In early September, The Blood of Dawnwalker, a vampire action RPG from the game director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, was released on PC and consoles. The new game sparked controversy in the gaming community because the developers decided to use a mechanic with a timer and a time limit: the counter advances when certain actions are performed.
Not everyone appreciated this idea, so soon after the release of The Blood of Dawnwalker, a mod appeared that extended the timer and the time of day. Larian Studios Publishing Director Michael Douse almost finished the game and decided to share his thoughts on social media — he doesn't understand the controversy surrounding the timer.
In his opinion, this time limit is one of the main advantages of The Blood of Dawnwalker:
I am surprised by any negative reaction to the 'time mechanic.' It is a flawlessly woven narrative tool that cleverly disguises the fact that this game should not be played like The Witcher (it simply isn't designed for that approach).
The timer mechanic encourages a conscious approach to decision-making, rather than clearing the entire map while postponing some tasks.
Michael Douse is close to the end of The Blood of Dawnwalker. He compared the atmosphere to Legacy of Kain, which he encountered in his childhood: “It’s an amazing journey, steeped in gothic atmosphere and with brilliant antagonists.”
He would like Rebel Wolves studio to lean even more into gothic tones in The Blood of Dawnwalker sequel:
The world they've created, where humans and vampires coexist amidst socio-fantasy conflicts in the vein of low fantasy, is perfectly suited for an RPG series. Obviously, this won't be a game series where Cohen has 30 days to solve some problem. Aside from scale issues, I see a dozen ways Dawnwalker can become a truly massive and brilliant project. I fully and completely support these guys.