The Blood of Dawnwalker
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This year’s Xbox Showcase featured a trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming debut RPG from Rebel Wolves, published by Bandai Namco.
Rebel Wolves is headed by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, director of The Witcher 3 and co-director of Cyberpunk 2077. Konrad’s brother, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, creative director of The Blood of Dawnwalker, recently penned an article in Xbox Wire, detailing the narrative philosophy of Rebel Wolves and some details about what kind of combat we should expect in the upcoming RPG.
Interestingly, The Blood of Dawnwalker will be foregoing the over-the-top magic that’s become popular across media in recent years. Instead, Rebel Wolves is looking to include a darker, more grounded type of magic.
Occult Origins
«As a human, [Coen, the protagonist] learns how to use magic — raw, ritual-based with dark, primordial origins,» Tomaszkiewicz explains. «We’re not going the high fantasy route with colourful 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.»
At night, these runes fade to scars as Coen’s flesh regenerates. When the sun goes down, his vampiric power takes over. If you allow Coen to take too much damage, his hunger may overpower his humanity, potentially causing conflict with non-player-characters as Coen’s dark side takes over.
Tomaszkiewicz also details Rebel Wolves’ approach to storytelling, which he likens to a «narrative sandbox.» If you’re an avid immersive sim fan like me, you’ll probably be excited by this terminology. He explains that every objective in The Blood of Dawnwalker has multiple outcomes depending on how you approach it.
«Some players might embrace their vampire side and give in to its temptations. Others might cling to their humanity and reject the monster within,» Tomaszkiewicz writes. «You can align with the human rebellion or finish the game without ever meeting them. You can take the fight to Brencis [the antagonist] at any time, choosing from multiple paths to do so.»
The Blood of Dawnwalker is set to release next year, though no date has been specified.
