A good main character can make or break a game, and that’s the challenge Nor Vanek has to face as the protagonist ofFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn. Where a lot of Soulslike games (althoughFlintlockis described as a Souls-lite game) let the player design a character to their liking, creating a central character like Nor can give a deep narrative connection between the player and the plot.
This was all considered byFlintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s lead narrative designer Daniel Baider when setting out to create the story that’ll draw players into their battle against the gods. Baider recently spoke to Game Rant in an interview about Nor Vanek, her history and who she is, and what drives her to yell, “Death to gods!”
A Strong Central Figure
For a narrative-focused experience, a defined character is a powerful tool.Final Fantasy 7’s narrative is intrinsically bound up inthe character of Cloud Strife, without whom the whole narrative would lose steam. TheYakuza/Like a Dragonseries similarly defines itself by its colorful protagonists, andAnother Crab’s Treasure’s tone is heavily carried by its protagonist Kril.
ForFlintlock, the role Nor Vanek plays is a critical one: she is the witness to disaster, with a personal stake in addressing the problems posed by the opening of the Door and the threat posed by the Dead and Gods. This all matters to Nor and, by extension, the players.
Nor is from the city of Dawn itself, and she’s never forgotten the day the Dead broke through the Door and tore her life apart. Forced to flee the only home she’d ever known, Nor soon lost her parents to disease and chaos caused by the war… A named and voiced character was a necessity for the story focused on Nor and Enki’s relationship thatFlintlockstrives to tell.
Baider explained that Nor was taken in by Baz, a Coalition soldier. Baz was an expert in gunpowder, a new innovation that was powering a societal shift, prior to the Dead breaking through the Door. In a storyreminiscent of Aloy and Rost fromHorizon Zero Dawn, Baz taught Nor how to fight in trenches and tunnels and against the Dead. Like Aloy following Rost’s footsteps into being a Seeker, Nor follows Baz’s to become an elite Coalition Sapper.
The Coalition, the organization that Baz and Nor belong to, was formed as an emergency response to the disaster Nor witnessed with her own eyes. From a young age, Nor demonstrated bravery by joining Baz in combat,fighting for the Coalition, and honing her fierce talent. For ten years, the Coalition has held the line keeping the Dead in the city of Dawn, but their supplies are running thin by the time the player takes control of Nor.
The narrative of a young woman learning to be strong and following in the footsteps of a strong adoptive parent, who may not have been the best at parenting but did their best, is a good one. It isn’t just one found inFlintlockorHorizon, but rather it’s a common coming-of-age narrative that can be found across literature, movies, and games alike. That isn’t to say Nor is Aloy with a gun, however. Nor is her own person, and that person is central to the story A44 is telling.
Nor is strong-willed and focused, which is something we wanted to get right so the player could really feel her personal agency within the game’s story. There are a lot of key moments in Nor’s story that have her develop as a character and come to terms with the world changing around her, and we felt it was important to make that side of her relatable too. We hope players will enjoy getting to learn more about Nor and her past as they explore the game world.
Baider is excited to see players' reactions to Nor, from her fierce combat skills to the quieter momentsshe shares with Enki. Her very story is told throughoutFlintlock, woven into the catastrophe at the heart of the game from the day the Door broke to the closing credits.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
WHERE TO PLAY
From games studio A44, makers of Ashen, comes an explosive Souls-lite, where Gods and guns collide in a battle for the future of humanity.The Door to the Great Below has been opened unleashing the Gods and their armies of the Dead. The lands of Kian are besieged, the city of Dawn is on the brink of destruction. It’s time for the Coalition army to fight back. Embrace vengeance, gunpowder and magic as you embark on an epic journey to defeat the Gods, close the door and retake the world.Kill all gods.Your battle begins now.
