The Blood of the Dawnwalker’s New Trailer Explains Its Biggest Gameplay Mechanics
Developer Rebel Wolves has released what is essentially the best trailer to introduce players to their new open world RPG game The Blood of the Dawnwalker, as this six-minuter video covers all the key systems and even the overall plot.
Day and Night Completely Change How you Play
At first glance, The Blood of the Dawnwalker felt like the typical open world action RPG, but I didn’t realize just how much player choice. I also didn’t expect how differently the game plays during the day and at night, or that the protagonist has a limited amount of time to save his family, which serves as the story’s initial objective.
You play as Coen, a Dawnwalker who can roam the world as a human during the, but become a vampire, the same monsters that now rule the region. Day combat consists of you casting spells and hexes, while at night you get to use your vampiric abilities.
The trailer also shows how massive the world is, but thankfully, simply exploring doesn’t advance time. Instead, time only progresses when completing quests or unlocking abilities. That’s a smart decision because a strict timer can easily discourage exploration in an open world game. Player’s aren’t constantly pressured to rush ahead and can instead decided when they’re ready to move the story forward.
The 30-day timer also isn’t a game over. Even if you fail to save Coen’s family in time, the story continues. It’s not an all-or-nothing objective, just the first major goal, it seems. I also like that certain opportunities and choices disappear as time passes, giving the game plenty of replay value.
These systems have me intrigued enough to keep an eye on The Blood of the Dawnwalker when it launches on September 3. It’s Rebel Wolves’ first game as a studio, and with it being built in Unreal Engine 5, I hope it avoids the technical issues that have plagued other large-scale UE5 titles. The game will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
About the Author - Carlos Hernandez
Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.
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