There’s a majesty successful Elden Ring that fewer different games tin contend with. Its satellite is densely packed with a 1000 waiting discoveries, its combat systems are richly layered, and its lore begs to beryllium chronicled by a twelve YouTube scholars. But each present and again I can’t assistance but wonderment what Elden Ring would beryllium if it were not truthful beholden to FromSoftware’s ain rules. What if it had the consciousness of cinematic spectacle that fuels Sony’s blockbusters? A story-rich communicative with the flashy, ability-augmented combat of God of War? The answer, it seems, whitethorn good beryllium held successful Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.

At Gamescom 2022 I sat down with a mates of developers from A44, the New Zealand-based developer down Ashen, to ticker them play astir 30 minutes of Flintlock. They explained that their caller Soulslike RPG, acceptable successful a phantasy satellite of past magic and blackpowder guns, is designed to beryllium determination betwixt Elden Ring and God of War, taking the situation and find of the erstwhile and combining it with the narrative-focused, glossy presumption of the latter.

This attack is wide to spot successful the demo’s brag battle, which sees protagonist Nor Vanek look disconnected against the imposing God of Knowledge, a towering tone encased successful aureate plates of triangular armour. As the Soulslike genre dictates, the brag has an inflated wellness bar, deals immense harm with telegraphed attacks, and becomes much fearsome successful its 2nd phase. The archetypal steps to flooded each this follows the Dark Souls playbook; a well-timed dodge rotation is followed by a fewer assertive axe strikes, and past a diligent hold for an onslaught that tin beryllium parried. But it’s successful the parry that Flintlock’s God of War influences statesman to amusement through; Nor knocks the God to its knees and the camera flies successful adjacent to perfectly seizure a brutal stroke to the broadside of its head.

The demo is filled with these moments. Nor mightiness unleash a roundhouse footwear that sends a foe flying, oregon tackle an force to the crushed earlier firing her pistol into their face. The camera swoops astir the action, triggering bursts of dilatory question to genuinely emphasise spectacle. It whitethorn usage the FromSoft ruleset, but Flintlock’s combat looks flashier - much fantastical, adjacent - than immoderate Souls crippled has ever been.

But it goes further than conscionable glossy animations and chill camera angles. Nor has a scope of abilities that marque her overmuch much dynamic than a Souls character, including acrobatic leap strikes and being capable to rapidly power betwixt her guns and axe. She’s besides accompanied by Enki, a fox-like carnal who can, among different skills, frost an force successful mid-air and sorb their health. Think of him arsenic a small similar God of War’s Atreus, conscionable infinitely aged and with the quality to transmission acheronian magic.

Since I’ve not yet played Flintlock, it’s intolerable for maine to cognize close present if that blend of situation and cinema results successful a tight, responsive combat system. But the signs are good, and A44 intelligibly believes successful its combat truthful overmuch that it adjacent has a Devil May Cry-like Stylish Rank system. Each attack, skill, and combo performed by Nor and Enki is awarded points, which rack up successful their thousands implicit time. This score, known arsenic your Reputation, doubles arsenic a currency which tin beryllium utilized to bargain caller weapons and items astatine the achromatic market. But, arsenic successful the existent world, Reputation tin beryllium lost. Dying reduces your people to zero, locking you retired of the achromatic market’s inventory. Thankfully it tin beryllium restored if you prime it up from the determination you died.

Don’t mistake Reputation for Souls, though. Character progression is not tied to this impermanent score; alternatively Nor and Enki germinate done the usage of XP points, which erstwhile earned enactment with you permanently. That XP is utilized to unlock upgrades connected what A44 describes arsenic an “intentionally overwhelming” accomplishment tree, with acold much options than is imaginable to unlock successful a azygous playthrough. Further progression comes done victories; each defeated brag rewards you with its peculiar ability, and truthful with each large termination comes a important enlargement of your powerfulness arsenal. Divorcing the die-and-drop mechanic from quality improvement is simply a immense deviation from the FromSoft formula, and could good beryllium 1 of Flintlock’s cardinal weapons successful bringing the joyousness of Soulslike combat and worlds to a wider audience.

Outside the vigor of battle, Flintlock’s demo shows a akin rethinking of Soulslike principles. Nor navigates the unfastened satellite connected ft but tin besides leap up high, 3D platformer-style, utilizing grenade blasts to scope ledges and hidden items or, with circumstantial unlocks, tin person Enki teleport her implicit immense distances.

It’s the mode A44 treats its satellite and population, though, that could genuinely people caller crushed for a Soulslike. During the demo Nor and Enki travel crossed a colony that has been overrun by the undead (the aged gods person torn unfastened the doors to the underworld, hence Flintlock’s large zombie and deity problem), which triggers a ‘Hamlet Liberation’ activity. Defeating the mini-boss that has taken up residency present sees the archetypal assemblage instrumentality to their homes, a alteration that won’t beryllium reset by resting astatine a bonfire checkpoint. These villagers tin past connection up caller quests; I ticker arsenic Nor introduces herself to a bizarre postulation of limbs (character designs tin get precise out-there) that asks her to assistance fulfill its java obsession. This each suggests that progression doesn’t conscionable travel successful the improvement of your quality physique and presumption connected the main communicative path; there’s besides advancement successful the satellite astir you and the communities that you encounter. It’s the benignant of attack I’d expect from a much accepted RPG implicit a Soulslike.

As the demo progresses, crippled manager Derek Bradley perpetually tells maine astir different things successful the crippled that helium can’t amusement close now. The unfastened satellite is location to tons of optional dungeons and bosses, immoderate of which are linked to broadside questlines oregon endgame objectives. You tin stumble upon a assortment of incidental stories, from a antheral being robbed connected the roadside to a full cult obsessed with death. There are peculiar items to beryllium found, including 1 that resurrects you arsenic an undead if you die. Over clip you enlistee a squad of engineers who tin usage explosives to unfastened up entree to shortcuts and concealed areas. There’s a communicative mode that recalibrates the trouble to thing much accessible should radical request it. Each caller diagnostic helium mentions reshapes my expectations and increases my excitement. I locomotion distant from the assignment convinced that Flintlock is the champion happening I’ve seen astatine Gamescom.

My enthusiastic chatter astir Flintlock convinces my colleague, IGN’s enforcement quality exertion Joe Skrebels, to publication a last-minute assignment to spot it. There, Bradley tells him that Elden Ring pushed Soulslikes successful a caller direction, and helium wants Flintlock to propulsion adjacent further. It’s wide that A44 has serious, shoot-for-the-moon ambition, then. And close now, without having played Flintlock, I can’t accidental with assurance however adjacent the modestly-sized workplace has travel to those lofty goals. Bradley notes that his 60-person squad doesn’t person the immense fund of Sony Santa Monica, and portion that’s wide successful Flintlock’s not-quite-AAA visuals, I’m hopeful wealth won’t interaction its quality to beryllium a bold rethink of what a Soulslike tin be. Because, much than thing else, the happening that I deliberation volition marque Flintlock peculiar isn’t its cinematic approach, but its knowing that the FromSoftware look is not a acceptable of rules to replicate, but a model to physique upon.

FPS games were mostly considered Doom clones until games similar GoldenEye and Half-Life reconsidered what first-person shooting could be. Flintlock, if it’s everything it promises, could good beryllium portion of the vanguard that makes Soulslikes overmuch much than conscionable Dark Souls copies.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.