Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Upcoming PS5 games for 2026 showing Lucia from GTA 6, Wolverine from Marvel's Wolverine, Arjun from Saros, and Grace from Resident Evil Requiem
Adventure Games Upcoming PS5 games: New PS5 games for 2026 and beyond
Crimson Desert
Open World Games I played 6 hours of Crimson Desert, but it feels like I've barely scratched the surface of this RPG's open world
ReVamp tower defense and future games show 2026 spring showcase logo
Games ReVamp is a tower defense roguelite that puts you in Dracula's shoes, tasking you with defending his mighty castle
The Duskbloods screenshot Switch 2
Action Games The Duskbloods: Everything you need to know about FromSoftware's Switch 2 exclusive
Upcoming PC games for 2026 showing Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem, marines in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4, Coen in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and a woman's face in Control Resonant
PC Gaming Upcoming PC games: New PC games for 2026 and beyond
Stupid Never Dies
Action RPGs Dragon’s Dogma and Devil May Cry vets show off their pop-punk action RPG
1348 Ex Voto key art of Aeta with Future Games Show 2026 Spring showcase logo
Action Games Medieval action game 1348 Ex Voto features historical melee combat, stars Clair Obscur's Jennifer English and is out now
Silver pines FGS
Games See all new gameplay for Silver Pines, a metroidvania survival horror that's definitely too cool for you
The Blood of Dawnwalker screenshot showing a half-human, half-vampire hybrid holding a silver sword
RPGs Upcoming RPGs for 2026 and beyond
Ex Sanguis screenshot and future games show 2026 spring showcase logo
Games After launching a Steam demo in February, turn-based strategy game Ex Sanguis will launch into early access in May
Two-headed dragon spewing fire in Sword Hero
RPGs Solo dev's Kickstarter proves there's a huge appetite for open-world RPGs inspired by early '00s classics like Gothic
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
RPGs The Blood of Dawnwalker: Everything we know so far
Marvel's Blade concept art by Sergey Kolesov and Jean-Luc Monnet showing Blade overlooking a quarantined Paris at night
Action Games Marvel's Blade: Everything we know so far
Alabaster Dawn protagonist Juno lying in a white bed
Action RPGs One of the best pixel art RPGs ever made is getting a spiritual sequel, and I’ve been hooked on its Steam Next Fest demo
Key art for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy with Sophia standing in front of a labyrinth-style mural with a curved sword, with the GamesRadar+ Big in 2026 brand frame
Action Games Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy "changes almost everything" about the series – and its "more trained, more physical, more offensive" protagonist proves it
  1. Games
  2. RPGs
  3. Blood of Dawnwalker

The Witcher 3 veteran's vampire RPG shows off how dramatically different one quest can turn out: "Coen may be a human during the day, but he turns into a vampire at night"

News
By Kaan Serin published 22 June 2025

The Blood of Dawnwalker's quests can play out very differently depending on when you approach them

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Blood of Dawnwalker
(Image credit: Bandai Namco)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
0
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming vampiric romp from former CD Projekt Red developers, just showed off a hefty chunk of "actual gameplay" from one mid-game quest. Well, the walkthrough actually showed the same quest being played during the day and during the night, but the outcomes were so drastically different, they may as well have been two entirely different missions.

First things first, Blood of Dawnwalker doesn't look too different from The Witcher 3, which creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz also worked on. There's violent third-person combat, a dark fantasy world to explore, and branching RPG systems. The main difference here, though, is that our protagonist turns into a bloodsucker come night.

"Each quest is a complex structure with multiple possible paths leading to the end goal," designer director Daniel Sadowski said in the gameplay video below. "We maximize player's freedom and agency, offering you a Narrative Sandbox to play in."

You may like
  • The Blood of Dawnwalker protagonist up close "Of course" Blood of Dawnwalker has romance, silly, says former Witcher 3 lead
  • The Blood of Dawnwalker screenshot showing Coen in combat versus some armed guards The Blood of Dawnwalker devs "were afraid that people wouldn't want to play as human Coen" so it set out to create "a combat system that can set a new standard for RPGs"
  • The Blood of Dawnwalker screenshot showing coen in a supernatural situation Rebel Wolves isn't afraid of creating its own vampyric folklore for The Blood of Dawnwalker: "We want to tell a story with vampires, not a story about vampires only"
The Blood of Dawnwalker — Gameplay Overview - YouTube The Blood of Dawnwalker — Gameplay Overview - YouTube
Watch On

Developer Rebel Wolves decided to show that off via a quest that takes us to a cathedral in the heart of the city. During the day, we encounter a weird, blood-soaked baptism and speak to a priest about repentance. At night? Things get even more freaky. The cathedral's actually closed, so we instead need to use our vampiric abilities to scale buildings and feast on innocents, before getting into a brawl with an evil vampire boss waiting at the end. Again, these two routes could have been two entirely different quests and I wouldn't blink twice.

"The core feature of The Blood of Dawnwalker is the dual gameplay loop. Remember, Coen may be a human during the day, but he turns into a vampire at night, and has a different set of skills at his disposal. And this is just one variable that affects our quests. Depending on when you tackle a particular quest, what choices you've made earlier, whom you befriended or whom you've angered, your gameplay and story experience will be very, very different." While the video above ends in defeat, Sadowski promises we could instead sneak around and avoid combat altogether.

Blood of Dawnwalker director says the vampire RPG's story is so non-linear that "you can align with the human rebellion or finish the game without ever meeting them"

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Platforms Xbox PlayStation
Kaan Serin
Kaan Serin
Social Links Navigation
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
The Blood of Dawnwalker protagonist up close
"Of course" Blood of Dawnwalker has romance, silly, says former Witcher 3 lead
 
 
The Blood of Dawnwalker screenshot showing Coen in combat versus some armed guards
The Blood of Dawnwalker devs "were afraid that people wouldn't want to play as human Coen" so it set out to create "a combat system that can set a new standard for RPGs"
 
 
The Blood of Dawnwalker screenshot showing coen in a supernatural situation
Rebel Wolves isn't afraid of creating its own vampyric folklore for The Blood of Dawnwalker: "We want to tell a story with vampires, not a story about vampires only"
 
 
The Blood of Dawnwalker screenshot showing Coen holding a sword
With The Blood of Dawnwalker, Rebel Wolves wants to "get a few steps closer to pen-and-paper RPGs"
 
 
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Blood of Dawnwalker: Everything we know so far
 
 
Galeb Bazory, a vampire in a crisp blue suit, draws a blade, in key art for Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong
I'm craving a Vampire Hitman thanks to this underrated RPG series that almost cracked the supernatural stealth code
 
 
Latest in RPGs
Fenris in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
 
 
Starfield
Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"
 
 
Starfield screenshot showing Saturn's vista
Starfield composer has "no doubt" Bethesda's RPG will eventually "be legendary," but "people were just not ready"
 
 
Fallout 4 power armor
A Fallout 4 QA tester nuked the RPG so hard that Zenimax executives got emails about it
 
 
Screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 showing a number of characters stood together, a gloomy sky ahead of them.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 remains on course to match Baldur's Gate 3 GOTY record
 
 
Latest in News
Fenris in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
 
 
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs are careful with balancing because "you have a vocal minority screaming the loudest"
 
 
Starfield
Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem Leon Kennedy
Resident Evil Requiem fans are imagining all the quips Leon would say in other games: "'Guess that's The Last of Him'"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
"Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3 million units sold," says a stunned Mega Crit
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fallout 4 power armor
    1
    A Fallout 4 QA tester nuked the RPG so hard that Zenimax executives got emails about it
  2. 2
    Marvel Rivals devs are careful with balancing because "you have a vocal minority screaming the loudest"
  3. 3
    Project Hail Mary works because "very few people can give you the range" that Ryan Gosling does, say Lord and Miller
  4. 4
    Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
  5. 5
    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...