As we introduced throughout the latest Xbox Video games Showcase, our staff at Insurgent Wolves is engaged on our debut single-player, story-driven sport: The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Following the reveal, I need to shed some gentle on the important thing components that make this sport actually ours, from the setting and plot, by our distinctive storytelling method which we name the Narrative Sandbox, to gameplay programs.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is about to launch in 2026, and also you’ll be seeing extra of it within the coming months. However for now — let’s dive into the world we’re constructing.
The Story
Our sport takes place in Vale Sangora: a fictional, distant valley tucked someplace within the Carpathian Mountains of Japanese Europe. And whereas The Blood of Dawnwalker is a piece of fiction, real-world historical past performs a key position within the narrative.
The outdated continent and its individuals are in dire form. Fourteenth-century Europe was already ravaged by brutal wars, nevertheless it was the Black Dying that really introduced civilization to its knees. It decimated the inhabitants and left complete areas in a state of collapse. And whereas the plague was a disaster of unprecedented scale, for some it offered a chance that couldn’t be ignored. One in all them was Brencis, a vampire who emerges from the shadows, overthrows the native lord Skender, and seizes energy in Vale Sangora.
However even a robust vampire is aware of brute pressure isn’t sufficient to keep up energy. To win the individuals over, he presents them one thing nobody else can: a treatment. Utilizing the properties of vampiric blood, he saves them from the plague.
On the heart of the narrative is Coen, our protagonist. A younger man became a dawnwalker: human by day, vampire by night time, destined (or cursed?) to perpetually stroll the road between these two worlds. His aim is easy: to save lots of the individuals he loves. Even when it means utilizing the very powers he as soon as feared, the powers of a vampire.
The Vampires
From the beginning, our aim was to make each of Coen’s varieties, human and vampire, equally partaking, enjoyable, and significant to play. Every brings distinctive skills and influences the world, quests, and story in numerous methods.
In the case of vampires, we needed to honor the basic imaginative and prescient – the elegant “the Aristocracy” of the night time, whereas additionally introducing some twists that make our vampires stand out in additional distinct, generally unsettling methods.
To show a human, a vampire should pull out one in every of their enamel and pierce the guts of their chosen goal. This ritual is one in every of our greatest modifications to vampire lore and it performs a vital position in Coen’s transformation right into a dawnwalker. In his case, although, one thing went flawed. I gained’t spoil the main points, however the penalties of that second may have far-reaching implications effectively past the borders of Vale Sangora.
The Narrative Sandbox
We needed to present gamers as a lot management over the narrative as attainable — a transparent goal, however many paths to attain it. That, to us, is the distinctive energy of video video games as a storytelling medium: participant company. The way in which the sport adapts to your actions.
Your process in The Blood of Dawnwalker is to save lots of Coen’s household, however the way you do it’s as much as you. Put merely: as soon as the prologue ends, the world opens up — not simply when it comes to traversal, but additionally narrative. There’s a significant aim forward of you, however some ways to get there.
Some gamers would possibly embrace their vampire facet and provides in to its temptations. Others would possibly cling to their humanity and reject the monster inside. You may align with the human rebel or finish the sport with out ever assembly them. You may take the fight to Brencis at any time, selecting from a number of paths to take action.
This open, player-driven method is what we name the narrative sandbox. It’s the philosophy on the core of our storytelling.
The Fight
Coen educated for years along with his father, a grizzled warfare veteran, so throughout the day he wields a sword. We studied medieval fighting kinds and also have a few educated swordsmen on the staff. The result’s fight that feels genuine and grounded, but approachable and enjoyable.
As a human, he additionally learns tips on how to use magic — uncooked, ritual-based, with darkish, primordial origins. We’re not going the excessive fantasy route with colourful explosions. Our spells are darker and grounded — tied to blood, warmth, and air that appears to pulse and breathe. The visuals may be hanging, however in a extra visceral, eerie method. To solid a spell, you first should actually open up your physique to the occult by carving runes and changing into a dwelling conduit. Magic flows by you.
At night time although, these runes seal shut as your flesh regenerates. They fade, like outdated scars. As a substitute, your vampiric nature awakens. You’ll fight with claws, enhanced energy, supernatural agility, and darkish powers obtainable solely after sundown. However these powers come at a value: your humanity. Coen’s vampiric Blood Craving comes into play: a system that ties his well being stage and his starvation. When shedding well being, Coen is prone to shedding management over his vampire nature, which may even result in involuntary draining an NPC that you just work together with, locking you out from some dialogue choices and even quest traces as his darkish instincts take over.
I may go on and on about The Blood of Dawnwalker, however let’s cease right here for now. Thanks for taking the time to examine our imaginative and prescient for this story-driven RPG. And in order for you a deeper look, we’ve acquired a particular Gameplay Reveal Occasion taking place on June 21, proper on the Summer season Solstice. You’ll see prolonged footage from the sport, together with fight, exploration, magic, and rather more. Head to dawnwalkergame.com for all the main points.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Bandai Namco Leisure Europe S.A.S.
14th-century Europe. Bloody conflicts sweep the lands, and the Black Dying comes for the survivors. It is a second of weak point – and that is all they wanted. Vampires seize their alternative to stroll out of the shadows and declare what they have been denied for hundreds of years: freedom, and the facility that comes with it. Different creatures of the night time comply with their lead. Legends flip into actuality, and historical past as we all know it is going to by no means be the identical.
You play as Coen, a younger man became a Dawnwalker, perpetually treading the road between the world of day and the realm of night time. Battle to your humanity or embrace the cursed powers to save lots of your loved ones. No matter your selection, the query stands: is your soul definitely worth the lives of these you like?
Recreation Options
Make The Story Your Personal – Expertise and form the plot the best way you need. Embark on the search to save lots of your loved ones, or swear revenge in your sire and destroy everybody standing in your method. Uncover historical secrets and techniques lurking within the valley. Rush in head first or danger taking time to organize. Go alone or seek for pals and forge unlikely alliances.
Day And Night time – Expertise two completely different gameplay loops, providing distinct skills to select from, mysteries to uncover, and ranging methods to attain your objectives. Experiment with completely different approaches and uncover how the world reacts to your actions.
Each Motion Issues – Each motion – and inaction – shapes the world round you. Your loved ones’s days are numbered, and each time you tackle a quest, time strikes ahead, compelling you nearer to the top. Select fastidiously whom to assist and whom to depart behind. You’ll not have time for everybody. The world waits for nobody. And neither does the villain.
Sword, Claws, And Rage – Defy gravity, turn out to be a brutal pressure of nature, and use your supernatural abilities as a vampire. Or elevate your sword, and make use of highly effective magic to tackle opponents as a human. Experiment and adapt as your type modifications throughout the day and night time; every has its strengths and weaknesses.
Open World Brimming With Journey – Enterprise by the hand-crafted open world and uncover all it has to supply. Roam by the luxurious forests, the huge plains, the treacherous swamps, the steep mountaintops, and the medieval settlements. Discover forgotten ruins, discover remnants of an historical civilization, and uncover truths that ought to in all probability stay hidden.
Develop into The Dawnwalker – Expertise the start of a brand-new saga constructed with love for the role-playing style. Immerse your self in a visually beautiful world powered by the next-gen Unreal Engine 5.