00:00The Blood of Dawnwalker is shaping up to be this year's most ambitious RPG, and after playing it for four
00:05hours, it's clear that while developer Rubberwolves' many CD Projekt Red veterans have continued to build upon The Witcher 3's
00:11open-world sensibilities, there's a degree of classic old-school RPG friction.
00:15We play as Coen, who was forcibly turned into a vampire by Big Bad Princess, but only the process went
00:20wrong. Now Coen is caught between two states, Fangtooth and Dead by Night, and Human by Day, as we explore
00:26this grim open world of a 30 in-game days.
00:28Much has been made of The Blood of Dawnwalker's time mechanics, but in play, the feature is unobtrusive. Only specific
00:35activities move time forward. Exploring and fighting won't, for example, but quests, certain side activities, and even levelling up will.
00:42These are clearly signposted, and often only take one hour, creating the sense not that you're rushing through The Blood
00:47of Dawnwalker to meet a deadline, the game doesn't end with Coen's 30 day limit, merely being asked to consider
00:52how your time in its world is spent.
00:53The vampire limitations are real, though. If you don't keep Coen's thirst slaked, he can lose control during dialogue and
00:59fatally feed upon his conversation partner, and although you can climb walls, you have to wait until night so regular
01:04humans don't catch you.
01:06For all of the boundaries Dawnwalker pushes, nothing feels risky or gimmicky in play. What remains, then, is an ambitious
01:12love letter to roleplaying itself, and we can't wait to play more on September 3rd.
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