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The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new RPG from former Witcher devs, is ‘X-Files in the Middle Ages’

Originally posted on Video Games on SI
By Josh Broadwell | Last updated Jan 13, 2025 5:09 PM ET

Rebel Wolves, a studio comprised of former CD Projekt Red staff, revealed their debut project, an RPG called Blood of the Dawnwalker that they describe as “X-Files in the Middle Ages.” It’s a lot of other things as well, including medieval vampire fanfiction and a non-linear narrative that sounds like something Arkane could’ve cooked up – well, if Xbox hadn’t closed one of its studios, anyway.

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Dawnwalker is what the main character, Coen, is, a creature halfway between being a vampire and a human who gets to walk around under the sun and still drink blood and have cool vampire powers. Rebel Wolves’ RPG takes place in the 15th-century Carpathian Mountains, in a valley ravaged by plague and famine. A horde of vampires, waiting for an opportunity when their prey was at its weakest, sweeps in, overthrows the feudal lords, and closes off the valley, while their leader, an elder vampire named Brencis, positions himself as a messianic figure.

The vampires co-opt Christian symbolism to make the transition easier for all the peasants to accept, including the Blood Mass, a weekly ritual where folks offer their blood in taxation to the vampire overlords. It sounds grim, but, Rebel Wolves says, a lot of people are pretty happy with it. Brencis is a go-getter who gets the job done, and even Coen is okay with things, since the vampires save his little sister, Lunka.

And then he’s not, after Brencis decides to take Coen’s family captive. The Dawnwalker has 30 days and 30 nights – which, for the record, is the same thing as 30 days – to save them. It sounds like standard dark fantasy action up to this point, but Rebel Wolves has some surprises in store.

Blood of the Dawnwalker has no main quests, no set path Coen has to take to rescue his family. It just has quests and dozens of possible ways he might succeed and probably four dozen more than he might fail. You might team up with a local group of malcontents to overthrow Brencis, befriend other horrors of the valley, comply with the overlords, or whatever else you think is a worthwhile path to pursue.

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The X-Files descriptor Rebel Wolves used comes from how they created this alternate version of an Eastern European settlement on the brink of ruin. It blends elements of realism – gothic architecture, for example – with fantasy, such as occult rituals and other forbidden arts, and it has a different view of magic than most fantasy stories. Instead of wizards and fireballs, you get strange natural phenomenon, such as the northern lights appearing in the south, or paranormal happenings.

You’ll have to contend with Coen’s vampire-ness as well. He feels blood hunger at some point, and if you ignore or suppress it, he might lose control and devour the nearest person, even if it’s his best friend. So much for hanging out next weekend, and so much for the quest that person had to offer.

Completing important actions, such as quests, takes time, so while you’re free to pursue the primary objective as you see fit, you can’t do everything in one go and have to plan wisely. Rebel Wolves said Brencis reacts to your actions as well and throws different obstacles at Coen during his adventure, but didn’t elaborate much on that.

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The full stream isn't on YouTube yet, but you can watch it on Twitch. Expect more details when Rebel Wolves debuts its Blood of Dawnwalker gameplay trailer in summer 2025.

This article first appeared on Video Games on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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