The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt might be 10 years old by now, but it remains a gold standard for the genre. The Witcher 3's massive success naturally turned all eyes toward the core team's next moves. When former game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz announced the founding of a new studio, Rebel Wolves, the industry took notice. Following news of their new title, Dawnwalker, that curiosity quickly evolved into genuine excitement.

During a media session at Gamescom 2025, we finally had the chance to get some granular details from the developers. Rebel Wolves' Combat Designer Julia Mahadi was on-site to walk us through gameplay footage and key mechanics.

To start, Dawnwalker is set in 14th-century Europe, weaving a dark tale of vampires and pestilence. The protagonist, Koen, has been turned into a vampire under mysterious circumstances, and must navigate a perilous world to save their family.

Julia Mahadi emphasized that the narrative can be approached from two distinct perspectives: human or vampire. Nearly every quest offers branching paths, allowing players to actively choose whether to proceed as a creature of the night or a mortal.

For instance, playing as a vampire allows you to transform into a bat to reach high vantage points or interrogate the dead for clues. Conversely, the human path focuses on traditional investigation, scouring the environment for evidence and interacting with NPCs to solve mysteries.

Combat follows a similar duality. Vampire combat relies on claw-based melee, teleportation behind enemies via bat-form, and lifesteal mechanics to recover health. Humans, on the other hand, utilize swordsmanship, parries, dodges, and magic. With separate skill trees for each path, players have significant agency in shaping their character's build.

The combat system is designed to lean heavily into the rhythm of parrying and striking. When locked onto an enemy, 4 directional prompts appear on screen, dictating where your attacks will land. If the top or left indicators are lit, you must strike from that direction to deal damage.

The same logic applies to defense. When an enemy attacks, the game telegraphs the incoming direction for a split second, requiring you to match your guard to deflect the blow. Occasionally, a red warning icon replaces the direction, signaling that you must dodge instead of parry. These windows are incredibly tight, making rapid reflexes the difference between life and death.