The Blood of Dawnwalker's combat is directional, real-time, and built around Coen's growing vampire power

Rebel Wolves has detailed the combat design behind The Blood of Dawnwalker, the studio's upcoming open-world RPG. Protagonist Coen can fight with a sword or vampiric claws, and the system is built around reading and reacting to enemy attacks in real time.

The combat uses a directional approach — sword swings and stabs come from specific angles, and players must block, parry, or dodge accordingly rather than relying on a single catch-all defense. Rebel Wolves says this design choice is deliberate, aimed at making fights feel tense and grounded rather than button-mashy. As Coen grows stronger across the adventure, new and more powerful options open up, though the studio hasn't spelled out exactly what those look like yet.

Rebel Wolves was founded by veterans of CD Projekt Red, including former Witcher 3 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz. The Blood of Dawnwalker is their debut game — a narrative-driven RPG set in a dark medieval world where Coen is caught between his humanity and his vampire nature. The directional combat system echoes design philosophies seen in games like The Witcher 3 and Dark Souls, where positioning and timing matter more than raw aggression.

The details come from Game Informer's latest cover story video on the game. No release date has been confirmed yet, but Rebel Wolves continues to roll out new looks at how the game plays.