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Exclusive interview with the production team of "Flintlock: Dawn Siege": Fresh flavor from the Southern Hemisphere

Carp

2024-07-30

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Author: Zili

Original Contribution

Comment:

Gunpowder and Gods

New Zealand has always been a place that is rarely mentioned when discussing game developers. But in recent years, A44 Games, an independent game studio from New Zealand, has gradually established a foothold in the field of action role-playing games with the well-received "Ashen".

After the success of Ashes of the Sun, A44 Games took advantage of the opportunity to bring Flintlock: Siege of Dawn, which has a refreshing visual performance and background setting, to the players. We also contacted these southern hemisphere developers who are passionate about game production and asked them to answer some questions related to the design and production of the game - some of the most concerned questions for those who are looking forward to Flintlock: Siege of Dawn.

Q: A44 Games is a new friend to Chinese players, and they are also curious about the team that created Flintlock: Siege of Dawn. Could you please briefly introduce yourselves?

A：We are A44 Games, a game studio from Wellington, New Zealand, founded in 2013. Our goal is to make games we love. In 2018, we released our first game, Ashen, which was well received and won multiple awards, which was a real motivation for us. We built on this, taking all the previous lessons learned and iterating continuously to create Flintlock: Dawn Siege.

Q: What kind of game is Flintlock: Siege of Dawn for A44 Games itself?

A：We call Flintlock: Siege of Dawn a "Souls-lite" game, which combines the mechanics of soul-like games and action role-playing games, bringing movie-like fatal blows and strong rhythmic battles to the experiencer. The unique "Gods vs. Guns" world view and the fantasy scenery of the Kian continent we created will make players feel that they have entered a place different from the real world. At the same time, we are also committed to providing players with many options on their journey, allowing them to freely explore the world and defeat the army of the dead.

Q: "Flintlock Fantasy" is still a relatively niche creative theme in the current gaming industry. What were the considerations for choosing this theme for "Flintlock: Siege of Dawn"?

A：When we started the Flintlock: Siege of Dawn project, we did have a lot of options, but at the time, we read a lot of Flintlock fantasy novels and fell in love with the gritty world view and the plots of the novels about Napoleonic armies fighting giant gods from mythology. So we created our own Flintlock fantasy world and even consulted with several Flintlock fantasy authors in the early stages of development.

We feel that "Flintlock Fantasy" is a very suitable theme for adaptation into a game - it is novel enough and has many attractive features.

Q: Compared with the previous game "Ashes of Time", the graphics performance level of this game can be said to have been epically improved. How did you do it?

A：Yes, it took a lot of work for the team to make Flintlock: Dawn Siege what it is now. Flintlock: Dawn Siege uses a different art style than Ashes of the Sun, so we spent a lot of time making sure everything looked and felt epic. We're lucky to be New Zealanders - the unique local animals and environments were a huge source of inspiration for us.

Q: Flintlock: Siege of Dawn is actually quite different from traditional soul-like games: it doesn't have an energy bar, and has more achievements in action. In addition to the "Soul" series, has the production team been influenced and inspired by other games?

A：As the development of our first game, Ashes of the Sun, was nearing completion, we began to think about our future direction in this genre. Bringing the soul-like experience to all players has always been an idea of ​​ours, and by introducing traditional soul-like mechanics and systems into an action role-playing game that is easier to get started with, it will be more conducive to the realization of our ideas, which is why we call Flintlock: Siege of Dawn a "Souls-lite" game.

For creators, it's common to be inspired by other works. Fast-paced confrontation is always exciting, and different creators have different ways to interpret their own "fast-paced confrontation" scenes. In this regard, I am very satisfied with our performance in "Flint Gun: Dawn Siege". In the game, we strive to let every player find a gameplay that suits them, so whether you are a novice or an old player, you can enjoy this game to your heart's content.

Q: I noticed that in the "Lan Muya" BOSS battle, you used some modern-style music instead of the classical-style music commonly seen in Souls-like games. Can you share your creative experience in this regard?Is it a process?

A：Our composer Eric Hillman was focused on creating something unique for the world, setting, enemies, and characters of Flintlock: Dawn Siege. For the music for normal battles, he wanted it to feel more specific and smaller in scale, but when it comes to gods, he wanted it to feel like you're facing something awe-inspiring and epic, and to feel the challenge of the fight.

As you pointed out, the music has some more modern elements. We added more digital sounds and glitters to the music associated with the gods to increase their otherworldly feel.

Q: Cyber ​​Chess is a very interesting built-in mini-game, which is like an advanced version of the "hound and rabbit" game. How did you design Cyber ​​Chess?

A：We drew inspiration for Cyber ​​Chess from many different board games. However, our main goal was to allow players to temporarily escape from the battle through Cyber ​​Chess so that they can explore and learn about the history and culture of the continent of Kian.

It was important to make this mini-game feel fun and relaxing for the players. But at the same time, we also wanted it to be consistent with the main storyline of the game and serve as a window into the world of Flintgun: Siege of Dawn. Cyber ​​chess has existed in Kian for a long time, and its theme is closely related to many gods - to win, you need to make the chess pieces form a "sacred triangle".

Q: When I first encountered "Enji" in the game, it looked like a weak god, but as the game progressed, I found that it was not as simple as it seemed. This design has the meaning of primitive religious mythology. During the creation process, did you draw inspiration from the mythology of a certain place?

A：During the production process, we realized that Mesopotamian mythology has never been fully reflected in the media form of "video games" that can freely borrow various cultural elements, and it has great potential to be explored and utilized. In the mythology of the Mesopotamians, the underworld is a dark and ominous place, and the challenges faced by people's souls there are no less than those in their lifetime.

Many character settings in "Flintlock: Dawn Siege" draw a lot of inspiration from it, especially the parts related to gods.

Q: Flintlock: Siege of Dawn is a game with a very international temperament: its production team is from New Zealand, the publisher is from the UK, the protagonist in the game uses a flintlock fantasy design based on the late 18th century Europe, and the enemies have a cultural style of Mesopotamian civilization. How did you achieve this?

A：We did draw inspiration from a number of different regions. Integrating different cultures from around the world was one of our main goals in Flintgun: Siege of Dawn. We knew that in order for the continent of Kian to feel unique, we had to blend these diverse elements together. In the production of Flintgun: Siege of Dawn, we consciously wanted to create a special world view that was invaded by gods but full of life. Of course, to achieve this, it is necessary to grasp the delicate balance between the two, which is somewhat difficult, and I hope that our efforts in Flintgun: Siege of Dawn can achieve this.

Q: Finally, do you have anything to say to Chinese players?

A：We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us and Flintlock: Siege of Dawn. Everyone at A44 Studios is very excited when we release each of our games. We look forward to the day when everyone will explore the continent of Kian. We wish you all the best and good luck, engineers.