The Blood of Dawnwalker

The premise

Coen has thirty days to save his family, held by a vampire lord. Every quest moves time forward, so you must choose whom to help and what to leave behind. The game alternates a day loop, where Coen is human and fights with sword and magic, and a night loop, where he uses his vampire powers (Microsoft Store, Cubed3).

What the reviews say

PlayStation Universe calls it a masterclass in game design. The 30-day countdown gives weight to every choice and keeps the story tightly paced, backed by sharp combat, strong day-night synergy, a fantastic score and a lived-in world. For Cubed3, this system is the most ingenious design decision seen in an open-world RPG and the game might be one of the best of 2026. RPGFan praises exceptional story and writing, great side quests, a strong atmosphere and soundtrack, and high replayability.

The other four PS5 reviews used here are more measured. Metro GameCentral (8/10) likes tough battles with an original sword and magic system, well written characters and a lot of freedom in choosing quests. Push Square (7/10) enjoys the world and the 30-day premise but finds the combat toothless. Game Informer (7/10) feels the good ideas never come together into a cohesive whole and that fights get repetitive. Hobby Consolas (72/100, updated review) sees great foundations in a project outgrown by its own ambition.

The drawbacks

Game Informer describes enemies with repeated movesets and fights that turn into Simon Says sequences outside boss battles. Hobby Consolas points to many technical problems, a monotonous open world and gameplay that lacks polish. Metro GameCentral notes a technical team working at full stretch, no use of the PS5 haptics or adaptive triggers, and an open-world formula that is sometimes repetitive. RPGFan finds the combat system unremarkable and the open world stale. Cubed3 regrets that the assists and the easiest mode come at no cost, which lets players ignore a good combat system. PlayStation Universe notes stiff facial animations and some early calendar anxiety. It played in the 40fps balanced mode on PS5 Pro and did not test the 60fps performance mode available at launch.

Prices

As of 13 November 2026, the standard edition still costs €69.99 on Steam, the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store. On the PlayStation Store, the Eclipse Edition (game plus digital compendium, soundtrack and comic) is down from €79.99 to €63.99 until 21 November 2026. The Eclipse content sold separately is not listed here. Physical editions and retailers were not checked for this survey.

Who is it for?

Fans of narrative RPGs with weighty choices. Players mainly after demanding combat, or who want to do everything in one playthrough, may be less convinced.