The Blood of Dawnwalker

Following the release of Cyberpunk 2077 in the winter of 2020, all eyes were on CD Projekt RED, and in particular on the unique circumstances that led to what was perhaps one of the most controversial launches in gaming history. An internal investigation led to one of the studio's absolute creative "powerhouses", Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, leaving the studio; shortly afterwards, he founded his own studio, Rebel Wolves, which today is a studio "born out of a love for RPGs" and is located just a few hours' drive from CD Projekt RED's headquarters in Kraków.

I begin this way because it's incredibly easy to pick up the controller and decide, relatively quickly, that The Blood of Dawnwalker resembles The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in a number of quite significant ways. Admittedly, the setting is different, as is the game's setup, but most crucially, the basis for comparison sometimes seems flattering, and at times, a little more than that.

At the same time, however, The Blood of Dawnwalker is one of the most interesting experiments in terms of breaking with the structure and composition of the typical open world, and the way we understand both the game's design, storytelling, and our relationship to our own actions within a game. In that sense, there's an incredibly exciting duality here; a game that, on the one hand, leans a little too heavily on what has come before, whilst at the same time introducing groundbreaking new solutions to well-worn challenges.

But above all, The Blood of Dawnwalker is one of the absolute best games of the year, regardless of its contextual setting. Yes, this game is everything you've hoped for, and more.

The game is set in a fictional valley, Sangora, located in the Carpathian Mountains of the 1400s. In addition to all the other pressing, life-threatening issues life in the mountains at this time presents, a number of vampires have moved in, deposed the nobility, and introduced new laws and frameworks which, whilst turning the traditional power structure on its head, simultaneously exact new sacrifices from an already starving and oppressed people. To begin with, the overlord vampire, the ruling "knyaz" Brencis, kidnaps your family and issues a decree stating they, and others, will be executed in 30 days' time to mark his coronation. You, Coen, a "Dawnwalker", have only this limited timeframe to stop him, by stirring up a rebellion, preparing yourself and your equipment, and finding your allies. The clock is ticking, and Brencis awaits.

Here, naturally, we come face to face with one of The Blood of Dawnwalker's most innovative concepts: the game's relationship with its own content, and with time. You have 30 days, and virtually every meaningful action takes time to carry out. Do you want to disrupt one of Brencis' vassals' operations? It might cost three units of time, of which there are 10 during the day and 10 at night. It takes time to allocate skill points in your skill tree; both main and side quests will continually demand blocks of time, which count down towards your family's imminent death - a death which, incidentally, isn't a "game over" of sorts; the game will continue even if you aren't ready.

How you spend your time is, in a sense, up to you. You could take a cursory look at the game's map and conclude it looks and is structured like a sort of "vampire Far Cry 5"; a secluded valley with a looming villain who has divided his realm into separate areas ruled by a vassal, but it's so much more than that. It's a sort of narrative and structural smorgasbord, where every action takes on renewed meaning and purpose by contributing to your readiness in many different ways, but also "costs" you something. It's a brilliant concept implemented fairly seamlessly. The content is relatively varied. Each of the three vassals has operations you can disrupt, leading to a confrontation with each one. There are legendary silver swords to find, armour to craft, allies to seek out and recruit, and random side quests, too. Most will build towards something more, spiralling out into specific trails that guide Coen towards crucial plot devices. It may seem formulaic if you only look at the surface, but seen in context, as a sequence, it creates a rather gripping, multi-layered tale of rebellion.

It's in the closer detail that the The Witcher comparisons are undeniably direct. Coen is not Geralt, but many of the gameplay elements make it feel as though the two characters are mechanically related. Coen walks like Geralt, dialogue with other characters can sound like Geralt, and his Focus Mode - which highlights items of interest - bears a striking resemblance to the Witcher Senses. Whether this is flattering will depend on one's own perspective, but it's certainly evident.

The Blood of Dawnwalker is underpinned by a range of RPG systems that don't go into great depth, but which support the core mechanics. There is rudimentary crafting, there are item tiers (in the typical World of Warcraft colour-coded system), and there are shops, and while none of these aspects stand out or distract, one might well have wished for a few more meaningful diversions, such as more extensive puzzles woven into the game's level design, or even a small mini-game in the style of Gwent - an aspect they could well also have borrowed from The Witcher.

No, the primary way in which The Blood of Dawnwalker communicates with the player is through combat, and fortunately, Rebel Wolves has constructed an extremely well-functioning system here that carries the game from start to finish. It's a variant of directional combat similar to what you experienced (and barely accepted) in the Kingdom Come series, but here there are a few more UI elements to help with the actual signalling, and there are more animations and improved sound effects to ensure you both learn to master the flow and feel like a badass at the same time. The idea is that you parry from the direction enemies are attacking from, and likewise direct your own attacks in specific directions. Add to that a whole host of skills that cause bleed, stun, and the like, and combined with some absolutely brilliant executions, fantastic force feedback in the controller and a Batman Arkham-inspired flow, it's exactly as Tomaszkiewicz previously described it: a "dance". It looks brilliant, it feels brilliant, and a range of difficulty levels ensures it can be as challenging as you want it to be. There could well have been several different types of weapons, but even with just a sword, it never gets boring.

Coen is a "Dawnwalker", which means he is a vampire who returns to his human form during the day. This means you can split your focus, your skill points and your narrative approach between two distinct paths. If you drink blood, your corruption level rises, allowing you to invest more in Vampiric abilities, but you can also choose to abstain and take a different path. This approach also influences the story. If Coen has taken damage during the night and is therefore desperate for blood, he may, without warning, lunge foaming at the mouth at one of the game's central characters should they be nearby; but can you really afford to completely ignore your vampire side when there are undeniably times during the night when these abilities would be useful? It's an interesting dynamic, because the player is forced into situations where narrative and mechanics blend together quite seamlessly, and where there's more at stake in individual combat situations, too. If you actually lose too much health in a combat scenario whilst with a character you care about, you know right then and there that it'll be hard to keep your hunger at bay during the dialogue that follows.

What's more, The Blood of Dawnwalker is quite a sight to behold, for the most part. Admittedly, the game can appear a bit brown, given its geographical setting, but even in the 40fps mode on the PS5 Pro, where I've been playing the game (it's also available in 60fps in time for launch), most of the vistas, duels, and set pieces are rendered well enough to foster a sense of immersion. Yes, there are several technical glitches, perhaps due to the use of the Unreal Engine, but in this case it's a relatively small price to pay for the innovation the game actually offers, despite the occasional jerky facial animation or an NPC striking a "T-pose" here and there. Having said that - and I feel compelled to say this more and more often - I can't comment on the game's performance on PC. If you end up with a hot potato on your hands, I apologise in advance: that isn't the version I've played. On the PS5, the game's 1.0 state is acceptable, and doesn't detract from the bigger picture.

When Konrad Tomaszkiewicz finally unveiled his game following his departure from CD Projekt RED, many dubbed it "The Vampire Witcher", and here in 2026, on the eve of its actual launch, that's not exactly wrong. The game goes a step beyond merely being a homage, and perhaps borrows a few too many gameplay elements from the legendary The Witcher 3, but it's hard not to be quite considerably impressed by what Rebel Wolves has achieved here. The Blood of Dawnwalker offers innovative solutions to well-established design challenges that far larger, more experienced studios have been unable to resolve, and it does so with flair, character, and enthusiasm.