rating it 4.5/.0, with our review expert Hamid Ali Shah saying the following about it,

Hades 2 commands the polish of a full release in early access, and I can’t fathom how good version 1.0 will be.”