Blood of The Dawnwalker: Crafting a New Dark Fantasy Saga (An Interview with Piotr Kucharski from Rebel Wolves)
Blood of Dawnwalker is one of the most anticipated dark-fantasy RPGs in years and for good reason. It’s developed by Rebel Wolves, a studio led by veteran Witcher creators and this multi-game saga is deeply rooted in Eastern European folklore, moral ambiguity and a grim, fresh take on vampiric myth. A few weeks ago, Impulse Gamer sat down with Piotr Kucharski from the narrative team to discuss the origins of the universe, the terrifying Court of Vampires and the burdens of their protagonist, Coen whose life is literally turned upside down on one dark night.
A Saga Forged in Folklore
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The concept for Dawnwalker began with a simple creative challenge, how do you build a dark-fantasy epic that spans centuries?
“It was the brainchild of our CEO Konrad Tomaszkiewicz and Narrative Director Jakub Szamałek (formerly of CD Projekt Red) ” the team explains. “They talked about creating a new dark-fantasy IP and they wanted it to be a massive saga.”
Vampires became the natural anchor for the story who are immortal, mythic and deeply tied to European folklore.
“We drew heavily from Slavic, Germanic, and Romanian folklore… but we also wanted to give it our own distinct twist. For example: vampires don’t just feed on your blood. Instead, they extract their fangs and drive them directly into the heart of the victim.”
It’s a small but striking detail that signals the team’s approach of both familiar roots and original execution.
The Court of Vampires: Brencis and His Inner Circle
Players will go toe-to-toe with the Court of Vampires, a powerful cabal of ancient beings who rule the region through a mixture of terror and political charisma.
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Brencis: The calculating, cold leader of the Court.
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Ambrus: The youngest, most volatile, and impulsive member.
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Bakir: A battle-hardened warrior hailing from the East.
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Xanthe: The oldest of them all, choosing to align with Brencis’s vision.
“There’s incredible depth to each of them,” says the team. “If players want to dig deep and learn their secrets, the answers are there. But if they just want to focus on defeating them, they can do that too.”
Brencis, in particular, proved to be a favorite during development.
“He’s this vampiric tyrant overlord on the surface, but there’s so much nuance to him. Writing a thousand-year-old vampire who doesn’t fully care about humanity—without making him a walking cliché—was a fantastic narrative challenge.”
Anca: Witch, Nun, Ally… and More?
One of the most intriguing supporting characters Coen encounters is Anca, a complex witch-nun hybrid with a fractured and mysterious past.
“She’s a genuinely good person in her own way… she wants to help Coen and be his ally. But she also has her own hidden agenda and a past she’s running from.”
When asked about potential romantic chemistry between the two, the team smiled.
“There is definitely tension. We have romance options in the game, but players will have to discover them organically. Romance comes at a cost, though and if you decide to pursue these relationships, you’ll have to pay with your most precious resource: time.”
Lunka: Family, Fear and the Heart of Coen’s Journey
Coen’s younger sister, Lunka, serves as the emotional anchor for his entire arc.
“She’s someone he desperately wants to protect. He failed to protect her in the past and that failure weighs heavily on his soul.”
The game intentionally blurs the line between grim reality and psychological horror.
“Some things the player experiences may be real, while others are manifestations of Coen’s deepest fears regarding his family.”
Her exact connection to the vampires—and her ultimate role in Coen’s future—remains one of the story’s central mysteries.
Coen: Humanity, Power and the Dawnwalker’s Burden
At its core, Coen’s journey is built around trauma, empathy, and the corruptive nature of power.
“He could become someone completely closed off to the world, or someone who uses his experiences to see and heal other people’s pain. This duality is what we really wanted to explore with his character.”
However, stepping into his role as the Dawnwalker opens up significantly darker paths.
“Maybe the constraints of human society no longer apply to him… or maybe he will fight tooth and nail to retain his humanity. The entire game is about consequences and choices. What kind of person Coen becomes is entirely up to the player.”
Standing Apart from The Witcher
Given the studio’s pedigree and the game’s heavy Slavic influences, comparisons to The Witcher are inevitable. The team welcomes it but also draws a clear line in the sand.
“We know we will be compared to The Witcher and that’s perfectly okay. It’s a legendary role-playing game but we are firmly doing our own thing. We are confident that people will embrace Dawnwalker for its own unique identity and love discovering this new lore.”
A Multi-Game Saga Already Planned
Rebel Wolves is not playing the short game. They explicitly confirmed that this release is just the opening chapter of a much grander vision.
“Yes, this is an epic saga. We already have a few installments planned to tell Coen’s story as it unfolds through the ages. If people enjoy this first entry and say ‘give us more,’ we are absolutely ready to deliver.”
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Campaign Length and Player Agency
Balancing day/night mechanics alongside a protagonist who shifts between human and vampiric states presented a massive web of narrative permutations for the team to map out.
“We wanted to give players a massive amount of agency and ensure that their choices carry real weight. It was a massive development challeng, but incredibly rewarding. We’re confident players will see how seriously we treat their decisions.”
How long will it take to roll credits?
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Standard Playthrough: “For players who explore a good portion of the world and side content, it’s about 50 hours.”
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Completionists: “If you want to see absolutely everything the game has to offer, it will require a significantly larger time investment.”
Final Thoughts
With its intoxicating blend of folklore, moral complexity, and uncompromising character-driven storytelling, Dawnwalker is shaping up to be a bold new benchmark for the dark-fantasy genre. The team’s passion for world-building shines through every layer of the game. If this first chapter is any indication, the legend of the Dawnwalker is bound to leave a lasting mark.
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About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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