Picture: Insurgent Wolves/Bandai Namco Leisure
The medieval city, the swordplay, the flowy hair… Doesn’t The Blood of Dawnwalker remind you of one thing? Watching the most recent gameplay overview video triggered quite a lot of flashbacks to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for me, which isn’t wholly sudden, on condition that The Blood of Dawnwalker is made by Insurgent Wolves, a studio based by former CD Projekt Pink builders, and never wholly undesired both. However as I’m gawking at what may probably be one other magnificent single-player, open-world, darkish fantasy action-RPG, I can’t assist however fear about its vampiric aspect. The Blood of Dawnwalker’s protagonist is, in spite of everything, a vampire. His lean, broad-shouldered physique sort, facial scars throughout his left eye, brooding gaze, deep voice, and half-up, half-down coiffure would possibly’ve fooled you, however his identify’s Coen, not Geralt. Within the gameplay video, we watch him stroll the slim cobblestone streets of the sport’s main metropolis, a beautiful medieval city filled with half-timbered homes, stone gates, flags waving within the wind, troopers carrying kettle hats, and a large number of random sacks, buckets, and wagons. No, no, this isn’t Novigrad; that is the city of Svartrau.
Picture: Insurgent Wolves/Bandai Namco Leisure
As soon as Geralt — I imply Coen — is completed chatting with the locals, we comply with him as he makes use of his Witcher senses — I imply his “focus mode” — to analyze a constructing, leaning over red-glowing factors of curiosity, commenting on his findings, and grunting the occasional “hmm” as he goes. Wouldn’t you already know it, there’s a monster hidden within the dusky cellar! Appears prefer it’s time for our hero to begin the monster-slaying… Because the monster disappears and reappears in clouds of smoke, Coen depends on broad, two-handed sword strikes together with kicks and pirouettes to chip away at its HP. Clearly, the Faculty of the Wolf taught him nicely. Our monster-slayer then makes use of the Igni signal — I imply the Burning Blood potential — to deal injury over time earlier than chopping the monster’s head clear off. Though Coen’s feedback (“God… What are you?” as an alternative of “Rattling, you’re ugly”) aren’t fairly as on-point as Geralt’s, it’s good of him to remind us that he isn’t truly Geralt by omitting using a silver sword and performing necromancy with out the help of a sorceress referred to as Yennefer.
Picture: Insurgent Wolves/Bandai Namco Leisure
Granted, taking part in “Coen the monster-slayer” is a daytime exercise, and because the gameplay video exhibits, his nighttime shenanigans are of the extra vampiric type. However though nighttime-Coen exhibits a number of talents far past Geralt’s skillset, together with strolling on partitions, teleporting to rooftops, and swapping his sword for claws, that’s concerning the extent of it. Don’t get me mistaken; the numerous similarities between The Blood of Dawnwalker and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt aren’t a nasty factor in any respect in my guide. As a significant fan of the latter, I’d be thrilled to see a Witcher-like RPG, however I’d be much less thrilled a couple of Witcher copycat with out an identification of its personal. The Blood of Dawnwalker’s newest gameplay overview is promising, however I had hoped to see extra options that scream “vampire RPG” as an alternative of “medieval monster-slayer RPG.”
Picture: Insurgent Wolves/Bandai Namco Leisure
Nightly strolls throughout rooftops and the necessity to slurp blood every so often are an ideal begin, however what about vampire talents outdoors of fight? Manipulation methods, enhanced allure, fancy disguises, using historic vampiric lore, stuff like that? Maybe Coen subscribes to a selected vampire clan, resides in an epic lair, dangers the lack of his humanity, and has a daytime job aside from slaying monsters, however thus far, I haven’t seen something of the kind. It will make sense for him to often converse with antagonistic vampires relatively than slay them right away — they’re the identical species, are they not? Whereas the sport’s setting is attractive, the truth that it seemingly leans in direction of a Germanic medieval aesthetic relatively than a Transylvanian gothic one makes it all of the extra vital to generate these vampire vibes in different methods.
Picture: Insurgent Wolves/Bandai Namco Leisure
Is there such a factor as being too just like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? When you’d requested me that some time in the past, I’d’ve mentioned “no,” however now I’m not positive. It’s nonetheless early days, and I’d get to see extra of Coen’s vampiric aspect within the subsequent The Blood of Dawnwalker gameplay video, however for now, I’m not totally positive if Insurgent Wolves turned their protagonist right into a vampire as a result of they’re excited to make a vampire recreation or as a result of they wanted a alternative for a Witcher.
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