Ex-Witcher 3 devs' new vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker features "combat that feels authentic" because they "studied medieval fighting styles and even have a few trained swordsmen on the team"

At the tail end of Summer Game Fest 2025 during the Xbox Games Showcase, fans got to see more of upcoming vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker – an RPG developers say boasts true-to-history combat.

Speaking in a post-stream announcement on Xbox, Rebel Wolves' creative director, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, dives into the details regarding The Blood of Dawnwalker's combat system and how it works with protagonist Coen. "Coen trained for years with his father, a grizzled war veteran, so during the day he wields a sword," explains the dev. "We studied medieval fighting styles and even have a few trained swordsmen on the team."

Tomaszkiewicz, who previously worked on beloved CD Projekt Red RPGs like The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, says these efforts are why combat feels "authentic" in The Blood of Dawnwalker: "The result is combat that feels authentic and grounded, yet approachable and fun." How does combat change for Coen depending on whether it's day or night in the game, though, as this cycle is part of what makes the title so intriguing?

"As a human, he also learns how to use magic – raw, ritual-based, with dark, primordial origins," describes Tomaszkiewicz. "We're not going the high fantasy route with colorful explosions. Our spells are darker and grounded – tied to blood, heat, and air that seems to pulse and breathe. The visuals can be striking, but in a more visceral, eerie way. To cast a spell, you first have to literally open up your body to the occult by carving runes and becoming a living conduit. Magic flows through you."

Once the day draws to a close, combat takes a turn for Coen. "At night, though, these runes seal shut as your flesh regenerates. They fade, like old scars. Instead, your vampiric nature awakens. You'll fight with claws, enhanced strength, supernatural agility, and dark powers available only after sunset. But these powers come at a cost: your humanity." It sounds like the sort of day-to-night shift one would expect of a vampire, with some nuance.

"Coen's vampiric Blood Craving comes into play: a system that ties his health level and his hunger," the lead explains. "When losing health, Coen is at risk of losing control over his vampire nature, which can even lead to involuntary draining [of] an NPC that you interact with, locking you out from some dialogue options or even quest lines as his dark instincts take over." That balance between risk and reward is core to the RPG experience, and as an excited fan myself, I can't wait to experience it firsthand.

Searching for more new games to wishlist? Here's a full rundown of the Summer Game Fest 2025 schedule to look back on for a better idea of what happened when.