After directing one of the most beloved RPGs of all time in The Witcher 3 and producing one of the most hated (until it was patched and became a banger) RPGs ever in Cyberpunk 2077, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz formed the new studio Rebel Wolves. The studio is teaming up with The Witcher 3 publisher Bandai Namco to release the vampire-flavored RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker. And while the team could stick to what they know and make another Witcher-style experience, creating something unique is a top priority for Rebel Wolves.
The Blood of the Dawnwalker features a protagonist who is cursed with vampirism. However, rather than exploding in the sunlight (or sparkling) like a typical vampire, Coen is limited to the power of a mere human while gaining the powers of the supernatural at night time. Creating a character akin to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde turned into a priority for the team.
Speaking to PC Gamer, The Blood of Dawnwalker director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, said, "It's somehow interesting, this duality of the hero, which we know from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for example. It's something in pop culture that is well-known and wasn't yet explored in games. It gives you a different layer to those no-realities, and I think it would be quite interesting because nobody yet has done that. And we will see how people will like it."
- The Witcher 3 director says he left CDPR to make his own open-world vampire game because "those rules of RPGs" can be bent and "a smaller team is capable of doing more"
- Blood of Dawnwalker devs explain how the vampire RPG's "narrative sandbox" builds on what they were "known for crafting" in games like The Witcher 3
However, the classic novel wasn’t the only inspiration behind Coen’s shortcomings in his human form. Tomaszkiewicz revealed that creating a game that didn’t make the player a superhero at all times informed this approach to character design. "I felt that I wanted to do a game which would not be a game about a normal superhero, which we know from Marvel movies and so on. It's hard to do those stories because you are [just] stronger and stronger and stronger." Adding, "I searched for an idea for the hero, which would be near the ground - or grounded - and needed to solve things in a different way."
However, that superhero aspect was still somewhat important, with Tomaszkiewicz going on to say, "I wanted to give some kind of superhero to the players." which gave way to the vampire abilities, which come out at night.
The Blood of Dawnwalker doesn’t have a release date at the moment, so why not check out our list of the best RPGs that you can play right now to tide you over?
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