Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, co-director on The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, is at the helm of The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new RPG from Rebel Wolves. An early hands-on preview of the game's opening hours showcases a narrative that grapples with family, survival, and the corrupting nature of vampirism.
The preview begins with protagonist Coen and his family sharing a peaceful meal, a scene quickly shattered when his sister, Kunka, is revealed to be a vampire. The situation escalates as Coen is subsequently turned and forced to witness his family's demise, though this is later revealed to be a dream.
Despite the return to a fragile peace, vampires remain a dominant threat in the game's world. Coen's immediate concern is his mother's illness, a drive that pushes him to seek medicine from a character named Anca. The game world opens for exploration, but player actions are constrained by an ever-present timer that begins as soon as a quest is initiated.
Player choices are presented early on, such as assisting siblings with fishing or deciding the fate of a runaway pig. A quest to rescue a brother from a cave involves combat described as fast-paced and comparable to Ubisoft's For Honor, emphasizing directional blocking and parrying, with an option to grab opponents to break their guard.
A critical choice involving the administration of medicine to Coen's mother leads to a tragic outcome: his mother is killed by ruling vampires. This event sparks a revolt, but the vampires preemptively strike, leading to the massacre of townspeople in a silver mine and Coen's forced transformation into a vampire.
As a newly turned vampire, Coen experiences a deep hunger that must be managed, with the risk of succumbing to it and attacking allies. After a tutorial on vampiric abilities, Coen confronts his sire but is defeated and left for dead. He awakens in Anca's house, stripped of his powers, only to learn she is a witch who can teach him magic and communication with the dead. Anca also reveals Coen's family is alive but has only 30 days left, setting Coen on a path of rebellion against the vampiric empire.
Even after three hours of gameplay, the preview suggests significant content was still missed, hinting at the potential for vastly different story outcomes based on player decisions at the game's full release on September 3, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.