The Blood of The Dawnwalker Australian Review Roundup – Koalaty Critics
The Blood of Dawnwalker scores paint a narrative and world well-worth exploring, even with some holdbacks in the combat
The first game from Rebel Wolves, which was founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the director behind The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The studio also includes some other CD Projekt developers, so this one had some excitement behind it.
You play as Conrad in The Blood of Dawnwalker, a character similar to Marvel’s Blade. A half-human, half-vampire character with different abilities in each element, with 30 days and nights in the game to achieve the overall goal of taking down Bencis, an ancient vampire.
Similar to the recently released Marvel’s Wolverine, combat is the sticking point for some reviewers, though many were more okay with it becoming too repetitive. Overall, though, its day/night system, ability to do nearly anything in any order you wish, and the narrative were highlights across the board.
The Blood of Dawnwalker was released on 03 Sep 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Here’s what Australian critics are saying about the game.
KOALATY CRITICS – AUSTRALIAN CRITICS
Impulse Gamer – 5/5 (Dean Yamak)
It was a brilliant time that tapped into my nostalgic Skyrim and Witcher 3 itch, whilst also offering novel advances on combat mechanics, character progression and the gravity of quest choices. Strongly recommend.
Maxi-Geek – 9.5/10 (Aaron Ducret)
The downside I found in the combat is how damage sponge-like the enemies end up feeling. Perhaps something that will be reanalysed, but even with legendary weapons with great passives on them, you’ll still be swinging for minutes at a time to take down a lot of enemies.
Explosion Network – 9.5/10 (Jacob Hegarty)
The Blood of Dawnwalker’s story kept me captivated, but it was the world and its characters that made me reluctant to put the controller down. Although the directional combat initially intimidated me, it steadily grew on me. By the end of my playthrough, I had developed Coen to the point where only the most dangerous opponents presented a serious challenge.
NextPlay – 9/10 (Brad Goodwin)
What I found remarkable is how non-linear the game becomes post-prologue. The only main quest you are given is to save your family. What you do before that is up to you. Different scenarios can occur by completing quests in different orders. For instance, I helped some lovely Uriasi (goat people) in the main city of Svartrau.
Press Start – 9/10 (James Berich)
But no amount of writing or worldbuilding can save a game if the game itself isn’t good. On paper, Dawnwalker sounds great, filled with all the trademarks and conventions you’ve come to expect from games in this genre. In reality, while this is true, The Blood of Dawnwalker is greater than the sum of its parts.
Player 2 – B+ (Jess Zammit)
I will say that there are some mechanics of this game that I simply didn’t engage with until it was too late for me to realise that they probably wouldn’t have caused the destruction I was so concerned about after all. In the early game, everything is positioned as a danger. ‘You must be quick, make choices, you won’t have time to do everything – so prioritise!’ or ‘Don’t give in to Coen’s vampiric powers too much, or he will become the monster he most despises!’
Checkpoint Gaming – 8/10 (Austin Gallagher)
The Blood of Dawnwalker is a flawed game, but the heart at the centre of it is strong. Rebel Wolves certainly has work to do in this post-release period with balance, performance, and quality-of-life updates – but once this work is done, I feel this will be the first entry in what becomes a beloved saga.
MKAU Gaming – 8/10 (Yasmin Noble)
As to be expected from former CD Projekt Red developers, Vale Sangora feels incredibly fleshed out. The Eastern-European influence and folklore fuse into an immersive map to explore; in particular, engaging with mythical beings and delving into ruins stood out.
PowerUp Gaming – 8/10 (Adam Mathew)
The 30-day limit to prepare yourself for a confrontation with a medieval vampire mafia Don and his three lieutenants is another addiction. It turns Dawnwalker into an RPG-sized pressure cooker without “technically” putting a constant stopwatch over your head.
Quest Daily – 8/10 (Julian Price)
The Blood of Dawnwalker is easily one of the best games I’ve played this year, and that’s saying something considering the bugs, glitches and crashes I ran into along the way.
The Beta Network – 6/10 (Anthony Culinas)
Around the 10-hour mark however, the combat started to become stale. Since the combat is mostly about attacking and dodging in four directions, several enemies share the same movesets and attack patterns, which ultimately make it feel routine.
The Blood of Dawnwalker
Although some like Anthony at The Beta Network said that the "combat started to become stale," the overall narrative seems to grab the crticis, and as James at Press Start says, "The Blood of Dawnwalker" is great than the sum of its parts.
Dylan Blight
[He/Him] Dylan Blight is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Explosion Network, an independent Australian publication covering video games, film, television and pop culture. Since founding Explosion Network in 2017, Dylan has written and produced reviews, news, interviews, features and podcasts across the entertainment industry, while overseeing the publication's editorial direction and content.
MORE FROM DYLAN BLIGHT →
Comments