The Blood of Dawnwalker, Rebel Wolves' debut title, presents a vast open world filled with ambition and engaging ideas, though not all of them fully materialize. The game's standout features are its intricate writing and fascinating, often tragic, narratives, which elevate the experience even when its systems don't always perfectly align. Set in a secluded valley under the dominion of vampires who demand blood and subservience from the human populace, the action-RPG focuses on Coen, a human whose family is taken by the vampire sovereign Brencis. With Brencis set to host a feast in 30 in-game days, Coen has a ticking clock to prepare, gather allies, and storm the castle to liberate the captured humans.
Time management is central to Dawnwalker's gameplay, as the clock advances with quest and activity completion. This structure forces players to constantly weigh choices, as delaying certain tasks can lead to quest failure or altered circumstances. The game deftly imbues every action with a sense of weight and importance, encouraging players to consider the consequences of their decisions, whether it's helping a minor character or opting for a merciful but time-consuming path. This time-sensitive design is intricately tied to Coen's dual nature: he transforms into a vampire at night but reverts to a human under the sun. As a human, Coen can interact with settlements and engage in direct combat with a sword, while as a vampire, he is more formidable in fights but often more conspicuous, with enemies tending to attack on sight. This duality impacts how and when players can approach challenges, as certain areas may be accessible only during specific times of day, and some events are exclusive to either human or vampire forms.
The progression system in The Blood of Dawnwalker also leverages its time constraints. While Coen gains passive stat boosts through experience points from quests and combat, unlocking new abilities requires additional effort and time. Human Coen's skills are unlocked by finding and reading books, while vampire abilities are gained through consuming blood. Both require perk points earned from leveling and, critically, time. This creates a constant trade-off: power up Coen at the risk of delaying or failing quests. The skill trees themselves, offering numerous upgrades across human and vampire abilities, can lead to choice paralysis. The need to unlock additional ability slots by spending perk points and time further incentivizes players to focus on a limited set of skills, potentially leaving many options underdeveloped or unused. For instance, the source notes that witchcraft abilities, requiring health expenditure and less accessible books, were often neglected in favor of more practical sword skills.
Combat in Dawnwalker is generally well-executed, emphasizing directional attacks and defensive maneuvers. Coen's swings are directional, intended to break enemy guards, though this aspect is less impactful than the defensive system. Parrying incoming blows by mirroring an opponent's swing and timing a block at the right moment allows for counterattacks. This system utilizes a stamina meter for attacks and dodges, but directional blocking does not consume stamina and can even initiate health recovery, making skillful blocking crucial to maintaining combat momentum. Facing multiple enemies requires careful attention to peripheral threats, creating a dynamic and engaging combat rhythm akin to a duel. Trading blows builds up "activation points" that can be spent on special abilities, keeping even prolonged encounters with groups of soldiers exciting.
However, the game's combat can become repetitive due to the sheer volume of encounters, and the functional similarity between human and vampire combat, despite their intended differences. While the vampire form offers more potent survivability through perks like health regeneration and blood-sucking abilities, making Coen nearly unkillable, the human form relies on limited healing items and crafted medicines. This disparity often incentivizes players to favor the vampire's safer and more powerful abilities. The game does offer a granular difficulty system, allowing players to adjust combat and RPG elements separately, which can help maintain a balanced experience and prevent frustration.
What truly holds The Blood of Dawnwalker together are its numerous, well-written quests. These range from disrupting the operations of Brencis's lieutenants to smaller, character-driven stories, many of which weave into the main narrative. The game provides significant freedom in pursuing objectives, and the consequences of actions often ripple through the world, creating a sense of agency and narrative weight. The writing and voice acting are consistently strong, making even mundane tasks engaging. A particularly interesting mechanic is the "Give in to the hunger" option, which appears when Coen's health is low. While this feature can lead to unintended consequences like killing NPCs and closing off questlines, the game includes numerous guard rails, such as opportunities to feed on animals or passive healing, that can make it difficult to experience the full impact of this mechanic. It's a shame, as being forced to manage Coen's hunger and its potential danger to others could have added significant dramatic tension.
Technically, The Blood of Dawnwalker exhibits some issues, including texture pop-in, animation hitches, and occasional platforming or hit-box finickiness. While these problems are generally minor and fixable through patches, players are advised to save frequently. Despite these shortcomings and the fact that not every ambitious idea lands perfectly, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a deeply interesting and ambitious debut. Its excellent writing, intricate world-building, and deliberate systems offer a vast amount to explore and enjoy, making it a RPG that is easy to get lost in and worth savoring.