The upcoming title, The Blood of Dawnwalker, is demonstrating that Unreal Engine 5 can be implemented without the prevalent technical issues that have plagued other recent releases. This is a notable achievement, given that games like Star Wars Zero Company and Halo: Campaign Evolved have struggled with crashing and stuttering, while The Blood of Dawnwalker has remained remarkably stable during testing.
Playing on a high-end PC featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, 32GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the game still presented a challenge, though it maintained a consistent 70-80 fps at 4K with the Ultra preset and DLSS set to Quality. While the frame rate could be higher, the absence of the frequent stuttering that hampers other Unreal Engine 5 titles, such as Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 remakes, is a significant improvement. These issues have previously led to players abandoning titles, even those with compelling gameplay.
The Blood of Dawnwalker also demonstrates competent performance on less powerful hardware. On a Steam Machine connected to a TV, even with significantly reduced settings to achieve 55-60 fps at 1440p on medium graphics, the game remained free of the typical Unreal Engine 5 stuttering and crashes that can occur on weaker CPUs and limited memory.
Console performance has also been praised. On both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the game reportedly runs smoothly. While visual fidelity is scaled back on these platforms, the gameplay feels responsive. The game is estimated to run at around 60 fps on the PS5 Pro using its Performance profile and approximately 40-50 fps on the Xbox Series X with its Balanced profile.
Despite its smooth performance on consoles, The Blood of Dawnwalker is recommended for PC play for those with capable systems. The PC version offers superior visual detail and foliage density compared to its console counterparts. This is especially true for a game that could have been expected to exhibit some jankiness, similar to other niche RPGs that prioritize depth over technical polish, like the Gothic Remake. The Blood of Dawnwalker's ability to avoid these issues while utilizing Unreal Engine 5 marks it as a standout example of competent engine implementation.