00:00PEGI-18
00:30Hello, my name is Daniel Sadowski and I'm the design director at Rebel Wolves.
00:39I would like to welcome you to the Blood of Dawnwalker summer gameplay video.
00:44Our game is a story-driven, open-world dark fantasy RPG set in medieval Europe.
00:50The game is currently in pre-beta stage and what we are going to show you is just a part of one of the mid-game quests.
00:57It's a really cool story involving legendary swords and a haunted almshouse, but today we'll focus on showcasing our gameplay systems.
01:06We're starting on the outskirts of Svartrow, the game's largest city and the capital of Vale Sangora.
01:13From here we could head anywhere the eye can see, explore ancient ruins or sabotage vampire blood transports.
01:20But, it's not just about where or when you go, it's also about how you approach the main quest and shape the story, making each playthrough uniquely your own.
01:32For now, we're following the road.
01:34Coen is on his way to the city's cathedral, chasing leads about a powerful weapon said to be hidden in its crypts.
01:41But first, we'll have to deal with some bandits who camped out by the main road.
01:47Traveling through Vale Sangora is never boring.
01:50The world is dense with quests, random encounters and locations steep in lore.
01:56This will be a great opportunity to show you our combat system.
02:00Our goal was to make the player feel like a real swordmaster, who closely observes his enemies.
02:06We'll begin this fight by using Acrid Dust to stun one of the enemies.
02:11Now, when you attack, you choose one of all directions, up, down, left or right, in order to hit the opponent where he's unable to parry.
02:21And similarly, when defending, you have to take note of the enemy's intent and the direction of the attack.
02:28On the left side of the screen, just above Coen's health, you have activation charges that will be filled in with each successful attack, block and parry.
02:37Once they are full, you can use one of the active abilities which allow you to take a more tactical approach to fighting.
02:45We started the fight by throwing some Acrid Dust.
02:48And now let's cast Burning Blood.
02:51It's a hex which boils the enemy's blood and burns their skin, dealing physical damage over time.
02:57Alright, time to finish this fight.
03:03Let's use the final activation charge to cast the Artery attack, which...
03:08Oh!
03:09Which actually decapitated the last opponent.
03:13Our hero quickly dispatched the bandits, so let's loot a few items they've left behind and open the inventory.
03:21First of all, let's replenish our health by eating something, and then take a closer look at this cool-looking weapon we just picked up.
03:36Ah, it has better stats than our current weapon, so let's equip it right now.
03:42We've also leveled up, so let's use this opportunity to spend the newly acquired skill point in one of Coen's skill trees.
03:51The skills in the Blood of Dawnwalker are divided into three trees.
03:56One for Human, one for Vampire, and one shared between the two.
04:01We also have an active abilities panel.
04:04We can use it to unlock additional abilities to use during combat.
04:09Note that during the day the health bar is not regenerating.
04:13You need to find consumables like the one we've just eaten.
04:17The hexes we've just used also consume some of Coen's health.
04:21Be aware of that.
04:22The way our magic system works, there's always a price to pay for manipulating reality.
04:28But we can make it sting a bit less.
04:31Let's level up the Frugal Witchcraft skill, so next time we'll cast a hex, it'll consume fewer of Coen's health points.
04:38Now that we've wrapped up the encounter with the bandits, we can be on our way to get inside the city.
04:44Right now, Coen hasn't done enough to ruffle the Vampire Lord's feathers, so the gods will just wave us through.
04:51But the more damage you cause, the more suspicious and aggressive they'll become.
04:56So when you play the game yourself, you'll have to decide whether you want to challenge the vampires openly,
05:01or lay low until you're ready to strike and surprise them.
05:17This is the rich district of the city, Silberkreis.
05:20There's also Altenmarkt, Neustadt and the Middens.
05:24Each of the boroughs has its own feel and character.
05:27Get your stinking arse out of here!
05:29I was just passing through, I swear!
05:33I got tired.
05:35I sat down and started begging.
05:38Looming high over the city is Brancis' castle.
05:42Greifberg.
05:43He took it over when he slaughtered the human ruler of the valley, Skender, as shown in the trailer we shared with you earlier, in January this year.
05:51In order to complete the main quest and save your family, you'll have to storm the castle, alone or with help of friendly NPCs.
06:00We could do it right now, if we wanted, but it would be super challenging.
06:07No more drink for you, my friend. Go home.
06:11Let's check the map. The cathedral is really close.
06:23There's plenty of other places to see and things to do here.
06:27A couple of inns, a medic, a blacksmith, an armorer, and other merchants.
06:37You can see that not only the vampires came out of the shadows.
06:41This creature on the right is called an Uriash.
06:44Look around, especially at night, and you'll learn humans have lots to fear, not just the vampires.
06:58And here we can see guards pounding on some poor guy's doors.
07:14It's just one of many different community scenes we're implementing in the game.
07:18Watch them closely when you play, as they might point you to new quests and hidden treasures, or signal changes in the game's world.
07:28Once again.
07:29I humbly beg of thee.
07:32I humbly...
07:35Ouch!
07:36I don't want to say it, Mum!
07:38It's a prayer.
07:39It's what we have to say.
07:41I humbly beg of thee...
07:46Protect!
07:47Oh, God!
07:48That was set for...
07:49Okay!
07:50We are at the cathedral gates.
07:52Again, since Cohen isn't yet wanted by the vampire regime, and it's daytime, we can simply walk inside.
08:00The baptism of a newborn is a solemn moment, doubly so.
08:19A new life joins our flock, bringing happiness to its parents and to the congregation.
08:31Amen!
08:32Amen!
08:33Amen!
08:34Amen!
08:35Amen!
08:36Amen!
08:37Amen!
08:38Amen!
08:39Amen!
08:40Amen!
08:41Amen!
08:42Amen!
08:43Et in sanguine mori etur.
08:48Ego te baptizo in nomine Dei.
08:54Amen.
09:13Hmm. Don't I know you from somewhere, young man?
09:26Las Lea, maybe?
09:31I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken.
09:34Am I? Perhaps. Perhaps.
09:38My memory isn't what it used to be.
09:42Come with me.
09:43I'll take your confession.
09:48Thank you, but I have no need for confession.
09:51Ah. So you deem your conscience clear.
09:59I wouldn't go that far.
10:01But I'm sure you're a busy man, Father.
10:03So while I appreciate the offer, I feel that my soul shouldn't be your priority.
10:08I won't press the matter.
10:10You are quite correct.
10:11I have many other duties to attend to.
10:14But please remember that in order to be saved, we all need to repent.
10:22Myself included.
10:23What we saw right here was just one of many cutscenes we recorded for the game, which smoothly transitioned into a dialogue scene.
10:45We use cutscenes to highlight key scenes or showcase interesting bits of lore, like this blood baptism.
10:53Creepy, isn't it?
10:55The core feature of the blood of Dawnwalker is the dual gameplay loop.
10:59Remember, Koen may be a human during the day, but he turns into a vampire at night and has a different set of skills at his disposal.
11:09And this is just one variable that affects our quests.
11:14Depending on when you tackle a particular quest, what choices you've made earlier, whom you befriended, or whom you've angered, your gameplay and story experience will be very, very different.
11:26So each quest is a complex structure with multiple possible paths leading to the end goal.
11:31We maximize players' freedom and agency, offering you a narrative sandbox to play in.
11:37I wonder what secrets may be concealed up there, just beyond Koen's reach.
11:42And how do we get there?
11:44It's impossible to do during the day, but come night, it's an entirely different story.
11:51Let us explain what we mean by taking our current quest, as an example.
11:55During the day, we got inside the cathedral without any problems, since it's open for all to see and Koen doesn't yet stand out from the crowd.
12:04The scaffolds, though, are outside of his reach.
12:09But climbing them won't be a problem for the vampire, who has many more exploration abilities at his disposal.
12:17Bear in mind Koen has not completed the quest yet.
12:20What's more, there are still a few clues to be found in order to solve this story.
12:25It's worth mentioning that narrative sandbox also means that we may completely abandon this quest
12:31and follow a different path to defeat Brancis.
12:34For today, we're focusing on the gameplay part, so let's see how we could tackle this particular quest during the night.
12:41We're starting right after dusk, as a vampire, on the rooftops of Svatron.
12:47Right now, we have 22 days left to complete this goal.
12:50This counter is always displayed and you'll be warned each time it's pushed forward.
12:56So you have to be aware of the time, and it's more of a resource you'll be spending than a racing clock.
13:03As a vampire, you'll see and experience the world from a different perspective.
13:11You can travel quickly and easily access places beyond the reach of regular humans.
13:17Let us show you what we mean.
13:19This is Shadow Step, a unique vampiric ability, allowing Koen to jump to almost any place within his reach.
13:27Now, let's take a good look around using the focus mode.
13:34This ability highlights objects of interest and loot.
13:39And there is something right here.
13:42This time, it's just some items to grab, but on other occasions?
13:47Who knows?
13:48You might come across a hidden quest.
13:51Looks like our health is quite low.
13:54This is because, as a vampire, your health bar also represents your hunger level, and you start each night thirsting for blood.
14:03Remember, you have to quench this appetite in order to make full use of your vampire abilities.
14:09And drain in your monstrous nature around NPCs.
14:13Otherwise, you may end up draining someone important, which may lead to unpredictable consequences.
14:19We'd better feed, then.
14:21Maybe on someone who is standing all alone.
14:26Like this drunkard.
14:28Let's grab him.
14:32And use Voracious Bite ability.
14:35Unless you lose control due to hunger, you get to decide how much blood to drink.
14:40You can drain just a bit and knock your victim unconscious.
14:44Or go all the way and kill them.
14:48And if you're adamant you don't want to hurt innocent humans, you can drink from animals and some other creatures.
15:01Finally, we are at the cathedral, but it seems to be closed for the night, and the entrance gate is well guarded.
15:07Let's find another way in.
15:09Shadow Step is not the only vampiric ability you're gonna learn during your playthrough.
15:14Koen can also use Plane Shift to scale walls and even ceilings smoothly.
15:32This will allow us to explore every nook and cranny of the cathedral.
15:48You'll better be quiet.
16:00You shall become a king of Nazarene.
16:02Is that... Voyrus Xanthe?
16:04What the hell is she doing here?
16:07What is she doing?
16:09You am going to become your new family.
16:17You shall want another.
16:19You shall ever want another.
16:21You shall forever.
16:22Only duty shall remain.
16:24Bow, bow, bow wriam
16:26One of the workers must have left it.
16:29It seems that the cathedral complex is quite big.
16:32I mean, building cloisters in a courtyard.
16:36The entrance to the crypt could be anywhere.
16:39I won't get anything done just standing around.
16:42Still.
16:43This was a scene investigation.
16:45A mechanic we used to zoom in on and showcase key clues.
16:50This time we had a chance to learn more about the vampire's plans.
16:54Looks like they're keen to cover up the old frescoes,
16:57so that's something we could take a look at.
17:00This way we could learn more about the cathedral's past.
17:10Looks like we aren't alone here.
17:13Underneath us there's a group of bloodguards.
17:16Soldiers hooked up on vampire blood, which makes them stronger.
17:20And one of Brancis' vampire allies.
17:23It's Xanthi, the oldest vampire in Vale Sangora,
17:27and quite a powerful lady.
17:30Let's descend and check what's going on.
17:48Don't think I don't see you skulking in the shadows.
17:52Come out!
17:59You're interfering with my task.
18:03Who are you?
18:08It doesn't matter.
18:10Very well.
18:11I don't have time for interruptions.
18:14Let us dispose of him.
18:16Cohen is using his claws to attack when in vampire form.
18:30Bloodguards are dual-wielding opponents.
18:32Their attacks are pretty strong.
18:34Of course, even when fighting with claws,
18:37combat is still directional.
18:39Don't worry.
18:40Cohen can still use his sword as a vampire.
18:43Only after defeating all three of the bloodguards,
18:53Xanthi deems Cohen worthy of a challenge,
18:56and she descends to face him.
18:59She uses her blood control powers to cast a multitude of attacks,
19:04like her blood whips, that hit Cohen from left and right.
19:07So, if we don't hurry,
19:09Xanthi is protected by a powerful vampire ability.
19:14Once her stamina runs out,
19:16Cohen will have an opportunity to strike and deal some damage.
19:19But be careful,
19:20because Xanthi is quick to counterattack,
19:22and she will also try to restore her blood.
19:25Meanwhile, look at the indicator just below her health and stamina.
19:29It's a timer for the boiling blood skill that you've seen in the CGI trailer.
19:35So, if we don't hurry,
19:37the timer goes down to zero,
19:39and Cohen will eventually explode.
19:43And we're dead.
19:46Remember, we were only mid-game here,
19:48and Xanthi is one of the game's most punishing enemies.
19:52Defeating her right here and right now is very much possible,
19:55but it would be hellishly difficult.
19:59A fun challenge for hardcore players.
20:02Otherwise, we could load the game
20:04and explore the cathedral without drawing her attention.
20:08Or try to get to her while she's not surrounded by bodyguards.
20:12Xanthi, like all other vampire allies,
20:16has her own questline.
20:17Explore it,
20:18and you can learn more about her past,
20:21motivations,
20:22and maybe even try to reason with her.
20:25What you do is entirely up to you.
20:28Remember,
20:29our design principle is the narrative sandbox.
20:32There's no difference between main quests and side quests.
20:35There's just different stories that you weave together
20:38into your own unique adventure.
20:41But that's coming in 2026.
20:44For now, I'd like to thank you for joining me
20:46on this gameplay video presentation.
20:48We've just shown you a tiny glimpse of the blood of Dawnwalker.
20:52There's definitely more to come in the coming months,
20:56so stay tuned for any updates being posted
20:59on our social media profiles.
21:01Goodbye.
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