As promised earlier this month, Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco Entertainment have released a lengthy gameplay overview for the action RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker in which the studio’s CD Projekt roots were very clear. Gamers were shown combat both as a human and as a vampire, as well as the different approaches to quests depending on the time of day.

The footage was captured on PC from the game’s latest pre-beta build without any additional post-capture cleanup. It already looks very good, though. After fighting some bandits, protagonist Coen enters the region’s largest city, Svartrau, showing a bustling town fairly reminiscent of Novigrad from The Witcher III: Wild Hunt.

One of the key features of The Blood of Dawnwalker is the stark contrast between day and night: bustling medieval life masks the influence of a vampire regime during the day, while moonlit rooftops reveal hidden secrets at night. Moreover, as a Dawnwalker, Coen is neither fully human nor entirely vampire. During the day, he can wield a sword and use magical runes in the form of bloody scars etched onto his skin, although this kind of magic comes at a cost: it siphons off a portion of Coen’s health.

During the night, Coen embraces his supernatural instincts and unlocks an entirely new set of powers. His nocturnal abilities include lethal vampiric claws and Shadowstep, a skill that allows him to navigate across rooftops swiftly. At nighttime, Coen must also constantly grapple with his relentless bloodlust. During gameplay, visual cues help players to assist Coen in satisfying his hunger in various ways, such as drinking the blood of foes (including vampires, innocent villagers, and animals) or using special blood vials.

If he remains unsatisfied, not only will this craving weaken his abilities and vitality, but it may also cause him to lose control in critical moments and unintentionally kill an important character in the story. This wouldn’t be the end of the game, though; one of the core tenets laid out by Rebel Wolves is that of the narrative sandbox, where there is no difference between main and side quests, and each consequence of the player’s actions will simply push the story forward, albeit in a different direction.

The Polish developers also revealed that The Blood of the Dawnwalker uses a For Honor-like directional combat system (albeit with four directions) designed to bring cinematic intensity and tactical challenge to every confrontation. Players must study enemy movements, block precisely, and time their counterattacks well to perform seamless, strategic takedowns.

The overview ends with Coen’s confrontation with one of the vampire bosses, Xanthe, which ends badly for the player character. Rebel Wolves noted that players can take on the bosses, even the final one, relatively early on if they so choose, but they will be extremely challenging. The game runs on a sort of timer because Coen has only 30 days to save his family, although the developers said it’s more like a resource than an actual countdown.

Lastly, Rebel Wolves and Bandai Namco confirmed that The Blood of Dawnwalker will be released in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X.