Rebel Wolves isn’t afraid to create its own vampyric folklore for The Blood of Dawnwalker: “We want to tell a story with vampires, not just a story about vampires.”

Blood of Dawnwalker doesn’t really care about lore. The extent to which developer Rebel Wolves is willing to play with convention extends well beyond its unique approach to RPG design, where every action taken to save your family literally costs time – it’s the rarest resource in Vale Sangora, a kingdom ravaged by famine, plague, war, and an undead insurrection. This is also reflected in the characters, story, and the studio’s approach to vampire legends.

Take Brencis, a native of ancient Rome, and his three powerful vampire allies who have taken over the open world, sealing it from outside forces as control is asserted over a desperate population. The vampires who roam this cursed land have a maw of needle-like fangs protruding from their mouths rather than two sharp ones; The older these creatures get, the more fangs they are able to develop. A useful trait, given that humans are not transformed by bites but rather by a needle ripped from the jaw and plunged into the victim’s heart.

“We want to tell a story with vampires, not a story about vampires only,” says game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. “Our vampires are different. They’re wilder and they have these little cliques, and sometimes these cliques fight against each other. Our vampires come from many parts of the world; we tell different stories throughout the game to show you their origins and why they do what they do. There are some interesting stories to be told about the bond between them and how their relationships have changed over time. »