For reference purposes, the games title will be abbreviated to TBoD.
Vampires in popular media have always had different portrayals of evil; some better than others. After all, I have no interest in the vampires of Twilight or Tr theue Blood compared to the malignant undead in From Dusk Till Dawn or Dracula himself from The Last Voyage of the Demeter. The Blood of Dawnwalker has finally made vampires scary again, and Rebel Wolves’ protagonist, Coen, has sunk his teeth into a terribly good horror story.
Wake Up, Coen
Our journey begins in a dream, surrounded by a loving family frolicking in a sunny field, which soon turns into the worst nightmare that we ever experience. Vampires are not too fond of a sun tan, so the sequence quickly becomes dark as Coen frantically searches for his younger sister, Lunka. To Coen’s horror, once approached by a soldier who wants nothing more than Lunka’s head as a trophy, our sister draws her claws and drains the blood of her attacker, which undoubtedly surprises our hero. Alas, more soldiers arrive to avenge their accomplice, and here we are quickly introduced to TBoD’s in-depth combat system where Coen can track from which direction an enemy will attack to give the opportunity of performing either a perfect block or dodge. This cultivates in a highly damaging counter-attack, which is necessary on higher difficulties as there are a plethora of combat encounters throughout the game. Each parry or dodge timing is indicated by a red shield icon that helps guide the player, allowing for a smooth, rhythmic style of play that feels satisfying to effectively pull off.
CD PROJEKT BLED
After an amalgamation of harrowing events, including Coen’s transformation and the death of his family, our protagonist awakes to see his father, Pieter. At this stage, we realise that vampires have, indeed, invaded our world, but how is this portrayed in the story, its side quests and random encounters, and the general open world that TBoD has to offer? Throughout my playthrough, I realised that Rebel Wolves seemed to have taken inspiration from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, especially regarding movement controls, special attack inputs, and the overall map structure. Unlike The Witcher 3, TBoD is one huge, interconnected map rather than separate, large open areas. However, its similarities regarding fast travel, dialogue trees with important characters, and even the inventory system are definitely noticeable. This is not exactly a bad thing as Rebel Wolves have demonstrated a way to make TBoD its very own, enjoyable IP, regardless from where they have pulled inspiration.
Mist-Ical Beings
As stated above, TBoD is a pretty big world, and running around on foot might not be the most exciting form of traversal. Since Coen is now a Dawnwalker, his half-vampire, half-human identity can be upgraded to increase the speed in which he roams the land. In the daytime, Coen has access to an ability that grants Haste, doubling the speed of Coen’s usual sprint to get to places quickly. At night, Coen can shapeshift into a large wolf using his vampiric powers, which helps to quicken his speed. Rebel Wolves have also implemented a system where Coen can climb high structures using Shadowstep, an ability that transforms Coen into a dark mist that helps him stick to surfaces and travel longer distances that jumping may fail to reach. Overlooking the map at the highest points can reveal new places of interest, like enemy camps, side quests, world bosses, etc.
Everything Is Revoltingly Delicious
As beautiful as the world of TBoD is, the vampires are not the only monsters to fear. Coen will also encounter a broad assortment of formidable foes to drain the life out of, such as zombies, wraiths, and weird-looking crocodile worms. Each enemy can be fought in the same dodge and parry manner, but Coen must also watch out for attacks displaying a red skull, which can only be dodged. These attacks have special animations and must be carefully observed to find the right moment in which to get the hell (pardon the pun) out of there. Coen also has a few special abilities to even out the odds, portrayed under the three main skill trees listed as Swordmastery, Vampirism, and Witchcraft. For example, Coen can implement a skill called Dirty Trick, which blinds an enemy for a certain period of time, allowing Coen to focus on another priority foe. At night, Coen can use the Voracious Bite to drain the blood of enemies in combat and on the field, helping to regenerate lost health. If low on health once a battle is over, Coen can find animals or even humans in the open world to prey upon. Just be careful as nobody is safe from death in TBoD, and you might accidentally kill an important NPC…or twenty.
WILL YOU JUST SHUT THE F… sorry about that…AGAIN???
There are a lot of NPCs to talk to in the world of TBoD, and some of these characters have a lot to say…maybe too much. For instance, attempting to save merchants and farm people from bandits will initiate combat. During said combat, the NPCs will make a habit of running around in circles, spouting the same exact line over and over again, making a harrowing fight more annoying than most. Travelling with a companion further amplifies this nuisance, particularly as some quests involve plenty of fighting, which means listening to my companion stating, “Come on, I’m getting bored,” as many times as a parrot on loop.
Just a Tad Bit of Doom and Gloom
I also encountered certain optimisation and gameplay issues that didn’t hinder my experience too much but should still be addressed. For instance, playing on Xbox Series S seems to struggle to reach 60fps with stuttering issues and awkward traversal mechanics where Coen refuses to jump over simple ledges and fences. There’s also the slight issue with repetitive side quests, like engaging with similar enemy outposts and people in need to help increase the player’s infamy rating and experience points to level up. However, the main quests have plenty of depth and help to flesh out Coen’s story further. There’s also the time limit related to the quests regarding saving Coen’s family, but the game is extremely lenient, and you can tackle this quest as early or late as you want. I have sunk a large number of hours into this game and reached close to level 30, with 15 days still yet on the clock, and at this point, I could take on Brencis (the main antagonist) right now, if I really wanted to.
Final Thoughts
The Blood of Dawnwalker definitely draws upon its Witcher inspirations, but since Rebel Wolves is actually created by the main developer of The Witcher 3, it’s understandable as to why. The engaging protagonist and breathtaking, decently content-packed world helps to deviate away from the small errors that the game contains. Rebel Wolves have done a tremendous job with their very first game, with a sequel already in the works, and I for one cannot wait to get stuck into their next adventure.
Developer: Rebel Wolves
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Windows PC
Release Date: 3rd September 2026
Gaming Respawn’s copy of The Blood of Dawnwalker was provided by the publisher.
