Summary
- Former CDPR devs at Rebel Wolves unveiled their debut game, The Blood of Dawnwalker, with a cinematic reveal trailer.
- The Blood of Dawnwalker echoes The Witcher with its open-world RPG format, dark fantasy setting, morally gray choices, and an outcast protagonist.
- The game introduces Persona-like time management elements.
The Blood of Dawnwalker has finally emerged from the shadows with its much-anticipated reveal trailer, showcasing a blend of pre-rendered scenes and tantalizing snippets of gameplay. This trailer not only confirms the game's thematic kinship with The Witcher but also introduces intriguing Persona-inspired mechanics.
Developed by Rebel Wolves, a Polish studio founded 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, exactly a year after its initial announcement, Rebel Wolves and publisher Bandai Namco hosted a reveal stream, culminating in a cinematic trailer over four and a half minutes long. This trailer not only sets the stage for the game's dark fantasy world but also introduces the Dawnwalkers—supercharged vampires in the game's lore—and the protagonist, Coen, who becomes a Dawnwalker at the game's outset.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Reveal Trailer Is Reminiscent of The Witcher
With its dark fantasy backdrop, monstrous creatures, and an open-world RPG framework featuring morally gray choices, The Blood of Dawnwalker naturally evokes The Witcher. The tagline "the world needs what it fears" further cements this connection. Fans of The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion, with its vampires and tough decisions, will find The Blood of Dawnwalker's premise particularly compelling. The game's morality system allows Coen to either embrace his Dawnwalker nature to save his family or hold onto his humanity, adding depth to the player's choices.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Also Takes a Page From Persona's Book
While The Blood of Dawnwalker shares surface similarities with The Witcher, it also introduces innovative twists to the open-world RPG genre. A standout feature is the Persona-like time management system, where every quest consumes time. "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," explained Rebel Wolves co-founder and game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. This design choice, which Rebel Wolves calls a "narrative sandbox," means players won't be able to complete every quest and story arc in one playthrough, encouraging replayability and unique experiences with each run.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is currently in development for PC and next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Envisioned as the first installment in a trilogy and published by Bandai Namco, the game does not yet have a confirmed release date or window. Given its start in 2022 and triple-A budget, a market launch before 2027 seems unlikely. However, Rebel Wolves has promised a gameplay reveal in the summer of 2025.
