Summary
- Rebel Wolves, founded by former CD Projekt Red developers, unveiled their debut game, The Blood of Dawnwalker, with a cinematic reveal trailer.
- The Blood of Dawnwalker is an open-world RPG set in a dark fantasy world, echoing the style of The Witcher with morally gray choices and an outcast protagonist.
- The game introduces Persona-like time management, adding a unique twist to its narrative-driven gameplay.
The Blood of Dawnwalker made its much-anticipated debut with a reveal trailer that showcased a blend of pre-rendered scenes and brief gameplay snippets. This promotional video highlighted the game's strong similarities to The Witcher, while also introducing elements reminiscent of Persona.
Developed by Rebel Wolves, a Polish studio established by former CD Projekt Red developers who contributed to The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077, The Blood of Dawnwalker was first announced as Dawnwalker in January 2024. It was described as a narrative-driven open-world RPG set in a dark fantasy world, emphasizing meaningful choices.
On January 13, nearly a year after its initial announcement, Rebel Wolves and publisher Bandai Namco hosted a reveal stream for The Blood of Dawnwalker. The event culminated in a cinematic trailer over four and a half minutes long, which detailed the game's setting and introduced the Dawnwalkers—powerful vampire-like beings in the game's lore. The trailer also introduced the protagonist, Coen, who begins his journey as a Dawnwalker.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Reveal Trailer Echoes The Witcher
With its dark fantasy backdrop, monstrous creatures, and an open-world RPG structure that hinges on morally gray choices, The Blood of Dawnwalker strongly evokes The Witcher. The game's tagline, "the world needs what it fears," further underscores these similarities. Fans of The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion, with its vampires and tough choices, will likely find The Blood of Dawnwalker intriguing. The game includes a morality system, allowing Coen to choose between embracing his Dawnwalker nature to save his family or holding onto his humanity.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Incorporates Persona-like Time Management
While The Blood of Dawnwalker shares surface-level similarities with The Witcher, it also introduces innovative gameplay mechanics inspired by Persona. The game features a time management system where every quest consumes time. As explained by Rebel Wolves co-founder and game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, "There are multiple approaches to saving Coen’s family with no clear division between main and side quests; you decide on how you spend the time." This design means players won't be able to complete every quest and story arc in a single playthrough, promoting replayability and ensuring each playthrough feels unique. Rebel Wolves describes this as a "narrative sandbox."
The Blood of Dawnwalker is currently in development for PC and current-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Envisioned as the first installment in a trilogy, it will be published by Bandai Namco. Although a specific release date or launch window hasn't been set, given its start in 2022 and its triple-A budget, a release before 2027 seems unlikely. Rebel Wolves plans to share more gameplay details in a reveal scheduled for summer 2025.
