I’m Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, Inventive Director at Insurgent Wolves, engaged on The Blood of Dawnwalker — a story-driven, open-world RPG set in 14th-century Europe. We not too long ago showcased a better have a look at the gameplay at gamescom and wished to share a number of the thrilling new particulars with you.
Getting into the narrative sandbox
You play as Coen, the sport’s protagonist and the titular Dawnwalker. Whereas the precise circumstances stay a thriller, an try to show Coen right into a vampire fails. In consequence, he exists between two worlds — human throughout the day, vampire at night time. This duality sits on the coronary heart of the gameplay, with every type providing distinct abilities and talents. Most quests may be approached throughout both day or night time, creating considerably totally different experiences.
One of many key mechanics is what we name the “narrative sandbox.” As soon as the prologue concludes, you may have 30 days and nights to rescue Coen’s household from Brencis, a centuries-old vampire and former Roman senator, and his internal circle. Solely main actions transfer the clock ahead, and also you’re all the time knowledgeable how a lot time an exercise will devour. Roaming the open world doesn’t advance time, supplying you with the liberty to discover with out strain. Time works extra like a forex than a countdown.
What really defines the narrative sandbox is the liberty it provides you to form the story by yourself phrases. Quests may be accomplished in any order, skipped solely, and even by no means found in any respect relying in your decisions. Many characters may be killed, with their absence reshaping occasions and relationships. There are sometimes a number of paths to realize the identical purpose, and even inaction is a selection — one the world round Coen will acknowledge and reply to. The result’s a deeply reactive narrative construction that encourages experimentation and makes each playthrough distinctive.
Human by day. Vampire by night time.
The newly revealed quest takes place on day eight of Coen’s journey. By then, a number of quests have been accomplished and Coen is visibly extra highly effective. We first see him at night time, navigating the capital metropolis of Svartrau and utilizing vampiric talents like Shadowstep — a short-range teleport that lets him immediately reposition. It’s invaluable not solely in fight, permitting him to flank enemies or shut the hole on patrolling guards, but in addition for exploration and stealth.
With Shadowstep, Coen can attain scaffolding excessive on the cathedral’s partitions, leap between rooftops, or slip into in any other case inaccessible balconies and ledges, opening up new routes and alternatives to method aims. Fight stays fluid and dynamic, mixing bodily energy with supernatural powers. His vampire type isn’t overpowered, but it surely provides a definite tactical layer.
The search entails infiltrating the town’s cathedral, the place Coen encounters Xanthe — an historical Greek vampire and Brencis’ strongest ally.
To indicate how time of day impacts gameplay, we then reload a save to expertise a daytime model of the search. This time, the purpose is to find the legendary sword of Saint Mihai, the cathedral’s patron. In his human type, Coen leans extra on swordplay and darkish human magic, unavailable as a vampire. Fight is quick and responsive, with directional assaults and versatile blocking. You’ll be able to block simply with a single button or use directional enter for extra precision and management, accommodating each story-focused gamers and people looking for a problem.
Combating the dwelling, the useless, and the whole lot In between
As soon as the enemies are defeated, Coen enters Svartrau throughout the day. The streets are bustling with life — townsfolk fill the squares, retailers commerce items, and ambient conversations trace on the uneasy coexistence underneath vampire rule. After roaming the colourful streets, Coen goes to the cathedral.
Inside, we witness a chilling ritual known as the Blood Baptism, considered one of Brencis’ methods of twisting present traditions to keep up management.
After a tense dialogue sequence that just about exposes Coen, the sword quest resumes. This results in a battle with Muron, a creature born from a failed vampire transformation. Not like Coen, Muron doesn’t develop into a Dawnwalker however a wild, unstable monster with unpredictable powers.
One other hex in Coen’s arsenal – Compel Soul – permits Coen to talk with the useless, serving to him uncover clues and ultimately find a hidden crypt believed to carry the sword. What he finds is way extra disturbing: Saint Mihai, as soon as revered, had been entombed alive after villagers found he was additionally a Dawnwalker. Starved throughout the day and regenerating at night time, Mihai slowly misplaced his sanity. When freed, he assaults Coen utilizing the complete vary of Dawnwalker talents.
When you discover him at night time as a substitute, Mihai seems in his vampire type, providing a wholly totally different encounter.
The almost 50-minute demo provides an prolonged have a look at The Blood of Dawnwalker’s design — from its twin gameplay loop and time-based construction to its give attention to participant company and narrative depth. There isn’t a single path by this story, and each choice, together with inaction, shapes the journey. Slated for launch in 2026, The Blood of Dawnwalker goals to ship wealthy storytelling, immersive fight, and an open world the place narrative really takes the lead.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is coming to PlayStation 5 in 2026; wishlist it now to remain up to date and be among the many first to step into Coen’s journey!
