Rebel Wolves studio continues to reveal details about The Blood of Dawnwalker. As it turned out from a new interview with Game Informer, the project's structure will differ from traditional Western RPGs and will resemble the approach of the latest installments of The Legend of Zelda series — Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Instead of a long chain of mandatory story missions, the player will be given one main goal — to save the family of the main character, Coen. To do this, they must storm the castle of a powerful vampire and defeat him. As lead quest designer Rafał Jankowski explained, there are no additional requirements for this, so technically almost all other stories in the game are considered optional. However, the developers did not specifically clarify whether the final boss can indeed be defeated at the very beginning of the playthrough with sufficient skill.
Obviously, most players will still have to explore the world and gain strength first. That's why almost all quests in the game are formally considered "side quests," although in reality they are closely related to each other and affect the overall playthrough. Game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz compared this approach to tabletop RPGs:
"Almost every quest in the game feels like a side quest, but they all have immense significance. They form a cohesive experience, bringing the project closer to tabletop RPGs where the game master adapts to your decisions. In our game, you determine the path to achieving your goal."
By completing these quests, Coen will be able to learn enemy weaknesses, seek allies for the castle siege, and develop abilities. The situation is complicated by a dynamic time system: hours and days advance depending on the player's actions, reminiscent of Persona's calendar structure. The developers emphasize that it will be physically impossible to see all content in a single playthrough.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is scheduled for release on September 3, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.