Is The Blood of Dawnwalker Scary? What Genre Is It?

Wondering if Dawnwalker's going to have you sleeping with the lights on? It's certainly dark, but it isn't a horror game, despite the setting.

Blood of Dawnwalker is out 3 September, and the theme and setting are creepy for sure. But this is not a horror game; if anything, you are the scary thing in the game. This is not Resident Evil or Silent Hill; this is Witcher 3 with Vampires, except it's you. But let's take a deeper look for those like me who are not fond of jump scares or horror games.

No, It's Not Going To Be A Horror Game

Dawnwalker is a dark fantasy RPG, not a horror game. You're a powerful half-vampire (Dawnwalker) with a sword and a night-time monster mode. Half the time you're the one doing the scaring. No hiding in cupboards, no getting chased by something you can't fight back against. If Amnesia or the scarier Resident Evils aren't your thing, you'll be grand here.

Dark Themes & Violence

Dawnwalker is an 18-rated game (PEGI 18 and ESRB Mature 17+) as a result of its violence and bad language. The themes and the world are dark, and the setting is a plague-ravaged 14th-century valley where vampires have taken over and farm the locals like cattle, taxing them with blood donations.

The vampires themselves are the ugly, feral, Nosferatu kind, not the sparkly Twilight sort. And there's a nasty body-horror streak running through it: carving runes into your own flesh for magic, teeth driven through hearts, that sort of thing. This is where the darker aspects of the game comes from: vampirism, dark magic and violence.

So, providing that vampires and blood are ok, you'll be ok. And honestly, if those are not themes for you, then you probably don't care about the game to begin with.

FAQ

1. Is The Blood of Dawnwalker a horror game? No. It's a dark fantasy action RPG. Heavy on atmosphere, gore and grim themes, but built around combat and choice rather than scares.

2. Does Dawnwalker have jump scares? Nothing shown so far suggests it will but we'll let you know for sure when we get hands on. The unease looks like it will come from tone and imagery, not sudden shocks.

3. Is Dawnwalker appropriate for all ages? No. It's PEGI 18 and ESRB Mature 17+ for blood, gore, violence, nudity and strong language. Adults only.