An open-world RPG usually has to fill out an extensive checklist in order to rank among the best. You need a sprawling world to explore, vast opportunities for player customization, an in-depth combat system, and dozens of hours of content to enjoy. However, there are some games in the genre that you can tell, from the first hour or two, that there’s something special in the works. Well, The Blood of Dawnwalker is hitting those notes for me.
I got a chance to play around four hours of The Blood of Dawnwalker at an event in Los Angeles, thanks to Bandai Namco. Going into it, I knew I could expect two things: a vast open world and plenty of vampires. Luckily, both were in large supply and, much to my surprise, a whole lot more. What I played wasn’t just good; it was great.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is the inaugural title from Rebel Wolves, made up of former members of CD Projekt Red, including Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, one of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s directors. Taking place in 14th-century Europe, you play as Coen, a newly minted Dawnwalker (half-human, half-vampire). You have 30 in-game days to save your family from the tyrannical vampire lord Brencis. While we did get a taste of the time in-game, we only tried the prologue and bits of the open world once they were made available.
I won’t go into spoilers, but the prologue is your standard ‘getting-to-know-things’ section. As a normal human, you’ll help others in the village while aiding your family with certain tasks, like getting medication or fishing. It’s a great introduction to the game’s many systems, like time management and dialogue options. Also, it’s the perfect litmus test to see whether the game is for you. Luckily, it worked for me, and I was happy to see what lay ahead.
One of the key features of The Blood of Dawnwalker is its multiple-choice dialogue options, which can take the story in different directions. I was pleasantly surprised by just how many of the choices you picked had effects present during the prologue. Certain missions within the village had an impact on a later story event, especially one factor involving a family member. Unfortunately, it seems I did it incorrectly, and let’s just say it was not pleasant to watch. Still, knowing right off the bat how what you do will directly correlate with the narrative is helpful when you’re placed in the open world.
Things in the story transpire really quickly once the day ends. Before you know it, we are now a Dawnwalker and have access to a snippet of our vampiric powers. I had a teleportation ability and a vampire bite, which would let you drain enemies’ blood to gain health. I also had my claws as a weapon, though it was a bit hard to tell the difference between it and the sword in terms of damage and effects.
This is where things in the preview ramped up, going face-to-face with Brencis, and it doesn’t go well for us. Fortunately, thanks to an old friend, we survive and get to explore the vast open world of Vale Sangora. We only got to see some of what the expansive lands had to offer, but what was on display was intriguing. For my playthrough, I wandered around a forest-like marsh filled with a few boars, enemy soldiers, and encampments. I was a human, this time, though I now had access to Magic. I didn’t get to use it much, but it looks like a great way to supplement the lack of vampiric abilities you won’t have until night.
During the day, I rummaged through several enemy encampments, destroying leech storage and disrupting the trades. Interestingly enough, some missions are best at night, while others are best in the day. One encampment I went to as a vampire was at a farm, where a wife’s husband, who was working against Brencis, used to live before being arrested. I visited it, and there were vampire guards patrolling the place. Instead of attacking, I waited until morning and, sure enough, they went inside, so I got to meet the wife and help figure out where he is being imprisoned. It’ll be cool to see how the night/day versions of certain missions will play out and whether or not it impacts the story in a big way.
As in many RPGs, enemies are everywhere, so mastering combat is essential. The Blood of Dawnwalker’s system can seem a bit intimidating at first with its directional actions (attacking and blocking), but once you get into it, it becomes rather rewarding. Of course, you can generally block and attack, so the system isn’t necessary to how you play, but nailing timings and anticipating moves felt great, especially in big battles. Still, the combat was what you’d expect out of an action RPG, just with more opportunities to spice things up.
I managed to track the husband to a secure castle, guarded by Brencis’ men. I fooled the entry guard by telling him I was interested in joining the soldiers and went in to speak to the Commander. As I patrolled around, talking to the locals revealed some dirt on one of the people in charge at the prison. From that, I was able to blackmail them into letting me in to see the husband and figure out some information.
I didn’t have much time to save him, as it was just about to be night and I did not want to turn into a vampire in the middle of a fortified castle. So, I left and, as I transformed, I came across another encampment with guards and leech barrels. I took care of them with my claws, but took some damage in the meantime. I was low on health, but still alive. When I finished, the barrel moved and made noise. I opened it up to reveal a person! They wanted to sneak into the castle and break people out of prison. There was my ticket in! Well, that’s when I learned of another quirk of The Blood of Dawnwalker: hunger.
You see, in the game, if you are a vampire and are low on health, you’ll kill whatever is in front of you and drain them dry. That, as I would come to find out, includes NPCs like the poor gentleman in the barrel. All of my dialogue options vanished, and I immediately killed him right then and there. I was shocked but mildly enthused. I can see it being a nuisance to some players, but an invitation for a unique playthrough for others. It, at least, taught me to keep my health up at all times. You never know if someone important is waiting, like in a barrel meant for leeches.
I played on a high-end PC with a controller and, fortunately, everything went quite smoothly and looked great. Despite being an early, older build version of the game, it felt great to play. If there was anything to complain about, there were a few laggy moments during large combat encounters, and some texture pop-ins would appear from time to time. Regardless, it felt quite polished.
I walked away from my four hours of The Blood of Dawnwalker impressed. It’s rare to have an open-world suck you in the way it does, but given the studio’s past, it makes sense. Still, if the first four hours are a taste of what’s to come, then I will be along for the ride and implore you to do the same. In a super-packed month of September 2026, The Blood of Dawnwalker has the potential to be a dark horse (or vampire bat, in this case) of the season.
The Blood of Dawnwalker releases on September 3rd, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
