The Blood of Dawnwalker might be the beginning of an epic saga. Created by a number of the expertise behind The Witcher 3, this darkish fantasy role-playing recreation takes place within the 14th century within the fictional land of Vale Sangora, a Carpathian valley of wetlands, mountains and forests lower off from the remainder of the world and below the rule of a vicious vampire clan.
The builders envisage Dawnwalker as a trilogy. And since protagonist Coen is half vampire himself, that trilogy can skip throughout time, culminating within the modern-day.
“It’s a journey by means of ages, continents, and cultures,” explains recreation director and studio CEO Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. “Interview with the Vampire was one of many references we had in thoughts. We wish every a part of the saga to face by itself and inform a compelling, partaking, emotive story, whereas collectively shaping an epic narrative with a grander plot steadily unravelling.”
It’s an interesting concept for a collection the place you play as a bloodsucker, doomed to observe these round you wither and die as you persist by means of centuries.
Taking part in with the idea of time isn’t only a plan for the sequels. When the vampire clan arrives firstly of the sport, they take Coen’s household, and you’ve got 30 days and nights to rescue them. By day, you’re a standard human, preventing with a sword. By night time, you possibly can stroll on partitions, teleport and claw individuals in half.
When you can discover and speak to individuals at your leisure, time strikes ahead everytime you full a clearly marked quest. You might all the time try to avoid wasting your loved ones on day one, however you’ll be severely unprepared. You need to handle your time whereas rising in energy, sharpening these claws for the ultimate showdown.
“It’s primarily concerning the sense that what you do within the recreation carries weight,” says Tomaszkiewicz. “We had been in search of one thing that will make this really feel extra actual and provides players one thing to be aware of. You all the time keep in mind that there’s somebody whose destiny really is dependent upon your actions.”
Take one quest right here, and one other would possibly progress over there. The fates of Vale Sangora’s residents are interlinked, and Dawnwalker’s true depth can solely be seen after a number of playthroughs. Even your blood starvation can have an effect on the world. Go away it too lengthy between feeds and Coen will go right into a frenzy, draining the individual closest to him till they’re a limp sack of pores and skin.
“In some circumstances, you possibly can decide pretty rapidly {that a} particular NPC is perhaps vital to the story,” Tomaszkiewicz says. “However in lots of circumstances, that’s one thing you’ll both uncover in a while or not uncover till you determine to play the sport once more from the start. Every part is dependent upon your decisions, and in our recreation, it’s not solely concerning the selections you make, but additionally whether or not you select to do one thing or not.”
It’s a courageous method for a style the place individuals usually save and reload to see how totally different decisions play out. Dawnwalker desires you to return at it with arms open and settle for what occurs, rewarding gamers who meet it midway by opening up new quests and tales while you by accident – or purposefully – snuff out a life.
“My dream situation is that players will say the sport and its story stayed with them for years,” says Tomaszkiewicz, “That it touched their hearts, and that they are going to preserve coming again to it to see what they will do otherwise and the way the world reacts.”
