The Blood of Dawnwalker Offers 2 Very Different RPG Playstyles

The Witcher series really did well to capture that sense of exploring a brutal fantasy world as a protagonist who knew how to get their hands dirty. But in the upcoming dark fantasy RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new game from a team of former creatives behind The Witcher 3, it leans further into a morally ambiguous setting as you decide which path its protagonist will take – one that maintains his human form and ideals, or one that embraces newfound powers as a half-vampire.

Just ahead of Gamescom 2025, we got an extended walkthrough of The Blood of Dawnwalker from the devs at Rebel Wolves that put a spotlight on the parallel playstyles of human and vampire action-RPG gameplay. So far, The Blood of Dawnwalker is putting forth some strong concepts for its take on a dark-fantay RPG that’s all about navigating two different worlds in cunning fashion.

Part of what makes vampires so compelling as horror characters is that they can be tragic figures. Having to contend with supernatural forces that potentially put them at odds with humanity is a concept that can be great to explore in video games. That idea is at the heart of The Blood of Dawnwalker.

Set in a supernatural version of 14th-century Europe, The Blood of Dawnwalker focuses on Coen and his vendetta against a powerful coven of vampires that seek to take over Europe with violence and even some old-fashioned medieval-era politicking. After Coen has a violent encounter with the vampire leader Brencis following the abduction of his family, the protagonist develops a special strain of vampirism that transforms him into a half-vampire that can navigate the increasingly blurry line between human and supernatural.

Our extended preview focused on a quest called “A Monk and a Saint,” which saw Coen travel to the settlement of Svartrau to uncover a hidden tomb – and the town’s more nefarious side. This quest features a round of combat sequences against some foes capable of withstanding Coen’s abilities in both his human and vampire forms. It initially seemed standard fare for an RPG quest, but where Dawnwalker differs is in how the quest can change depending on the time of day and which form you take on to complete it.

The leading narrative hook carrying players forward is the month-long time limit, giving Coen only a limited period to rescue his family. You can largely advance the day at your choosing, and Dawnwalker doesn’t necessarily pressure you to make some time-specific choices. That said, your approach to progression will very much influence the course of events in Coen’s journey – especially with which side of Coen is taking the lead. Time is essentially a resource that you spend with each passing quest and activity, and depending on what you do and when you do it.

The developers gave us a run of the preview’s main quest from two different sides, as both Coen’s human and vampire forms. When playing as the latter, Dawnwalker shifts to a stealth-action playstyle, where the protagonist must avoid detection from guards and civilians. Coen’s vampire abilities are also unleashed in this state, allowing players to walk on walls, teleport, and use blood abilities and vampiric claws to cut down foes. And yes – you’ll also be able to drain the blood from humans, foe and non-combative alike, for stealth takedowns or outright executions.

I was impressed by how much the action and pacing looked like a mix between The Witcher’s grand scope and the immersive-sim elements of Dishonored when seeing Coen in his vampire form – you can truly leap across rooftops and get the jump on some foes, which was very satisfying to see. However, it shows how players will have to grapple with some moral choices, as Coen, who needs to feed to maintain his vampire abilities during the night, must do. While you can feed on animals to offer some temporary relief, the larger payout comes from human targets.

The vampire form looks to present a more direct and action-heavy approach to engaging with the quests. However, Coen’s human form presents an interesting contrast by focusing more on investigation and tactical methods. Because Coen can blend in with others in his human form, there are far more opportunities to engage with the different characters and uncover pathways for success without the need for bloodshed. It was also fascinating to see how the characters react to knowing that vampires are now in control of the region and that life is, understandably, far worse off.

When things pop off, combat shows the stark differences in Dawnwalker’s playstyles. I adopted the tactical-action approach, which feels like a blend of The Witcher 3’s versatile swords and sorcery combat flow, combined with the calculated nature of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s swordplay. It presents an opportunity for players to feel powerful as Coen, where they have to exploit vulnerabilities. In his human form, Coen relies on his swordplay, along with gadgets and hex spells, to overcome some enemies. Similar to The Outer Worlds, you can pull up a tactical menu to target an enemy to execute attacks that can stun foes or deliver killing blows.

Combat gets a bit more hectic when in Coen’s vampire form, which sees him unleash his supernatural blood-based abilities. In addition to his sword, Coen’s massive claws can tear into enemy defenses, and he can pull off combat finishers where he can lay into foes. However, Dawnwalker still presents some challenges with elite foes, such as the human Blood Guards who have armor and weapons to stand up to Coen’s vampiric abilities, along with some more dangerous monsters and the rival vampires that can overpower the protagonist if you’re not careful.

An interesting detail that the developers highlighted during the presentation was that players could make a beeline to the primary goal of the game early on – think of how players might try to defeat Ganon in the opening hours of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, the team stated that it’ll be a challenge to pull off, as the core game is all about powering up Coen with new gear and abilities. Still, I’ll be curious to see if it’ll be possible for players to clear the campaign early on in Coen’s journey.