Rebel Wolves may be a new studio, but it's made up of industry veterans with plenty of combined experience having worked on titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3. The developer is hoping to put this experience to good use with its upcoming maiden title, The Blood of Dawnwalker, a brand-new action RPG centered around a human-vampire hybrid protagnist named Coen and the world of Vale Sangora.
The Best War Games spoke with The Blood of Dawnwalker's narrative director Jakub Szamalek to discuss the game's unique take on vampire mythology. He talked about how vampires feel underexplored within the video game medium, and how the game puts a twist on traditional vampire mythology. He also mentioned how Dawnwalker's side quests add substance to the game's overall story.
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Witcher 4 has been officially revealed, but in gap between now and its eventual release, fans might want to keep an eye on The Blood of Dawnwalker.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Offers a Fresh Take on Vampires
Over the years, vampires have proven to be a popular entertainment topic, appearing in numerous high-profile movies like Interview With the Vampire and The Twilight Saga, as well as TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood. Video games have also experimented with using vampires, albeit less frequently, with titles like Vampyr and, more recently, Redfall, featuring the undead bloodsuckers as their central focal point. Szamalek explained that Rebel Wolves wanted to put its own spin on vampire mythology:
''We felt vampires are underexplored, and that’s a shame, because, well - aren’t vampires cool? However, we’re also aware that vampires are heavily explored in other media, that we’re running a risk of being derivative, boring. So we paid a lot of effort and attention to creating our own, unique vampire lore, deeply rooted in real world mythologies. I don’t want to spoil too much, but our vampires’ origins and destiny is wildly different from what you’ve seen in other vampire stories.''
The Blood of Dawnwalker's Story is Integral to the Experience
The open-world RPG is yet to reveal how its combat and core mechanics are integrated, but one thing has been made clear: The Blood of Dawnwalker will be a narrative-driven experience. Rebel Wolves has indicated that every quest—whether main or side—will be tied in some way to the game's story. This means that even those who don't usually engage in side content may find themselves doing exactly that so they can experience everything the story offers. Szamalek continued:
''The guiding principle of our development process is that everything we do should serve the purpose of telling the story, enriching the narrative, and immersing gamers further into the game's world. We're not filling our open world with the contents, be it quests, points of interest, or minor activities, that are not tied to the story of either Coen's quest to save his family, the roots of the unseen world where the vampires and other creatures of the night came from, or the history of Vale Sangora itself.''
Rebel Wolves has teased that more details about The Blood of Dawnwalker, including its combat mechanics, will be revealed later this year. 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for gaming, with plenty of returning IPs like Metal Gear Solid and Grand Theft Auto, so there's plenty for gamers to look forward to. No doubt fans of narrative-driven RPGs will be keeping an eye out for more news on The Blood of Dawnwalker over the coming months.
- Developer(s)
- Rebel Wolves
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
