The Blood of Dawnwalker Prologue Preview

The Blood of Dawn Walkers prologue features sword fights, tomb exploration, villager rescues, vampire confrontations, and eventually becoming a vampire. A recent 80-minute developer playthrough in Warsaw showcased the opening CGI cinematic to the catalyst event of this RPG. While the full demonstration cannot be shown, the prologue, though less interesting than previous mid-game footage, sets up the story and provides tutorials. It starts simply, depicting a typical day for an unremarkable peasant, Cohen, who will soon become a superpowered bloodsucker. Cohen's cursed existence begins with his father's request to find medicinal herbs for his sick mother. However, the game's narrative sandbox design allows players to ignore this and other mandatory quests. Instead, a sundown deadline for an ominous "blood mass" is given. Players can complete various tasks, each costing a segment of an eight-part time bar. Running out of time triggers the blood mass, regardless of completed tasks. This prologue is a miniaturized version of the full campaign, where players have 30 days and nights to save their family from vampires, with quests chosen entirely by them. The developer ignored the herb quest, instead exploring the plague-stricken village for other opportunities, such as signing up to find a missing brother and rescuing a farmer's prized pig. These seemingly simple quests, like finding a lost animal, reveal a dark twist: the farmer asks if the player wants to butcher the rescued pig. This dark humor and consequential design are hallmarks of the game, created by former Witcher 3 director and ex-CD Projekt Red talent. Even small quests have grizzly repercussions, and ignoring them also has significant dramatic resolutions. The prologue promises that all actions, and inactions, across the 50-70 hour journey have consequences. Players don't have time to help everyone, making choices impactful. This design, a deep evolution of Persona's timekeeping system, creates a desperate, reactive world. While some introductory quests might feel cliché, they are given a "CD Projekt Red-coded spin" with reactivity. The wider narrative, however, is more engaging, especially by sundown at the church ceremony, which blends Catholic and vampire mythology. By the prologue's end, Cohen transforms into a vampire with blood-fueled abilities. The game’s appeal lies in its storytelling and time mechanics, but its physical combat also shows promise. Cohen is a hybrid of The Witcher's Geralt and Dishonored's Corvo, with abilities like shadow step and plane shift. Combat blends The Witcher 3 with directional swordplay from Kingdom Come: Deliverance, requiring manual blade angle adjustments for blocking and attacking. An omnidirectional guard simplifies combat at the cost of stamina. Active abilities, like throwing dirt, resemble Assassin's Creed. While combat looked dull as an observer, it might feel absorbing as a participant. Despite some initial reservations about the prologue's introductory quests, the demonstration reaffirms confidence in Rebel Wolves' ambition. The prologue effectively establishes a dark medieval world that bends to player choices and sets the stage for Cohen's dual journey as man and vampire. The depth of the day-night narrative sandbox and the multitude of opportunities for both sides of Cohen, previously shown, make The Blood of Dawn Walker