Blood of the Dawnwalker Review
It's taken me far longer than I expected to get this review finished, but that's not because I've struggled to get through The Blood of Dawnwalker. Between a busy schedule, PAX AUS and everything else that's been going on, finding the time to sit down and properly finish such a substantial RPG has been a challenge in itself. Now that I've finally reached the end, though, I'm glad I made the time, because I've thoroughly enjoyed my experience with it.
Developed by Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by developers with experience on The Witcher 3, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a dark fantasy RPG set in a grim version of 14th-century Europe, where vampires have become a powerful force. You play as Coen, a young man caught between humanity and vampirism as he fights to save his family from a powerful vampire lord. It's a familiar enough setup on paper, but the way the game builds its story around time, player choice and Coen's two very different sides gives it an identity of its own.
I'll admit the game didn't completely win me over straight away. It has a slow start, and there were moments early on when I wondered how long it would take before everything really clicked. But once the world opens up, the different systems begin to work together, and you start to understand what Rebel Wolves is trying to achieve, there's a lot to appreciate here. It isn't a perfect RPG, but it has enough interesting ideas, memorable moments and genuinely distinctive mechanics to make it well worth playing.
The opening hours are probably my biggest criticism of The Blood of Dawnwalker. The premise is interesting, and the personal stakes surrounding Coen and his family give the story a solid foundation, but the game takes its time getting everything moving. You're introduced to the world, its characters and its various systems, yet it can take a while before everything comes together in a way that makes you want to keep pushing forward. I enjoy RPGs that let me explore at my own pace, but there's a difference between giving players freedom and making them feel like they're waiting for the adventure to properly begin.
Thankfully, I found the experience improved considerably as I progressed. The quests became more engaging, the world started to feel more connected, and I began to appreciate how the different mechanics influenced the way I approached the story. Rather than simply following one objective after another, I found myself thinking more carefully about which characters to help, which opportunities to pursue and how I wanted Coen's journey to unfold. That sense of investment is what kept me playing, and by the later stages, I had a much greater appreciation for what the developers were trying to achieve.
The story itself also benefits from having a more personal motivation at its centre. Coen isn't simply chasing power or trying to save the world because that's what an RPG protagonist is expected to do. He's fighting to save his family, and that gives the adventure an emotional foundation that works well with the darker setting. The vampire threat adds another layer to the story, particularly as you learn more about the people who hold power in this world and the compromises Coen may have to make to achieve his goals.
I wouldn't put the storytelling on the same level as the very best RPGs I've played, and the pacing can still be uneven even after the opening hours. However, I found the overall premise compelling enough to keep me invested through to the end. For me, the slow start is worth pushing through, because the game becomes much more interesting once its story and mechanics begin to complement one another.
One of the things I appreciate most about The Blood of Dawnwalker is that it doesn't feel content to simply follow the usual open-world RPG formula. There are familiar elements here, including exploration, character progression, combat and quests, but some of the ways these systems interact make the experience feel different from many of its contemporaries.
The standout example is Coen's dual nature. During the day, he relies more on his human abilities, including swordplay and witchcraft. At night, his vampiric side becomes more prominent, giving him access to supernatural abilities and a different way of approaching the world. This isn't just a cosmetic transformation designed to make the character look cooler. It influences how you play, which abilities you use and how you think about certain encounters.
I really like this idea because it reinforces the central conflict of the story while also giving the gameplay some variety. Rather than relying on a single set of abilities throughout the entire adventure, you're encouraged to become comfortable with both sides of Coen. The human and vampire mechanics give you different tools to work with, and learning when to use them adds another layer to combat and exploration. I would have liked the distinction between the two forms to be pushed even further in some areas, but the underlying concept is excellent, and it gives the game an identity that helps it stand out.
The other mechanic I found particularly interesting is the way the game handles time. Instead of allowing you to spend unlimited hours completing every side quest before returning to the main story, certain activities advance the clock and force you to consider how you spend your available time. This gives decisions a different kind of weight, because pursuing one opportunity can mean sacrificing another. You're encouraged to prioritise what matters to you rather than treating the world as a checklist that must be completed before the credits roll.
I think this is one of the game's strongest ideas. So many open-world RPGs allow you to put the main story on hold indefinitely while you clear every map marker and collect every upgrade, often with very little consequence. The Blood of Dawnwalker challenges that habit and makes time part of the decision-making process. It isn't a perfect system, and there are moments when I think the consequences could be communicated more clearly, but I'd much rather see developers experiment with something like this than deliver another RPG that plays things completely safe.
These mechanics are what helped the game grow on me. Individually, they might not sound revolutionary, but together they create an experience that feels more distinctive than its familiar fantasy setting might initially suggest. Once I started understanding how the systems worked together, I found myself much more engaged in the adventure.
Combat is an area where I have slightly more mixed feelings. There are some good ideas here, particularly in the way Coen's swordplay, witchcraft and vampiric abilities come together, but I don't think the combat consistently reaches the same heights as the game's more ambitious mechanics. Fights can be satisfying when you're reading your opponent, managing your defence and choosing the right abilities, but encounters can become repetitive over a lengthy playthrough.
The supernatural abilities help give combat some personality, and developing Coen over time makes a noticeable difference to how you approach certain situations. Unlocking new skills and becoming more comfortable with the different abilities gives you a reason to keep experimenting rather than relying on the same approach for every encounter. I enjoyed that sense of progression, even if I occasionally wanted the combat to offer more variety in its enemies and encounters.
I also think there was room to make the vampire side of Coen feel more transformative. Given the premise, becoming a vampire should feel like an extraordinary change, and while the abilities are useful, there are moments when I wanted that supernatural side to have a greater impact on the overall experience. The combat isn't bad by any means, but it doesn't always deliver on the full potential of its ideas.
Exploration and progression help balance things out. The world has plenty of settlements, forests, ruins and other locations to discover, and quests can lead you towards new characters, resources and opportunities. I enjoyed having the freedom to decide which parts of the world I wanted to explore, especially because the time mechanic gives you a reason to think about whether each detour is worthwhile. Not every activity is equally engaging, and some stretches can feel like they're there to get you from one objective to another, but the stronger quests provide enough incentive to keep exploring.
What makes this combination work is that progression isn't entirely separate from the story. The decisions you make, the abilities you develop and the time you spend pursuing different opportunities all contribute to how you experience the game. It isn't always as polished or consistently engaging as I'd like, but I appreciate the ambition behind it, and there were plenty of moments when I found myself enjoying the freedom to approach things in my own way.
Visually, The Blood of Dawnwalker does an excellent job of establishing its atmosphere. The medieval setting feels suitably grim, with gloomy settlements, dense forests, ancient ruins and an ever-present sense that something unpleasant could be lurking nearby. The world isn't designed to make you feel comfortable, and that works in the game's favour. It creates an oppressive atmosphere that suits both the story and Coen's struggle between his human life and his vampiric nature.
I particularly like the contrast between the more grounded medieval world and the supernatural elements that emerge throughout the adventure. The setting feels more convincing when the vampires and other dark fantasy elements are contrasted against the ordinary lives of the people living under their influence. It gives the world a sense of history and helps make the central conflict feel like something that affects more than just the protagonist.
There are still moments where the experience could be more polished, and impressive visuals can't make every stretch of exploration exciting, but the overall presentation is a strength. The environments help sell the atmosphere, while the sound design and character performances contribute to the more memorable story moments. It all comes together to create a setting that I enjoyed spending time in, even when the pacing occasionally threatened to slow things down too much.
I think the game's unusual structure gives it a reasonable amount of replayability, particularly for players who enjoy seeing how different decisions can change an RPG experience. Because time is a resource and you can't necessarily pursue every opportunity in a single run, there's a natural incentive to wonder what might have happened if you'd prioritised a different character, followed another lead or approached a situation differently.
The different approaches to Coen's abilities also give you room to experiment with how you play. Once you're familiar with the mechanics, another playthrough could offer an opportunity to make different decisions and develop the character in a way that better suits your preferred style. I appreciate that the replay value comes from the structure of the game rather than simply asking players to return and collect everything they missed.
That said, I don't think everyone will immediately want to start another playthrough once the credits roll. The slow opening and repetitive sections are worth considering, especially if you're someone who prefers to finish a game and move on to the next one. For me, the appeal of returning would be seeing how different choices affect the adventure rather than replaying everything for the sake of it. The foundations are there, though, and the game's systems give it more replay potential than a straightforward story-driven RPG.
The Blood of Dawnwalker has taken me a lot longer to review than I originally intended, largely because my schedule has been so busy with PAX AUS, work and everything else going on. But now that I've finally finished it, I can honestly say I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. It's a game that requires patience, and there are certainly areas where it could be better, but the overall experience left me feeling that the time I invested was worthwhile.
The slow start is my biggest hurdle with the game, and the combat and exploration don't always maintain the same level of engagement throughout. However, once everything starts to click, there's a lot to appreciate. The contrast between Coen's human and vampire abilities, the way time influences your decisions and the game's approach to progression all help it stand apart from more conventional open-world RPGs. I particularly like that Rebel Wolves has taken some risks with its mechanics rather than simply delivering another familiar fantasy adventure.
It's not a flawless experience, and I can understand why some players might struggle with its pacing or wish that certain systems had more depth. But the story gives you a reason to keep going, the world has a strong atmosphere, and the unique mechanics make the adventure feel like its own thing. Those strengths ultimately outweigh the shortcomings for me.
If you're a fan of dark fantasy RPGs and are willing to give the game time to find its feet, I'd recommend giving The Blood of Dawnwalker a go. It might take a while to get going, but once it does, it delivers an enjoyable adventure with some genuinely unique mechanics that I think work really well.
