Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Continues a Trend from Another Crab's Treasure

Summary

Difficulty has been a hot topic of conversation surrounding the Soulslike genre since its very inception. The genre’s original pioneers,Demon’s SoulsandDark Souls, were both renowned for their high level of challenge, boasting standard enemies that could kill the player in just one or two hits, exceptionally tough boss fights, and brutal environmental traps, all of which worked masterfully with the games' motifs of unforgiving fantasy worlds, and all of which rewarded the players who could master the mechanics and overcome the challenge.Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnseems to understand this balance quite well.

But not every Soulslike over the last decade has understood this tentative balance, especially many of the genre’s early entries. Games like the original 2014Lords of the Fallenfailed to deliver a suite of satisfying combat mechanics, making its higher level of difficulty feel unwarranted and aggravating. Difficulty can often be a strong barrier to entry for many gamers, and it’s a barrier that’s stopped many from dipping their toes into the Soulslike genre. ButFlintlock: The Siege of Dawnoffers Soulslike newcomers a much easier route.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Tag Page Cover Art

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Carries Forward Another Crab’s Treasure’s Accessibility

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Features Difficulty Options

Back in April of this year,Another Crab’s Treasurehit consoles and PC. A Soulslike set deep underwater,Another Crab’s Treasurewore its cartoon influences on its sleeve, and its vibrant color palette and lighthearted world set the game apart from more dreary Soulslike experiences. Going hand-in-hand with this lighter atmosphere wasAnother Crab’s Treasure’s long list of accessibility options, all of which combined to make the game an ideal experience for first-time Soulslike players.

At any time while playingAnother Crab’s Treasure, players can pull up the menu and access a bevy of “Assist Mode” features. These features let players reduce the damage they take, lower enemy health, extend the windows of the player’s dodge roll and parry, and prevent the player from losing their currency upon death like in most other Soulslikes.Another Crab’s Treasure’s Assist Modeeven lets players give their character a gun that can one-shot enemies.

WhileFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s accessibility optionsdon’t live up to the high bar set byAnother Crab’s Treasure, they still give Soulslike newcomers a bit of leeway. Upon startingFlintlockfor the first time, players will be given three separate difficulty settings to choose from. Normal mode will offer a standard, somewhat more forgiving Soulslike experience than some veterans will be used to. Possessed mode cranks that difficulty up a notch, increasing enemy aggression. And Story mode offers a much less intense experience, reducing the amount of damage the player takes and enemy aggression, being an ideal pick for newcomers to the genre. Story mode also gives players the option of having unlimited health, which is useful for any Soulslike fans wanting to learn the general rhythm of the genre’s combat.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Difficulty Options Have a Divisive Limitation

However, there’s one big limitation toFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Story mode that Soulslike newcomers need to be aware of. ChoosingFlintlock’s Story difficultyoption will lock the player out of earning achievements/trophies. While this is certainly nothing new for challenging action games, it’s still a bit disappointing to see in this modern age of gaming, with it ironically discouraging newcomers from trying the game.