Anticipated Souls-lite Flintlock: Siege of Dawn isn't too worried about dodging Dark Souls genre conventions: "Soulslike is so much more than a combat mechanic"

The developers behind anticipated upcoming Souls-lite Flintlock: Siege of Dawn aren't worried about adapting the genre for their own ends.

Flintlock's twist on the genre is intended as the halfway point between traditional soulslikes such as Dark Souls and more freeform action RPGs - think God of War. Described by creative director Simon Dasan as a more accessible take that doesn't sacrifice the "rhythmic" combat of games like Dark Souls, it's a means of broadening the genre's already-growing appeal. But Dasan doesn't think that a 'Souls'-style label should inherently make for a game that's hard as nails.

"Soulslike is so much more than a combat mechanic," he says in an interview with 12DOVE ahead of Summer Game Fest. "It's the world and narrative delivery. It's really stepping into the mainstream now, it's influencing so many games, even if it's subconscious."

Asked about the inevitable influence of FromSoftware on that move to the mainstream, Dasan goes on to say that "We take a lot of inspiration from them, but we also want to move in our own direction. That's how Flintlock got started - 'how can we put our own mark on what it is that we do?' I don't think we want to be stuck to any particular genre."

Thankfully, the team is comfortable carving out its own niche, even in the very literal shadow of a certain Erdtree-shaped DLC coming out in the next few weeks. "That's part of the pleasure of being down in New Zealand," Dasan jokes. "We just kind of do our own thing. We just wanted to focus on our own backyard. I'm super excited to play [Shadow of the Erdtree], but honestly, I think Flintlock is very much its own thing. I can't wait for people to get their hand on it and see that for themselves."

If you're a real genre purist, here are 5 soulslikes to look out for at SGF.