The Blood of Dawnwalker at Gamescom 2025: Why This Vampire RPG Has Us Absolutely Hooked

Rebel Wolves (yeah, those ex-Witcher devs) have cooked up something genuinely interesting here. Set in 14th-century Europe during the Black Death, you play as Coen – a “Dawnwalker” who’s basically stuck between being human and vampire. The twist? Your abilities completely change depending on whether it’s day or night.

Day vs Night: More Than Just a Gimmick

During nighttime, Coen can literally walk on walls like some medieval Spider-Man, teleport through shadows, and tear enemies apart with claws. But when the sun comes up? Those vampire powers vanish, and suddenly you’re relying on swords, magic, and good old-fashioned detective work.

I watched the same quest played twice – once at night, once during the day – and the approaches were completely different. Night version had Coen scaling cathedral walls like a supernatural ninja. Day version? He’s chatting with monks and investigating an asylum like some medieval Sherlock Holmes. Both paths led to the same goal, but the journey felt entirely unique.

Combat That Actually Matters

The fighting system caught my attention because it’s not just button-mashing. There’s directional blocking (think Kingdom Come: Deliverance) and the gore is absolutely brutal. When Coen’s in vampire mode, limbs are flying everywhere. As a human, it’s more tactical sword work with magic spells thrown in.

Plus, that “Voracious Bite” ability isn’t just for show – it’s actually useful for healing during combat, which adds a nice risk-reward element.

The World Feels Alive (Or Undead)

What really impressed me was how the world reacts to your choices. Every quest you take pushes time forward, and your family’s countdown timer keeps ticking. You literally cannot save everyone, which adds real weight to your decisions. It’s refreshing to see consequences that actually matter instead of the usual “pick dialogue option A or B” nonsense.

The Carpathian mountain setting looks gorgeous too, especially with that Unreal Engine 5 lighting. Those cathedral interiors with moonlight streaming through stained glass? Chef’s kiss

Bottom Line

The Blood of Dawnwalker is shaping up to be way more ambitious than I initially thought. Sure, it’s got that Witcher DNA, but the day/night transformation mechanic and meaningful time pressure system set it apart from the pack.

With a 2026 release date, there’s still plenty of time for polish. But based on what we saw at Gamescom 2025, Rebel Wolves might just have something special brewing in those medieval shadows.