There’s an excited vitality at Insurgent Wolves’ Warsaw studio. For the primary time since Gamescom 2025, the event crew is displaying off an prolonged reside demo of its vampire-laden, open-world RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, because it nears launch on PS5 September 3.
Inside minutes of the in depth presentation it’s simple to see why they’re so passionate. The demo’s prologue doesn’t delay its promise of a brutal 14th century Europe. Our first introduction to the sport’s protagonist, Coen, is him attempting to guard his Black Loss of life contaminated sister Lunka from an unjust execution, solely to search out themselves saved by highly effective vampire lord Brencis and his lethal undead lieutenants.
After being compelled to drink Brencis’ blood, Lunka makes a startling restoration… but it surely indicators a brand new rule of terror as Coen’s Carpathian Mountains village is compelled to pay a daily ‘blood tax’. Vampiric safety in trade for his or her human blood. And the weak or insubordinate are shortly made an instance of. By means of the disastrous occasions of the village attempting to free itself from Brencis’ rule – I received’t spoil it right here – Coen is stricken with the vampire curse and left for useless, his household taken.
The stakes of time strain
Coen solely has 30 days and nights to save lots of his kin. For you, meaning each main motion you are taking ticks the clock ahead – some facet quests, sure dialogue decisions, and even studying explicit skills to populate his ability tree have a visual time value. For a sport which includes a large world full of caves, mines, settlements, swamps and hidden paths to discover, in addition to attention-grabbing folks in search of assist, the time restrict would possibly really feel anxiousness inducing, however the dev crew closely examined the system to make sure it doesn’t prohibit you.
“We don’t need to punish you for doing stuff,” says Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, CEO and sport director. “So we aimed to get it to the proper level the place you’re not burdened concerning the time, however nonetheless really feel that this large occasion is coming nearer and nearer.”
“You’ll be capable to full a majority of the sport earlier than the time runs out,” agrees Artistic Director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz. “And it’s not essentially a sport over when it occurs. There are consequences [for running out of time], however the sport strikes on.”
On the flip facet, when you get to a sure level in the story, you may resolve to go straight to Brencis if you would like, reasonably than have interaction with any of the numerous different components of the sport, though clearly the problem will likely be far sharper. “In a method it made many of the sport’s tales non-compulsory,” says Rafał Jankowski, lead quest designer. “So we have been in a position to embody many alternative endings and options to these tales, all which might nonetheless let you end the sport at a sure level.”
Each selection comes with a value
Naturally, consequences are an enormous half of The Blood of Dawnwalker. This isn’t a shock given a number of members of the now 160+ sturdy crew are former staffers of CD Projekt RED who labored on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, however the time mechanic provides an additional degree of spice.
Within the demo, Coen is given a quantity of quests to carry out, one is to seize therapeutic herbs for his mom’s illness, and one other is to assist the villager Gremla. You’ll be able to tackle many aims concurrently, or ignore them in favour of different quests or actions. The outcomes of your decisions in this explicit facet change into clear in Brencis’ newest black mass, the place Gremla is savagely strung up, and mom Esme killed.
Whether or not it’s a minor or main NPC who dies, the sport continues, leaving you with its ramifications. One thing to take in thoughts given Coen has a blood starvation meter. When you let it get too low, he’s consumed by insatiable starvation, its black tendrils noticeable even when speaking to an NPC, turning each dialogue possibility right into a juddering purple ‘Give in to the starvation’, which can’t be refused.
“This wasn’t in the sport from the beginning,” reveals Mateusz. “It emerged organically, and it simply match the system so effectively it feels prefer it was at all times there. That being half of the narrative sandbox was an enormous problem as a result of it’s so open ended, but it surely’s value it since you get a way more attention-grabbing sport.”’
Searching for morality with… pigs?
Satisfying Coen’s bloodlust isn’t restricted to people. From deer, to bears, to packs of wolves, Konrad says you may feed on all of the animals you encounter, which could trigger fewer issues than you killing off an essential NPC or one of the numerous allies you may befriend that will help you in your quest. That stated, some allies will betray you, and don’t anticipate many of your decisions to come back with out shades of gray. “The participant has so much of company however we prefer to discover advanced folks with advanced personalities,” says Mateusz.
As a light-weight hearted thematic instance, an early facet quest affords you the prospect to discover a villager’s beloved pig, utilizing a useful focus mode to see her tracks and footprints in the grime. Returning the pig reveals the villager’s intent to slaughter her, supplying you with the selection of becoming a member of in, declining, and even shopping for the pig to save lots of her bacon, so long as you may have the coin.
Sharpening your abilities by way of the tree
The crew can also be eager to emphasize that Coen’s experiences as a vampire at evening are very completely different to his journey as a human in the course of the day, with particular NPCs and quests solely obtainable at sure occasions, and apparent variations in skills. His ability tree consists of three essential branches, every with passive and lively upgrades: witchcraft for the daytime, vampiric powers for the evening, and sword combating overlapping each.
“Some skills are even locked behind a selected vampiric blood,” explains Mateusz. “In our lore, if you change into a vampire you get your personal distinctive mutation or energy. And you may have a couple of. So in the event you drain one other vampire, you then steal theirs.”
However if you wish to depend on the virtues of sharpened metal, simply as a lot testing and thought has been given to the sport’s directional fight, ensuing in customisable choices for each hardcore motion followers and extra story-focused gamers. From the demo, it appeared fluid and intuitive, with clear markers for incoming assaults to assist block and parry timing, and purple skulls marking unblockable assaults – as demonstrated by The Forgotten Guardian, a lumbering armoured skeleton mini-boss roaming a dank underground damage.
The future seems vibrant
Even after its prolonged demo, it was clear Insurgent Wolves was protecting so much below wraps. For instance, when requested concerning the climate system in the sport and the way it interacts with the characters and atmosphere, Konrad smiled, saying he’d desire the gamers to find that for themselves. Likewise with the quantity of a number of endings and the extent of characters and monsters you may meet, which faucet into Slavic fable and legend, in addition to medieval historical past.
Even so, Konrad reveals that for some crew members the sport is at present taking something from 55 to 70 hours to finish, so anticipate an epic journey that explores how a lot we’re prepared to sacrifice to save lots of those we love. And the starvation to craft a story which leaves an enduring mark on gamers doesn’t cease with this one. “The Blood of Dawnwalker isn’t the endpoint, it’s an origin story,” smiles Konrad. “We have now already deliberate its story by way of the ages. That is solely the start.”
Anticipate much more information to come back to gentle from Insurgent Wolves as The Blood of Dawnwalker stalks ever nearer to its undead launch on PlayStation 5 September 3.
