I think most action RPG players have an enemy that immediately puts them on tilt. For example, I hate the Basilisks in Dark Souls; those big eyeball-looking freaks absolutely unsettle me to no end (made worse by the fact that those aren't its eyes). When FromSoftware brought them back for Elden Ring, it was on sight. While not as much of a threat (or nearly as creepy) as the Basilisks, The Witcher 2's Nekkers could be annoying little freaks when they ganged up on Geralt. Well, a group of former CD Projekt Red devs are making a new RPG in a different universe, but it looks like the spirit of the Nekkers is going to live on.
Rebel Wolves' debut RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, has been posting details about the game on Twitter on a fairly regular basis, like character bios and bits of concept art. Earlier this week, we were introduced to some of the enemies we'll be throwing hands with in the upcoming vampire RPG, with a post introducing Kobolds – presumably named after the German folklore spirit of the same name that is known for being assholes (or the Dungeons and Dragons enemies, perhaps).
The post reads, "Deep underground, something crawls inside the abandoned shafts and galleries. Look around, and you’ll find the traces they left behind: cracked bones, sucked clean of marrow, and chalk drawings, as crude as they are unsettling." The culprits being the Kobolds, who are described as having "long wiry limbs" and "huge eyes… perfect for seeing in the dark" (oh, for god's sake, not again). These creatures can squeeze through narrow passageways and use their curved claws for digging – and probably killing you too, but that wouldn't be very nice now, would it?
Well, despite working on the game, it seems like members of the Rebel Wolves team have them as their go-to annoying RPG enemy. The Blood of Dawnwalker's global marketing lead, Pawel Panasiuk, quote tweeted the Kobolds introduction post with a description of his own, saying, "annoying little bastards." Given that these are big-eyed freaks like Basilisks that look to be the same size as Nekkers, I'm already pissed at them, and if the people making the game can't even stand them, I don't think I have much luck.
The Blood of Dawnwalker's director recently revealed that they made their protagonist a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-style character because "nobody yet has done that."
