Rebel Wolves’ upcoming RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker is a moody, ambitious blend of historical fiction and dark fantasy that’s been in development since the studio’s founding. Set in the plague-stricken Carpathians of 14th-century Europe, The Blood of Dawnwalker puts its story first while still offering a sprawling open world and RPG systems that feel both familiar and surprisingly unique. After watching a lengthy hands-off demo, it’s evident that Rebel Wolves is building something that thrives on contrasts: human and vampire, history and myth, freedom and consequence.
Medieval Plague Meets Gothic Horror
The demo began with a cinematic introduction deep in the Carpathian forests at night. A group of vampires effortlessly cut down a medieval hunting party, setting a bleak tone. Coen, the protagonist, tries to protect his sister in a confrontation that sets up the game’s antagonist, Brencis. Overall, the introduction makes a strong statement that shows it’s a personal, character-driven story grounded in the Black Plague era.
Svartrau, the capital city of the region and the largest human settlement, serves as a major hub. Its architecture and clothing styles lean toward historical accuracy, but Rebel Wolves bends them just enough to let vampires, saints, and curses feel at home. The plague hangs over everything, and the presence of vampire overlords as humans are compelled to participate in a ritual called Blood Mass to cure them of all ailments.
One Character, Two Lives
The biggest hook is the dual-protagonist concept, except that both sides are the same person. Coen is a human by day and a vampire by night, and the world reacts differently depending on which form you’re in. By day, Coen uses more grounded skills, engages in dialogue, and can even raise the dead via necromantic hexes to gather information. At night, his powers shift toward supernatural traversal and predatory combat, including wall- and ceiling-walking, shadow stepping, and blood draining.
Quests play out very differently depending on the time of day. The cathedral mission shown in the demo had a stealthy, high-tension approach at night, avoiding an old vampire matriarch and her guards while investigating a ceiling mural, whereas the day version involved witnessing a baptism, bribing a resident for information, and uncovering a hidden plague ward.
Combat, Choice, and Consequence
Combat is described as adaptive; you can play it like a snappy action RPG with quick attacks or play it more tactically with stamina-based directional blocking. Each form (human and vampire) has its own skill tree, perks, and abilities, with some crossover between them. Vampire powers favor mobility and offense, while human abilities lean toward tactics, magic, and crowd control.
The demo ended with a boss encounter against Mihai, a patron saint of the cathedral and a Dawnwalker. In daylight, he’s human. At night, he’s a vampire. The fight’s tone and mechanics shift depending on when you face him, and it’s here that the game’s lore deepened: Dawnwalkers are cursed beings trapped in endless cycles of life and death, tied to a broader plot involving ancient figures like Saint Tobias and the Augurs.
Time Is Your Most Precious Resource
A 30-day in-game clock governs the main quest, and certain actions, such as dialogue choices, investigations, and travel, advance time. Hourglass icons mark when a decision will move the clock forward, adding tension to even simple conversations. That tension is compounded by the fact that day and night go further than cosmetic changes and redefine the rules of the world.
What We’re Left Wondering
The Blood of Dawnwalker’s demo raised almost as many questions as it answered. How long will the day/night cycle last in real time? Will there be fast travel between key locations? And just how much will choices impact the ending?
If the final game can deliver on the promise of its dual-life premise without letting one side overshadow the other, The Blood of Dawnwalker could be one of the most unique RPGs to look forward to. The Blood of Dawnwalker is scheduled to release in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
