Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is the textbook definition of a good video game. You probably won't think of it much after rolling credits, but in the moment, there's enough in its roughly 12-hour campaign for a fulfilling time. A quick hit of comfort food for the Souls-like audience, it succeeds with fun combat and movement abilities. It's entirely competent, which as the second title from A44 Games — the first being the excellent Ashen — feels like a slight step back in form.

The sophomore effort is a more conventional approach to structure and design compared to the team's minimalist debut. It's still a Souls-like (sporting almost all the usual features of the genre), though this time more of a Bloodborne than a traditional Dark Souls. Combat plays out at a faster rate, dodging trumps blocking, and you can parry with a gun as well as an axe.

Fights feel mostly the same as the scores of other Souls-likes out there, except for a souls multiplier you can build by avoiding damage. It lends tension to encounters with even the most basic enemies, as taking just a single hit breaks your entire streak. Then, a magical fox by your side governs special attacks, expanding the scope of your capabilities.

Combat is paired with a traversal system all about double jumps, dashes, and portal shifting. Replacing the shortcuts you open up in other Souls-likes, Flintlock opts for portals you can shift and move between, allowing you to cross vast stretches of land within the game's open zone structure in seconds. Some will be optional, leading to secrets and hidden items, while others focus on getting you back to the main path as quickly as possible. Just like the fights between the flights, crossing the world is made to be fun without going overboard.

As long as you can put up with some repetitive enemy design and the story not being all that, then Flintlock is worth a punt. It all comes together for a consistently good experience that never tries to break the bank to become something more. It does nothing insultingly bad; neither does it set a new benchmark for anything specific. Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a good video game — nothing more, nothing less.

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