Dawnwalker’s Blood Preview: Ex-Witcher 3 Devs’ Dark Fantasy RPG
Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by former CD Projekt Red veterans including The Witcher 3 game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, has showcased its debut title Dawnwalker’s Blood in a four-hour hands-on preview. The medieval fantasy RPG follows protagonist Coen, a villager who becomes a half-human, half-vampire being after a rebellion against vampire rulers. With his family captured and set to be executed in thirty days, Coen must navigate a dark open world to grow stronger and save them. The preview, published by Chinese outlet ALI213, offers the first detailed look at this ambitious project from the newly-formed development team.
The studio was established in early 2022 by developers who previously held key roles at CD Projekt Red. The founding team includes The Witcher 3 game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, core writer Jakub Szamałek who contributed to both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, art director Bartłomiej Gaweł who worked on all Witcher titles, and senior animation director Tamara Zawada. The preview notes that while Dawnwalker’s Blood does not match Cyberpunk 2077 in graphical fidelity, the game possesses its own distinct visual charm and immersive atmosphere.
The game’s mechanics revolve around Coen’s triple identity as a swordsman, a witch, and a vampire. Three skill tree branches — Sword, Witchcraft, and Vampire Blood — are available, with most abilities requiring skill books to unlock. Vampire abilities are only usable at night when Coen transforms, while witchcraft powers are exclusive to his human form during the day. Only sword skills remain available in both forms. This day-and-night division extends to equipment sets and quick slots, which swap automatically. Certain quests are time-locked, while others offer different solutions depending on Coen’s current form.
Two combat modes are offered: a traditional ARPG style with higher stamina costs for attacks and blocks, and a directional system resembling Kingdom Come: Deliverance, where players use analog inputs for four-directional blocking and attacking. No ranged weapons are included, with the developers prioritizing aggressive melee combat. The thirty-day time limit does not auto-advance; players choose when to progress, with each day and night divided into eight hourglass segments. Crucially, the game continues after thirty days — the world transforms based on whether Coen saves his family. The studio has also confirmed plans to expand Dawnwalker’s Blood into a multi-game IP series. This is definitely one to watch for fans of narrative-driven dark fantasy RPGs.
