The Blood of Dawnwalker is clearly on its way to achieving gaming greatness with its unique premise, setting, and mechanics that have been lovingly crafted by Rebel Wolves, a studio that houses some of the greatest minds behind The Witcher franchise and Cyberpunk 2077.
A recent lore drop that explored the origins of the game’s main antagonists, a coven of vampires responsible for giving the game’s protagonist Coen his powers, is widely being seen as a bold move from Rebel Wolves who seem very confident in their upcoming title. However, the studio might want to pay attention to an area that The Blood of Dawnwalker’s inspirations were lacking in.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Can – And Must – Surpass Its Inspirations
While The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 were both incredible games that pushed the boundaries of what choice-based narratives in modern games could achieve, they shared a common pitfall. Their antagonists were absent for the most part and remained lackluster additions to otherwise excellent narratives, serving as plot devices aimed at giving players a reason to engage with the main story in both games while they loomed large in the background.
For instance, the Wild Hunt in The Witcher 3 served as the catalyst for Emhyr’s contract on Ciri, forcing the latter to return to the Continent and eventually leading to the Nilfgaardian emperor tasking Geralt with her safe return. Other than that, they were largely absent from the main story, appearing in a handful of missions in the main story along with the memorable presence of one of their hounds in one of the game’s Witcher contracts.
Arasaka in Cyberpunk 2077 was no different. Serving no other purpose than being an evil corporation for V and Johnny Silverhand to take on, its presence in the game’s main narrative was largely in the background. While its members certainly made their presence felt in Night City, Arasaka’s main role was to serve as a motivator for players to pursue story missions, its role largely relegated to the shadows.
Vale Sangora Deserves a More Hands-on Approach From Its Villains
While there is an argument to be made in favor of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk’s antagonists playing their respective roles in those stories, The Blood of Dawnwalker simply cannot afford to have its antagonists relegated to the background of its explosive story considering how nuanced Rebel Wolves is making them.
With the game already slated to have them running interference in its sandbox-styled open-world in response to decisions that the player makes, it is clear that Rebel Wolves is actively looking at ways to make the vampires feel more involved in Vale Sangora, the game’s fictional world.
With each vampire having their own motivations and nuanced personalities, their interactions with Coen and the results of those interactions have the potential to be the best thing that The Blood of Dawnwalker brings to the table in terms of its narrative. It will be interesting to see if Rebel Wolves manages to let Coen choose between killing or sparing them in the main story and if those decisions play out in different ways in the main narrative’s shorter time frame.
It would be valuable, not only in terms of its narrative potential, but could also improve the replay value of a game that is already slated to be shorter and more condensed in comparison to the sprawling worlds of the Continent and Night City.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is slated to release for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with no release date being revealed yet.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out how The Blood of Dawnwalker is drawing inspiration from other great titles, or our roundup of everything you need to know about the game.
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With a passion for gaming that is equaled only by his love for writing, Varun has either a controller, keyboard, or a guitar in his hands when he is not out exploring the middle of nowhere on a motorcycle. Soulslikes, RPGs, and action-adventure titles keep him awake at night and get him out of bed in the morning. He will never stop lamenting the lack of a Bloodborne sequel even as he spends another couple of hours exploring the Lands Between in Elden Ring.
