Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn and GreedFall’s Settings Compared

Summary

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnis the latest title from developer A44. Described as an action RPG with Soulslite design philosophies,Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s world-building falls into the titular “Flintlock Fantasy” genre. It features a blend of pseudo-historical, real-life aspects with heavy doses of mythology and magic. This idea brings to mind another game in the same vein, Spiders' 2019 release,GreedFall.GreedFalltakes a similar route, mixing both into an intriguing setting rife with political machinations and supernatural occurrences.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s world is inspired by Mesopotamian deitiesand other figures who play a central role in the story. These coexist alongside humanity’s forces and advancing technology, set against each other in a contest where the fate of the region of Kian is at stake. Both it andGreedFallshare some broad gameplay mechanics, and their interesting and meticulously crafted worlds also have a lot in common, though diverge in other important areas.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Tag Page Cover Art

How Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Mystical-Meets-Mundane World Compares to GreedFall’s

Similarities in GreedFall and Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Pseudo-Historical Fantasy Settings

Taking place during an Age of Exploration setting,GreedFall’s Old Continentresembles a conglomeration of mainland European countries circa the 1600s. Covering themes and story beats of colonialism and capitalism, the impetus for its plot is the island nation of Teer Fradee, inhabited by magical beasts and other mysterious denizens. The island was recently “discovered” by the major powers on the Old Continent, and they are eyeing opportunities to expand their wealth and reach, which involves various governments and communities with their own practices dealing with the mystical facets, with the backdrop of an unnatural and devastating disease adding a layer of tension.

A sequel,GreedFall 2: The Dying World, is set to enter an early accessperiod later this Fall.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s world of Kian is closer to the Napoleonic period, as humanity was on its way to achieving a sort of Industrial Revolution until it found itself under threat from endless armies of undead that poured out from a dimensional gateway known as theDoor to the Great Below. These forces were unleashed by otherworldly Gods from behind the Door, nearly forgotten until they suddenly re-emerged and began assaulting the capital city of Dawn. In both cases, technology and weaponry like cannons and firearms are used to combat supernatural threats and are on equal footing against them.

How Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s Setup and World Differs From GreedFall

A44 pointed to thePowder Mageseriesas one of the works the developer took notes from while envisioning the look and feel ofFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn.Gods are much more prominent, as the scattered remains of humanity’s forces attempt to rally and push back against them. WhereasGreedFallcenters more on factional power struggles and the morality of “claiming” land and resources from indigenous peoples,Flintlockis less about jostling for power, and more about humanity as a whole having to unite against the Gods.

Though there are divisions betweenFlintlock’s communities, the entire world is on edge, and they must utilize their ingenuity and technology to turn the tide.

One major difference is that humans are seen regularly using magic themselves inGreedFall, while inFlintlockthe situation is a little more complex.Flintlock’s main character, Nor Vanek, befriends a God who assists her for his own opaque purposes, and she herself still relies on her expertise with explosives and firearms.

Nor andGreedFall’s protagonist, De Sardet, hail from different social spheres as well. The latter was a noble, serving as an ambassador for their Congregation of Merchants organization. Conversely, Nor was a footsoldier before rising through the ranks of the Coalition army to become an expert sapper and almost stumbles into her relationship with the God, Enki, and his knowledge and skills beyond the material realm.

Both titles, though, hinge upon aconflict of a mystical naturethat threatens to overrun society in alternate depictions of their respective historical eras.Flintlock: The Siege of DawnandGreedFalloffer well-realized visions of their worlds, mixing in recognizable real-life and period-appropriate elements with unique mythological aspects that make them feel believable, giving fans two distinct flavors of historical fantasy and deep narratives peppered with immersive details to create compelling experiences.