gamehuntersupdatetipsandtricshub: The Blood of Dawnwalker Review

Human by day and vampire by night, Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco‘s open world RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker has arrived right before the September game onslaught.

See whether this dark fantasy title is worth checking out with our review…

The Blood of Dawnwalker Review

Following the Story of Coen, The Blood of Dawnwalker tells how this hero is trying to save his family from the valley’s vampire scourge.

Everything is peaceful from the offset – except for the vampires being in charge, of course. Players will go around, doing chores, collecting herbs for mother, and coming home before Mass.

As it turns out, every adult has to attend Mass – or face the penalty of death. It’s at Mass where the vampires take a little blood from everyone, deciding if the cattle need to be culled or not.

It’s at this Mass that the people of the village have finally had enough.

Coen, his father, and the other villagers decide to raid the silver mine to make silver weapons and fight back. You’re found out almost instantly, and the vampires rip everyone apart except for you and your kin.

While Coen’s family is spared, he is then turned into a vampire – and your father has to watch. Failing to save him, his family is taken to the castle. From there, players are given 30 days to rescue them.

Better get to work.

The day-night cycle of The Blood of Dawnwalker will appeal to a select type of player.

Quests, events, digging up treasure, and other activities net players skill points – but all take time to complete. Each day and night cycle features eight time segments to use; finishing one side switches to the other.

As a result, this system feels unnecessary and restrictive. It makes sense to use both the vampire and human Coen, but choosing would be preferable.

To be clear, 30 days was way more than enough. Having six days left to face the big bad, I was JACKED.

For those that enjoy the time cycle system, the combat in The Blood of Dawnwalker is well worth the fight.

Providing a LIGHT mix of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Batman: Arkham Asylum elements, combat utilizes angles (via the analog stick) to hit and block.

As a result, The Blood of Dawnwalker’s combat flow is truly incredible.

Coen can use basic attacks to open enemies up for your Witchcraft or Vampire skills; when an enemy comes to attack, a marker appears that shows which side they hit from. Block that, and the enemy is wide open for a counter.

This primarily works, because the block takes priority. If I’m swinging and then hit block, Coen blocks.

While a simple concept, The Blood of Dawnwalker’s combat provides a rare quality that shines bright.

Fighting in this title also depends on whether it’s day or night. Vampire Coen gets claws to use and can warp, drain blood, and turn into a wolf. There’s a bit more savagery to the night fights; more of a brutish smashing and ripping than the controlled human.

During the day, Coen uses swords or fists, alongside the aforementioned Witchcraft. This provides blood magic to talk to the dead, heal, stun enemies, or do damage in combat.

It’s a testament to the combat system that I enjoy playing both day and night Coen, though Witchcraft cannot be used in vampire form.

There’s a lot to see in The Blood of Dawnwalker’s open world, but it occasionally taps into the formulaic Ubisoft formula. Players will go to the marker, do the job or find the loot, and move to the next marker. There are even towers to climb to find things in the distance!

While not a bad system, it does mean certain elements can be skipped.

The Blood of Dawnwalker also features a staggering amount of loot. Not quite Nioh or Diablo levels – but pretty close.

I think for this type of game, the “less is more” option should apply.

Side content in The Blood of Dawnwalker includes quests, challenges, treasure hunts, and even hidden NPCs and merchants.

The advantage to having all this loot comes from its sheer weapon and armor combo variety. Find something you really like? Get it upgraded and keep using it.

However, each time I did a quest or event, I was always aware of the time, leading to skipped items I hoped would be there later.

It can be frustrating, to say the least.

Do note that The Blood of Dawnwalker is coming in red-hot…

Frame drops, bugs, and crashes were commonplace throughout the review period, and while I never lost a save, the title froze during a big boss battle.

That being said, a huge patch for The Blood of Dawnwalker is planned. When this title works, it’s akin to The Witcher and The Witcher 2. Rebel Wolves’ next release could very well be akin to the highly acclaimed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

While The Blood of Dawnwalker and its dark fantasy vampire setting is well worth exploring, best wait for a few patches before exploring its vast open world.

The Blood of Dawnwalker

Reviewed On: PlayStation 5 (A digital code was provided)
Release Date: September 3, 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (via Steam)
Developer: Rebel Wolves
Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment