The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the game's time limit system won't 'punish' players — 'You’ll be able to complete a majority of the game before the time runs out' | Tech Radar
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The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the game's time limit system won't 'punish' players — 'You’ll be able to complete a majority of the game before the time runs out'
"We aimed to get it to the perfect point where you’re not stressed about the time"
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The Blood of Dawnwalker director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz said the game's time-limit mechanic has been heavily tested
He says the system isn't designed to "punish" players for exploring
Creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz argued players can "complete a majority of the game before the time runs out"
Rebel Wolves CEO and The Blood of Dawnwalker director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz has said players don't need to worry about the game's time-limit mechanic and will have plenty of time to explore.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is Rebel Wolves' debut game. It's an open-world dark fantasy action role-playing game (RPG) and recently received a September 3 launch date for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.
It's set in 14th-century Europe, where you play as Coen, a human by day and vampire by night, fighting to save his family from the vampire lord Brencis. The story is expected to have plenty of choice-based consequences, two different gameplay loops, romance, and more.
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One of the game's core features is a time-limit, giving players just 30 days to rescue Coen's family. Every time players take on a quest, time moves forward, so they'll have to choose what they do with their time carefully.
Unlike other RPGs, where the story will remain at a standstill until the player is ready to move forward, The Blood of Dawnwalker presents a unique twist on the open-world formula filled with side quests, hidden paths, and much more to explore.
However, according to Tomaszkiewicz, who also directed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the system has been heavily tested to ensure players don't feel too restricted.
"We don’t want to punish you for doing stuff," he said in an interview with the official Play Station Blog. "So we aimed to get it to the perfect point where you’re not stressed about the time, but still feel that this big event is coming closer and closer."
Creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz added that players can "complete a majority of the game before the time runs out", and "it’s not necessarily a game over when it happens. There are consequences [for running out of time], but the game moves on.”
According to Rebel Wolves, the game takes around 55 to 70 hours to complete. That being said, once players reach a certain point in the story, they can go straight to the final act rather than chasing side content, though it will be more challenging as a result.
"In a way it made many of the game’s stories optional,” said Rafał Jankowski, lead quest designer. "So we were able to include many different endings and solutions to those stories, all which can still allow you to finish the game at a certain point."
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Demi is a freelance games journalist who helps cover gaming news at Tech Radar. She's been a games writer for five years and has written for outlets such as Game Spot, NME, and Games Radar, covering news, features, and reviews. Outside of writing, she plays a lot of RPGs and talks far too much about Star Wars on X.
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