While CD Projekt Red crafts the next Witcher adventure, Wild Hunt director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has a toothy new project. The Blood of Dawnwalker is a vampire ARPG being developed by Rebel Wolves, the studio Tomaszkiewicz co-founded. Combining the expertise of former Witcher 3 devs with vampire lore and Rebel Wolves’s creative vision? It’s an enticing premise. Even more enticing? The new cinematic trailer and gameplay teaser for The Blood of Dawnwalker. Forget the blood magic and spooky knights. You had me at “14th-century plague,” Rebel Wolves. Here’s why this vamp game might be worth sinking your teeth into upon release.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Leaves Geralt Behind
The trailer features a man carrying his sister as they flee from armored riders. It’s night, and their burning village glows against the blacks and blues of the Carpathian forest. What follows is a bloody confrontation between humans and vampires, the latter wielding an array of gory supernatural powers. Though it reveals little of the game’s story, the cinematic trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker sets the tone. It seems as brutal here as Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and Vampyr ever were. How much will the gameplay set itself apart from its toothy predecessors is yet to be seen.
Every new game is a gamble on quality, but this early look at Dawnwalker is promising. It’s a single-player, open-world ARPG, and the in-engine footage looks good so far. From the medieval vistas and grotesque enemies to the aura of lethal mystery, it’s got stepping-into-Limgrave vibes. How well the game can distinguish itself from Geralt’s journey and the plethora of vampire games remains to be seen. That said, betting on former Witcher devs feels like easy money. We’ll know more when The Blood of Dawnwalker creeps forth from the shadows into our PS5, Xbox X/S, and Steam libraries.