The Blood of Dawnwalker Offers 2 Very Different RPG Playstyles

The Witcher bid truly did good to seizure that consciousness of exploring a brutal phantasy satellite arsenic a protagonist who knew however to get their hands dirty. But successful the upcoming acheronian phantasy RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, a caller crippled from a squad of erstwhile creatives down The Witcher 3, it leans further into a morally ambiguous mounting arsenic you determine which way its protagonist volition instrumentality – 1 that maintains his quality signifier and ideals, oregon 1 that embraces newfound powers arsenic a half-vampire.

Just up of Gamescom 2025, we got an extended walkthrough of The Blood of Dawnwalker from the devs astatine Rebel Wolves that enactment a spotlight connected the parallel playstyles of quality and vampire action-RPG gameplay. So far, The Blood of Dawnwalker is putting distant immoderate beardown concepts for its instrumentality connected a dark-fantay RPG that's each astir navigating 2 antithetic worlds successful cunning fashion.

Part of what makes vampires truthful compelling arsenic fearfulness characters is that they tin beryllium tragic figures. Having to contend with supernatural forces that perchance enactment them astatine likelihood with humanity is simply a conception that tin beryllium large to research successful video games. That thought is astatine the bosom of The Blood of Dawnwalker.

Set successful a supernatural mentation of 14th-century Europe, The Blood of Dawnwalker focuses connected Coen and his vendetta against a almighty coven of vampires that question to instrumentality implicit Europe with unit and adjacent immoderate old-fashioned medieval-era politicking. After Coen has a convulsive brushwood with the vampire person Brencis pursuing the abduction of his family, the protagonist develops a peculiar strain of vampirism that transforms him into a half-vampire that tin navigate the progressively blurry enactment betwixt quality and supernatural.

Our extended preview focused connected a quest called "A Monk and a Saint," which saw Coen question to the colony of Svartrau to uncover a hidden tomb – and the town's much nefarious side. This quest features a circular of combat sequences against immoderate foes susceptible of withstanding Coen's abilities successful some his quality and vampire forms. It initially seemed modular fare for an RPG quest, but wherever Dawnwalker differs is successful however the quest tin alteration depending connected the clip of time and which signifier you instrumentality connected to implicit it.

The starring communicative hook carrying players guardant is the month-long clip limit, giving Coen lone a constricted play to rescue his family. You tin mostly beforehand the time astatine your choosing, and Dawnwalker doesn't needfully unit you to marque immoderate time-specific choices. That said, your attack to progression volition precise overmuch power the people of events successful Coen's travel – particularly with which broadside of Coen is taking the lead. Time is fundamentally a assets that you walk with each passing quest and activity, and depending connected what you bash and erstwhile you bash it.

The developers gave america a tally of the preview's main quest from 2 antithetic sides, arsenic some Coen's quality and vampire forms. When playing arsenic the latter, Dawnwalker shifts to a stealth-action playstyle, wherever the protagonist indispensable debar detection from guards and civilians. Coen's vampire abilities are besides unleashed successful this state, allowing players to locomotion connected walls, teleport, and usage humor abilities and vampiric claws to chopped down foes. And yes – you'll besides beryllium capable to drain the humor from humans, foe and non-combative alike, for stealth takedowns oregon outright executions.

I was impressed by however overmuch the enactment and pacing looked similar a premix betwixt The Witcher's expansive scope and the immersive-sim elements of Dishonored erstwhile seeing Coen successful his vampire signifier – you tin genuinely leap crossed rooftops and get the leap connected immoderate foes, which was precise satisfying to see. However, it shows however players volition person to grapple with immoderate motivation choices, arsenic Coen, who needs to provender to support his vampire abilities during the night, indispensable do. While you tin provender connected animals to connection immoderate impermanent relief, the larger payout comes from quality targets.

The vampire signifier looks to contiguous a much nonstop and action-heavy attack to engaging with the quests. However, Coen's quality signifier presents an absorbing opposition by focusing much connected probe and tactical methods. Because Coen tin blend successful with others successful his quality form, determination are acold much opportunities to prosecute with the antithetic characters and uncover pathways for occurrence without the request for bloodshed. It was besides fascinating to spot however the characters respond to knowing that vampires are present successful power of the portion and that beingness is, understandably, acold worse off.

When things popular off, combat shows the stark differences successful Dawnwalker's playstyles. I adopted the tactical-action approach, which feels similar a blend of The Witcher 3's versatile swords and sorcery combat flow, combined with the calculated quality of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's swordplay. It presents an accidental for players to consciousness almighty arsenic Coen, wherever they person to exploit vulnerabilities. In his quality form, Coen relies connected his swordplay, on with gadgets and hex spells, to flooded immoderate enemies. Similar to The Outer Worlds, you tin propulsion up a tactical paper to people an force to execute attacks that tin stun foes oregon present sidesplitting blows.

Combat gets a spot much hectic erstwhile successful Coen's vampire form, which sees him unleash his supernatural blood-based abilities. In summation to his sword, Coen's monolithic claws tin teardrop into force defenses, and helium tin propulsion disconnected combat finishers wherever helium tin laic into foes. However, Dawnwalker inactive presents immoderate challenges with elite foes, specified arsenic the quality Blood Guards who person armor and weapons to basal up to Coen's vampiric abilities, on with immoderate much unsafe monsters and the rival vampires that tin overpower the protagonist if you're not careful.

An absorbing item that the developers highlighted during the presumption was that players could marque a beeline to the superior extremity of the crippled aboriginal connected – deliberation of however players mightiness effort to decision Ganon successful the opening hours of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, the squad stated that it'll beryllium a situation to propulsion off, arsenic the halfway crippled is each astir powering up Coen with caller cogwheel and abilities. Still, I’ll beryllium funny to spot if it'll beryllium imaginable for players to wide the run aboriginal connected successful Coen's journey.

I privation we had much of an accidental to spot what the larger satellite would beryllium like, but truthful far, The Blood of Dawnwalker captures that feeling of navigating 2 antithetic worlds arsenic a half-vampire, which is simply a precise compelling premise for a role-playing game. Compared to The Witcher 3 oregon developer Dontnod's Vampyr, The Blood of Dawnwalker captures that open-ended, freeform quality of classical role-playing games similar Gothic 1 and 2, which is breathtaking to see. Hopefully, the afloat crippled volition beryllium capable to present connected the conception of a vampire RPG with immoderate world-changing stakes.