During the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, Bandai Namco Entertainment and the newly created developer Rebel Wolves released a new gameplay trailer for their upcoming game The Blood of Dawnwalker. The first official game developed by Rebel Wolves, a studio made up partially of former CD Projekt Red developers, The Blood of Dawnwalker is an action RPG set in a fictionalized fantasy iteration of 14th-century medieval Europe. Here, players will embody the titular Dawnwalker Coen as he struggles to defend his family and homeland from an encroaching horde of dominating vampires. With the recent release of Dawnwalker’s official gameplay trailer, the game indicated some similarities between it and the much-acclaimed Witcher and Ghost of Tsushima games.
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Dawnwalker, Witcher, and Ghost of Tsushima Compared
At first glance, one can see apparent similarities between Dawnwalker and The Witcher in terms of setting, story, and gameplay. For one, both games are set in fantasy-rich medieval open-worlds filled with monsters and struggling villages. Both games follow troubled, superhuman protagonists who presumably have to sacrifice aspects of their own humanity to defend their loved ones and other vulnerable people. Coen and Geralt also both use swords and a variety of magical abilities to dispatch their foes; for instance, Coen can teleport and drink enemies’ blood, while Geralt can set hostiles ablaze with fire spells, to name a few.
In regard to Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima, there are a few more differences between Tsushima and Dawnwalker than between Dawnwalker and Witcher. One major difference between both games is that Coen can use magical powers, while Jin Sakai never explicitly utilizes any magical abilities aside from skills, weapons, and armor attained from mythic tales, but even those are somewhat grounded in reality. A similarity between both Dawnwalker and Tsushima is that both Coen and Sakai are relative underdogs facing oppressive forces in the form of invading vampires and Mongols respectively. Interestingly enough, one of Dawnwalker’s antagonists, the vampire Bakir, appears to be from the Mongolian Empire, based on his armor and past of galloping for decades across the dry steppes of Central Asia.
The Blood of Dawnwalker’s developer, Rebel Wolves, was founded by former The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz after he left CD Projekt in 2021.
Dawnwalker’s Potential Narrative Similarities to Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima’s story eventually saw Jin Sakai become a wanted fugitive of the Shogun despite his work in eliminating Khotun Khan and helping rebel Mongol forces from Tsushima. This was primarily due to the Shogun seeing Sakai’s unorthodox combat and guerrilla tactics in thwarting the Mongols as a threat to his own rule and stability of the island. While Sakai’s ultimate fate is unknown, it’s likely he died an outsider to his people and was forgotten by the time of Ghost of Yotei’s events, 300 years later in the 17th century. While Ghost of Yotei will continue Tsushima’s universe and themes, Sakai is not expected to appear in the sequel in any major way.
While only a little bit of information is known about Blood of Dawnwalker’s narrative, what is known may hint at similar story beats from Tsushima appearing in Dawnwalker. For instance, Dawnwalker’s protagonist Coen is said to have been a dutiful and hardworking young man, obligated to help support his family despite dreams of adventure. This was until he was turned into a Dawnwalker and forced to use his vampiric abilities to defend his home valley of Vale Sangora from Brencis and his vampire horde within 30 days until he perished from his vampiric infliction and silver poisoning. Meanwhile, Coen’s younger sister Lunka appears to be affected with a form of vampirism as well, after Brencis forces her to drink his blood and cure her of a plague sickness.
The Potential Endgame and Future of Dawnwalker
Based on the little bit known about The Blood of Dawnwalker’s story and protagonist, it may end up having a similar conclusion to Ghost of Tsushima. While Coen may defeat Brencis and his fellow vampire underlings in 30 days, he may end up being ostracized by the people of Vale Sangora for simply being a Dawnwalker. This could cause Coen to live his remaining days as an outsider to the very people he saved, similar to Sakai. Coen is expected to die at the end of Dawnwalker as it’s unlikely he’ll be cured of his unique affliction, so if Dawnwalker proves to be a success, Rebel Wolves may have to develop a new protagonist to headline a sequel similar to Ghost of Yotei’s Atsu.