Across its first five hours or so, The Blood of Dawnwalker came very close to convincing me that it could be the next genre-conquering RPG.
The vampiric debut from developer Rebel Wolves, Dawnwalker starts surprisingly strong, flaunting all of the intrigue and role-playing promise that you'd expect from a team that was once heavily involved with The Witcher 3.
But as much as it pains me to say it, the game never quite maintains its early momentum; its potential is ultimately scuppered by a number of issues, although I do think that it's a solid story-led experience overall — especially if you're in the mood for some emotionally-charged vampire fiction.
You play as Coen, a young village lad who's being suffocated by his family's plight. Haunted by past traumas, his mother's weakened mental state provides a morbidly grounded basis for the story's beginnings, and it's hard not to be caught up in the horror of it all.
To make matters (much) worse, Coen's community, and the surrounding valley of Vale Sangora, is under the rule of an ancient vampire and his ruthless army.
The twist here is that the undead overlord, Brencis, is widely hailed as a saviour. Not only did he overthrow the land's previous ruler — an undeniable despot — he also used his cursed blood to cure the plague that was ravaging the population.
But when Brencis comes to town, you better be ready to offer up some of your own blood in exchange for his continued protection. With an unholy mass taking place after dark, Coen and his family are expected to attend — but his mother's ongoing illness puts her under intense scrutiny. After all, the vampires have no need of "weak" blood.
If you're sat there thinking "damn, this sounds like one hell of a narrative setup", then you'd be right. As far as prologues go, it's deeply intriguing, and on a mechanical level, it does a nice job of teaching you the ropes.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/the-blood-of-dawnwalker
