REVIEW | The Blood of Dawnwalker

The Blood of Dawnwalker is the debut game from Rebel Wolves, a Polish studio founded by developers with some seriously impressive RPG experience behind them. At the centre of the studio is Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who previously served as director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, alongside a team that includes several veterans who worked on The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. Rather than starting small with a straightforward first project, Rebel Wolves has gone straight for an ambitious open-world RPG, building its own dark fantasy world and laying the foundations for what it describes as a new saga. The Blood of Dawnwalker is set in the 14th century and puts players in the role of Coen, a young man who becomes a Dawnwalker, giving him the ability to live as a human during the day and embrace his vampiric nature at night.

As someone who really enjoys content around vampires, The Blood of Dawnwalker was something I was extremely excited for. So how have Bandai Namco and Rebel Wolves done in delivering their first major project together? Read on to find out more.

Things I liked!

• Utterly Gorgeous | The Blood of Dawnwalker is an absolutely stunning game, and Vale Sangora is easily one of the most impressive open worlds I have explored this year. The combination of medieval architecture, dense forests, misty valleys, and beautifully lit villages gives almost every area its own character, while the transition between day and night can completely change how the same location feels.
  
  There is a real attention to detail here too, from the smaller settlements and interiors to the creatures and people that inhabit them. It is the sort of game where I regularly found myself stopping simply to take in the view, because there is always something striking happening in the distance or hidden around the next corner.

• A Fully Realised Open World | Vale Sangora feels like a world rather than a collection of areas connected together for the sake of having an open map. Villages have their own characters and problems, different factions are constantly pursuing their own interests, and the world can continue moving forward even when you choose to ignore something. I particularly enjoyed how much there was to discover away from the main objectives, because exploring rarely felt like I was simply ticking another icon off a map.
  
  The open world also works brilliantly alongside the game’s time system, because there is a genuine feeling that I cannot possibly see everything during one playthrough, which makes every decision about where to go next feel meaningful.
  
  
• Human by Day, Vampire by Night | This is easily the most interesting aspect of The Blood of Dawnwalker, because Coen’s transformation is much more than a visual change. During the day I could approach situations as a human, relying on my sword, magic, and more conventional methods, while night completely changed what I was capable of doing. The vampire abilities open up new ways of fighting, exploring, and reaching places that would otherwise be inaccessible, and even the way Coen interacts with the world feels different.
  
  It creates a fantastic rhythm where I was constantly thinking about whether I should tackle something now or wait until nightfall and make use of what my vampire side could offer. Since the vampiric abilities only become available at night, once again the time system comes into play and you must be extremely careful about wasting hours. At one point in the game, I had built up twelve upgrade points that I needed to spend, which consumed an entire twelve hours of my day, essentially meaning I had lost a day. Some may find that annoying, but I love how all the mechanics work together.
  
  
• Go at it Your Way | One of the things I appreciated most about Dawnwalker is how rarely it tells you there is one correct way to approach a problem. Dawnwalker gives you objectives, but how you reach them can depend on the abilities you have unlocked, the relationships you have built, and whether you choose to approach something as a human or vampire. I often found myself changing my plans halfway through a quest after discovering another way of dealing with a situation. It gives the whole experience a sense of freedom that many open-world RPGs promise but struggle to actually deliver.
  
  At one point I stumbled across a cathedral inside a small village at night, and inside was one of the court of vampires. Now, up until this point, I had to lure them out by killing their faction members and destroying their projects throughout the world until I was noticed. But I quickly realised that The Blood of Dawnwalker is actually a fully living world at all times, and so you can easily just work your way through to the final boss quickly.
  
  
• Combat | The combat took me a little while to properly appreciate, but once I got comfortable with its directional attacks and blocks, I found there was a satisfying rhythm to it. Fighting as a human feels deliberately grounded, with stamina management, blocking, parrying, and positioning all playing an important role, while becoming a vampire completely changes the way encounters can be approached.
  
  I particularly enjoyed learning when to stop playing defensively and take advantage of Coen’s supernatural abilities, because the vampire side can feel incredibly powerful when used properly. There are some rough edges, particularly when fighting in tight spaces, but overall the combat becomes considerably more enjoyable once the systems start to click.
  
  
• The Story | The Blood of Dawnwalker’s story is strongest when it focuses on Coen and the people around him rather than simply throwing another supernatural threat at the player. The situation surrounding his family gives the entire adventure a sense of urgency, while the relationships and choices I made along the way made the journey feel much more personal. I also really liked how the game allows smaller decisions to feed back into the wider narrative, rather than treating side quests as completely separate stories that disappear once they are finished.
  
  It is clear that Rebel Wolves wanted the player to feel like they were shaping Coen’s story rather than simply watching it unfold, and for the most part, I think they succeeded.
  
  
• Upgrades and Abilities | The progression system does a good job of making Coen feel noticeably more capable without simply turning him into an unstoppable killing machine. There are separate abilities and improvements that complement both sides of his character, meaning that investing in one particular playstyle can genuinely change how I approached the game. There are three main upgrade paths: Witchcraft, Swordsmanship, and Vampire. Each one comes with its own set of abilities, with Witchcraft only allowed to be used during the day. Swordsmanship can be used in conjunction with it, and Swordsmanship can also be used with vampire abilities.
  
  What makes progression particularly interesting is that some upgrades consume valuable time, so becoming stronger is itself a decision that has consequences. I found myself occasionally sitting on skill points because I was weighing up whether becoming more powerful was worth sacrificing precious time elsewhere, which is a surprisingly effective way of making progression feel meaningful.
  
  
• Music & SFX | The audio design in The Blood of Dawnwalker remains one of its strongest elements, helping bring the loneliness of Coen’s journey to life with incredible atmosphere. The bards found in villages sing songs, making long journeys across the land feel worthwhile every time you meet one. From the sound of the waves of passing waterfalls, animals, and passersby, and villagers going about their days talking, everything feels alive and makes the game immersive. Combined with the game’s excellent voice performances and powerful musical score, The Blood of Dawnwalker proves that its audio design is one of its greatest strengths.
  
  
• The Time System | The thirty-day time limit sounds terrifying on paper, but I actually think it is one of Dawnwalker’s smartest systems because the game does not simply make time tick away while you wander around. Instead, meaningful actions such as quests and certain decisions advance the clock, effectively turning time into another resource that I had to manage. That meant every major decision came with a genuine question attached to it: is this worth spending part of my limited time on?
  
  It also means I could explore the world without constantly panicking about an invisible clock, while still feeling the pressure whenever I committed to an important activity. Taking your time to familiarise yourself with surroundings, villages, and landmarks was a great way to plan attacks on certain strongholds, and I was pleased to know that this element didn’t affect my in-game timer.
  
  
• Traversal | Getting around Vale Sangora is generally easy. There are no mounts like horses, but a rather unique ability for both human and vampiric form. As a human, you can use your witchcraft to cast haste and run at lightning speed throughout the kingdom. As a vampire, you can turn into a wolf and roam around fast. Once Coen’s supernatural abilities have been acquired, it is as simple as pressing the sprint button twice, opening up the world and allowing you to cover more ground.
  
  The vampire abilities also allow him to reach places that simply would not be possible as a normal human, and there is something incredibly satisfying about climbing and moving across surfaces that would normally act as barriers. Being able to teleport from one location to another was extremely useful, as was climbing walls, and sliding down them. I also appreciated that exploration is not just about following roads from one objective to another, because looking up or spotting an unusual route can reveal an entirely different way through an area.
  
  
• That Twist Ending | I obviously don’t want to spoil the specifics here, but the ending caught me off guard in a way I genuinely appreciated. What makes it work is that the game has spent so much time making your choices feel important that when the final revelations start landing, I was already questioning whether I had actually understood where the story was going. The conclusion reflects the path you have taken rather than simply giving everyone the exact same journey. I do think some players will have mixed feelings about where the story ultimately goes, but personally, I found the ending memorable enough that it stayed in my head after I finished playing.
  
  But the real twist was seeing Coen in a leather jacket with jeans… and trainers…

Mixed & disliked!

• No New Game Plus | One of the biggest omissions for me is the lack of a New Game Plus mode. With so many different choices, abilities, and approaches available, I would have loved the opportunity to carry my character into another playthrough and see how differently things could unfold. The game practically invites a second playthrough, particularly once you realise just how much you can miss during your first journey.
  
  Hopefully this is something Rebel Wolves considers adding in the future, because it would give the already impressive replay value an even bigger boost.

• Doesn’t Let You Carry On After the Credits Roll | I was also disappointed that there is no opportunity to continue exploring the world once the credits have rolled. Given the size of Vale Sangora and the amount of content scattered around it, being able to return to the world after completing the main story would have been a welcome addition.
  
  There were still things I wanted to see and places I wanted to explore when I reached the end, so having the game simply stop there felt a little anticlimactic. It is not a deal-breaker by any means, but an endgame free-roam option would have been a nice touch. This is also why I would have appreciated a New Game Plus mode.
  
  
• Can Be Quite Short If You Aren’t Careful | While there is a huge amount to discover in The Blood of Dawnwalker, the main story can actually be surprisingly short if you focus solely on your immediate objectives. Some of the major vampire targets can be encountered and dealt with out in the world without following lengthy quest chains, with Brencis being the notable exception where the story requires you to wait and progress further.
  
  If you simply follow the main path and head towards Brencis with Crake, it is possible to reach the ending in roughly fifteen to eighteen hours, potentially even less depending on how efficiently you play. That is not necessarily a criticism of the game itself, but it does mean players who rush through the main story could miss a tremendous amount of what makes Dawnwalker special.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 30 hours
How long to beat the story? 20 hours
How long to Complete the game 100%? 60 hours +
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 15
You'll love this game if you like these: Assassin's Creed Mirage, Vampire The Masquerades Bloodlines

Score: 90/100

The Blood of Dawnwalker is a gorgeous, ambitious RPG that gives you an incredible world to explore, meaningful choices to make and a fantastic vampire fantasy that feels genuinely different from anything else out there. While the lack of New Game Plus, no post-game free roam and the possibility of rushing through the story hold it back slightly, this is still an exceptional RPG and one of the biggest surprises of the year.

Aaron

Gaming is in my blood.  Be it handheld games, Xbox, PC, Switch or Playstation, I am all over it.
I make my own games as part of my profession and love playing co op games with friends in my spare time. Avid dog lover and camper van enthusiast.