There’s an excited power at Rise up Wolves’ Warsaw studio. For the primary time since Gamescom 2025, the improvement workforce is appearing off a longer reside demo of its vampire-laden, open-world RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, because it nears unencumber on PS5 September 3.
Inside of mins of the in depth presentation it’s simple to look why they’re so passionate. The demo’s prologue doesn’t prolong its promise of a brutal 14th century Europe. Our first advent to the sport’s protagonist, Coen, is him making an attempt to give protection to his Black Dying inflamed sister Lunka from an unjust execution, handiest to seek out themselves stored through robust vampire lord Brencis and his fatal undead lieutenants.
After being pressured to drink Brencis’ blood, Lunka makes a startling restoration… nevertheless it alerts a brand new rule of terror as Coen’s Carpathian Mountains village is pressured to pay an ordinary ‘blood tax’. Vampiric coverage in trade for his or her human blood. And the vulnerable or insubordinate are briefly made an instance of. During the disastrous occasions of the village looking to unfastened itself from Brencis’ rule – I gained’t break it right here – Coen is afflicted with the vampire curse and left for useless, his circle of relatives taken.
The stakes of time power
Coen handiest has 30 days and nights to save lots of his kinfolk. For you, that implies each and every primary motion you’re taking ticks the clock ahead – some facet quests, sure discussion alternatives, or even studying specific skills to populate his ability tree have a visual time value. For a sport which includes a large global filled with caves, mines, settlements, swamps and hidden paths to discover, in addition to attention-grabbing other people in quest of lend a hand, the cut-off date would possibly really feel nervousness inducing, however the dev workforce closely examined the gadget to verify it doesn’t prohibit you.
“We don’t need to punish you for doing stuff,” says Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, CEO and sport director. “So we aimed to get it to the very best level the place you’re no longer stressed out in regards to the time, however nonetheless really feel that this large match is coming nearer and nearer.”
“You’ll have the ability to whole a majority of the sport earlier than the time runs out,” has the same opinion Inventive Director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz. “And it’s no longer essentially a sport over when it occurs. There are penalties [for running out of time], however the sport strikes on.”
At the turn facet, whenever you get to a definite level within the tale, you’ll be able to come to a decision to move immediately to Brencis if you wish to have, quite than have interaction with any of the numerous different portions of the sport, despite the fact that clearly the problem can be some distance sharper. “In some way it made most of the sport’s tales non-compulsory,” says Rafał Jankowski, lead quest clothier. “So we have been in a position to incorporate many various endings and answers to these tales, all which will nonetheless assist you to end the sport at a definite level.”
Each and every selection comes with a price
Naturally, penalties are an enormous a part of The Blood of Dawnwalker. This isn’t a marvel given a number of participants of the now 160+ sturdy workforce are former staffers of CD Projekt RED who labored on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, however the time mechanic provides an additional stage of spice.
Within the demo, Coen is given quite a few quests to accomplish, one is to clutch therapeutic herbs for his mom’s illness, and every other is to lend a hand the villager Gremla. You’ll tackle many goals concurrently, or forget about them in favour of different quests or movements. The result of your alternatives on this specific side turn into transparent in Brencis’ newest black mass, the place Gremla is savagely strung up, and mom Esme killed.
Whether or not it’s a minor or primary NPC who dies, the sport continues, leaving you with its ramifications. One thing to absorb thoughts given Coen has a blood starvation meter. When you let it get too low, he’s ate up through insatiable starvation, its black tendrils noticeable even if speaking to an NPC, turning each and every discussion choice right into a juddering pink ‘Give in to the starvation’, which can’t be refused.
“This wasn’t within the sport from the beginning,” finds Mateusz. “It emerged organically, and it simply are compatible the formulation so smartly it feels love it used to be all the time there. That being a part of the narrative sandbox used to be a large problem as it’s so open ended, nevertheless it’s price it since you get a a lot more attention-grabbing sport.”’
In search of morality with… pigs?
Pleasant Coen’s bloodlust isn’t limited to people. From deer, to bears, to packs of wolves, Konrad says you’ll be able to feed on all of the animals you stumble upon, which would possibly motive fewer issues than you killing off the most important NPC or one of the crucial many allies you’ll be able to befriend that can assist you on your quest. That stated, some allies will betray you, and don’t be expecting a lot of your alternatives to come back with out sun shades of gray. “The participant has a large number of company however we love to discover advanced other people with advanced personalities,” says Mateusz.
As a mild hearted thematic instance, an early facet quest will provide you with the risk to discover a villager’s cherished pig, the usage of a to hand center of attention mode to look her tracks and footprints within the dust. Returning the pig finds the villager’s intent to slaughter her, supplying you with the number of becoming a member of in, declining, and even purchasing the pig to save lots of her bacon, so long as you could have the coin.
Sprucing your talents by means of the tree
The workforce could also be prepared to fret that Coen’s stories as a vampire at evening are very other to his adventure as a human all over the day, with particular NPCs and quests handiest to be had at sure instances, and obtrusive variations in skills. His ability tree is composed of 3 primary branches, each and every with passive and energetic upgrades: witchcraft for the sunlight hours, vampiric powers for the evening, and sword combating overlapping each.
“Some skills are even locked at the back of a particular vampiric blood,” explains Mateusz. “In our lore, while you turn into a vampire you get your individual distinctive mutation or energy. And you’ll be able to have multiple. So if you happen to drain every other vampire, you then thieve theirs.”
However if you wish to depend at the virtues of sharpened metal, simply as a lot trying out and idea has been given to the sport’s directional fight, leading to customisable choices for each hardcore motion lovers and extra story-focused gamers. From the demo, it seemed fluid and intuitive, with transparent markers for incoming attacks to lend a hand block and parry timing, and pink skulls marking unblockable assaults – as demonstrated through The Forgotten Mother or father, a lumbering armoured skeleton mini-boss roaming a dank underground damage.
The long run seems vivid
Even after its long demo, it used to be transparent Rise up Wolves used to be protecting so much underneath wraps. As an example, when requested in regards to the climate gadget within the sport and the way it interacts with the characters and atmosphere, Konrad smiled, announcing he’d desire the gamers to find that for themselves. Likewise with the selection of more than one endings and the level of characters and monsters you’ll be able to meet, which faucet into Slavic fantasy and legend, in addition to medieval historical past.
Even so, Konrad finds that for some workforce participants the sport is recently taking the rest from 55 to 70 hours to finish, so be expecting an epic journey that explores how a lot we’re prepared to sacrifice to save lots of those we like. And the starvation to craft a story which leaves an enduring mark on gamers doesn’t forestall with this one. “The Blood of Dawnwalker isn’t the endpoint, it’s an foundation tale,” smiles Konrad. “We have now already deliberate its story throughout the ages. That is handiest the start.”
Look forward to much more data to come back to mild from Rise up Wolves as The Blood of Dawnwalker stalks ever nearer to its undead release on PlayStation 5 September 3.
