Rebel Wolves' debut title The Blood of Dawnwalker released on September 3 to a compact 20-hour dark fantasy RPG that reviewers described as dense and Witcher 3-like. The Japanese version's expression censorship drew user backlash and slowed the game's domestic popularity growth.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is the first game from Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by former The Witcher 3 developers. The open-world dark fantasy action RPG released on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game stars Coen, a young man who becomes a Dawnwalker, human by day and vampire by night, after his village is attacked by the vampire lord Brencis. Coen has 30 days and 30 nights to rescue his family before Brencis's coronation, and time advances only when the player makes significant choices.
A media preview on July 7, 2026 showed the first four hours of play and an interview with narrative director Jakub Szamałek. The design lets players approach the main goal freely, including storming the castle on day one. Combat uses a directional system where blocking and attacking in the right direction conserves stamina. The vampire form offers teleportation and bloodsucking, but bloodlust can trigger urges to bite and kill NPCs, including those Coen has built close relationships with. It is the first entry in a planned multi-title saga.
A trailer at Summer Game Fest 2026 on June 6 confirmed the September release date and showed cutscenes and combat in both the 14th-century setting and a modern era. After release, a review said the main story can be completed in about 20 hours, praising its density and Witcher 3-like feel. The Japanese version's expression censorship drew user backlash and slower popularity growth.
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2d ago
Bandai Namco Entertainment and Rebel Wolves released Update 1.1 for The Blood of Dawnwalker on October 22, 2026. The patch removes the restrictions on blood and gore expressions in the Japanese version distributed on Steam, and it restores the game's opening, which had been cut entirely under those restrictions. A skill reset function arrives through a potion called Spirit Rebirth Medicine, and players can now pet animals in the game. The patch also adds a lower difficulty setting with combat assists, plus subtitle font size and full subtitle options. Frame generation settings were updated, and combat animations, camera work, aiming, lock-on, and the responsiveness of Shadowstep and Planeshift were adjusted. The same gore changes for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are scheduled for early 2027, per the developers' earlier announcement.
Oct 6
Game Spark's review of The Blood of Dawnwalker, the debut title from Rebel Wolves, released September 3, calls it a compact dark fantasy RPG that can be completed in about 20 hours on the main story. The reviewer praises its density and Witcher 3-like feel, but notes the Japanese version's expression censorship drew user backlash and slower popularity growth.
Jul 7
Rebel Wolves, the studio founded by former CD Projekt RED developers, and Bandai Namco Entertainment held a media preview for their debut title "The Blood of Dawnwalker" on July 7, 2026. The open-world dark fantasy action RPG launches on September 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Narrative director Jakub Szamałek gave an interview alongside hands-on play sessions of the first four hours. The game stars Coen, a young man who becomes a Dawnwalker-human by day and vampire by night-after his village is attacked by the vampire lord Brencis. Coen has 30 days and 30 nights to rescue his family before Brencis's coronation. Time advances only when the player makes significant choices, not during exploration or combat. The "narrative sandbox" design allows players to approach the main goal freely, including the possibility of storming the castle on day one. Combat uses a directional system where blocking and attacking in the right direction conserves stamina. The vampire form offers powerful abilities like teleportation and bloodsucking, but bloodlust can trigger uncontrollable urges to bite and kill NPCs, even those with whom Coen has built close relationships. The game is the first entry in a planned multi-title saga spanning centuries.
Jun 5
Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco Entertainment released a new trailer for the action RPG 'The Blood of Dawnwalker' during Summer Game Fest 2026 on June 6. The game is set in 14th-century Europe and follows Cohen, a half-vampire who lives as a human by day and a vampire by night. The trailer showed new cutscenes, combat action, and footage of the protagonist consuming blood packs and transforming into a monster. It also depicted scenes from both the modern era and the 14th century, including various monsters and human fighters. 'The Blood of Dawnwalker' is scheduled for release on September 3, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The story is said to change based on player actions. The game is an open-world dark fantasy RPG developed by Rebel Wolves, a studio founded by former 'The Witcher 3' developers.