A brand new RPG from some experienced former CD Projekt Red devs was always going to get my attention – and the attention of countless other fans of The Witcher and Cyberpunk. But following the game’s full reveal, I’m even more invested than I thought I would be. Dawnwalker is a dark, vampire-infested RPG with a “narrative sandbox,” incredible attention to detail, and a 30-day-and-night time limit for you to save your family.
Fully titled The Blood of Dawnwalker, you play as Coen, a young chap who finds himself in a weird, half-way state between human and vampire in 14th century eastern Europe. After contracting silver poisoning, he could survive an event that would transform most into a vampire, but he still harnesses their power and bloodlust – but only after the sun sets. This open-world RPG has a day-night cycle, whereby in the day Coen fights as a human with your traditional affair of Middle Ages weaponry, but at night he has a wealth of vampiric abilities to tap into which can elevate him both in combat and in exploration.
To balance this immense power, Coen must drink blood in order to use his abilities. The same is true for any interactions he has with other characters – if you enter a conversation with anyone while thirsty for the red stuff, you could lose control and devour them. “You may end up eating your best friend” if you’re not careful, warns one Rebel Wolves dev.
The overall goal for Coen is to save his family at a time where his homeland has been taken over by a clique of powerful vampires. These bloodsuckers have overthrown the feudal lords of that age, reside in their castles, and have implemented a new order. They do what they can to protect humans, but only so they can keep them “like cattle” and collect “blood tax” from them. It’s a really interesting spin on the hardships of that era.
Interestingly, there is something of a time limit on each playthrough of Dawnwalker – 30 days, and 30 nights. However, there is not a linear main quest for you to embark on. Instead, the world is scattered with quests that all have various outcomes that could see you take a step closer to overthrowing the vampire regime (led by a gnarly guy named Brencis) and saving your family. However, each quest you complete advances time. By not being a real-time experience, Rebel Wolves says you still have the freedom to explore and just drink in the beautiful open world, but it does mean that you have to manage and plan which quests you embark on.
There will also be characters and groups in the game that you can align with that can help you get further towards your end goal.
As far as gameplay footage goes, today’s reveal only shows a few flashes, but it does confirm that like The Witcher 3 (and unlike CDPR’s most recent game, Cyberpunk 2077) it will be a third-person RPG. We see a very quick panoramic shot of a dark city with Coen clinging to a spire, then sliding down the face of a building using claws to slow his descent. This might suggest that some advanced climbing or parkour systems will be in Dawnwalker. We also see what looks to be the start of a boss fight against a giant mechanical enemy with wings.
A full gameplay reveal for Blood of the Dawnwalker is slated for Summer 2025, but unfortunately there’s no release date or window to speak of just yet. Interestingly, Rebel Wolves already appears to be setting its sights on sequels, describing it as the “first chapter in a new role-playing saga,” which is certainly shows it’s got some confidence in what it’s building.
I can’t lie, with the promise of lots of narrative freedom, the day-night cycle and 30-day time cap, and the general aesthetics of this RPG, Dawnwalker has just dashed right up to the top end of my most anticipated new PC games list. I’m sure I’m not alone in that, so maybe the devs have every right to feel that confident.
Until we get to see and hear more about it, be sure to check out some of the best open-world games and best vampire games around.
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