Rebel Wolves has made a lot about Blood of Dawnwalker's open-ended campaign and completely non-linear narrative path, having previously said "everything is optional" in the vampiric open-world RPG. In a new video overview of the upcoming title, the developers take that design philosophy and frame it like a challenge, confirming that you can beat the final boss the moment you leave the tutorial section and preemptively handing out "legend" status to anyone capable enough to do so.
"You have one clear goal, but there's no single linear way to complete it," Rebel Wolves says in the below video. "Every activity and quest is optional and serves as a building block of your own crafted experience. The valley is a big place open for exploration. You can look for opportunities to learn new things and find allies, or you can even decide to storm [main antagonist] Brencis's castle as soon as you're out of the prologue.
"However, remember that defeating him as a freshly made Dawnwalker will be a feat worthy of legends."
I don't know how to respond to that besides saying: challenge accepted. I'll no doubt eat my words when the time comes, but damn it I'll try. Just like in 2017 when I confidently glided into Hyrule Castle to kill Ganon right after getting my paraglider only to get stomped by the first of the Blight Ganon bosses, I won't let hard-lost lessons get in the way of video game convention defiance where it's allowed.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is easily one of my most anticipated games this year, even amid other big September releases like Marvel's Wolverine, Control Resonant, and Halloween: The Game (that's right). I'm obsessed with vampire lore and have been desperately waiting for a good RPG adaptation, and with The Witcher 3 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz at the helm of Blood of Dawnwalker, there's a lot of reason to think this might be The One.
Everything I've seen, as well as hands-on insights from Blood of Dawnwalker previews from GamesRadar+ and other outlets, has been highly encouraging. It's definitely too early for a verdict, but I know what I'll be drinking on September 3, and it ain't red wine.
