In the interview with author Ariana Siarkiewicz from Rebel Wolves, the team behind their debut game The Blood of Dawnwalker, we learn more about the development process, how the expertise of the developers helped, and what players should not expect from the RPG.
In the new action RPG and debut game of studio Rebel Wolves, The Blood of Dawnwalker, many players may already have their own ideas and expectations based on the vampire theme. Because in the game’s 14th-century Europe, vampires reign over humanity with fear and ruthlessness.
During a preview event, we spoke with Ariana Siarkiewicz, who works as a writer on The Blood of Dawnwalker. She gave us a closer look at the vampire species in the game, the journey of protagonist Coen, and what has cost the team the most nerves. Through the article, you’ll also know if your expectations of vampires align with your ideas.
Here you can see the trailer for The Blood of Dawnwalker by Rebel Wolves:
Games of yesterday as inspiration for new projects
Caro (MeinMMO): Are there any media that particularly influenced you during your work on The Blood of Dawnwalker? More in the direction of horror, vampire lore, films, books, or anything specific where you thought: “Yes, I get my inspiration from that”?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): As for my personal inspiration – and please remember that I wasn’t involved at the very beginning in the conceptual phase of the games, so it doesn’t affect that – it’s mostly the stuff I absorbed as a child. I devoured RPG games, I read fantasy books – some of them weren’t even that great, but in my heart, I just lived through all of it.
And I think compared to any kind of inspiration I get now as an adult, it simply cannot hold a candle to the things I experienced as a child and that shaped me.
There is a real truth to the fact that first experiences sit the deepest and stick with you the longest.
Caro (MeinMMO): Yes, I understand that. The active search for inspiration can certainly offer exciting insights, but it might not resonate as much as the stories from childhood.
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): It doesn’t touch you as deeply in the heart. When I first played Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 … how I felt about those games, that is incomparable. Or when I first read stories from the Forgotten Realms and saw the first films …
Caro (MeinMMO), internally grinning at the last question: Exciting!
How to make “the vampire” as you know it your own
Caro (MeinMMO): When it comes to vampires in the media, we see so many different archetypes of this being. We have the classic Dracula, we have Nosferatu, we have sparkling vampires from Twilight or perhaps Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3. There are so many different approaches to vampires.
Do you believe that you have a truly unique approach, or is there a kind of vampire where you said: “Here we take a bit from this, a bit from that”?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): I think there isn’t really a truly unique approach to vampires because vampires are one of the most commonly used and explored cultural elements of all humanity. We’ve been telling each other stories about them for what feels like forever, and we will probably continue to do so. So I think that every vampire is to some extent a remix.
The element that is probably most unique in our case is the teeth. The teeth are heavily focused on in our vampires – when they open their mouths, it’s not just two sexy fangs in front, but a whole lot of them! Very unsexy … more monstrous.
They also grow in other places on their bodies as they age. You can see that Xanthe has some on her head. They grow on other parts of their body. And of course, the transformation into a vampire is based on a tooth that is embedded in the heart. If I had to point to the most original aspect of our vampires, that would be it.
The choice between “good” and “evil” and what truly defines the hero of the game
Caro (MeinMMO): In The Blood of Dawnwalker, Coen’s decisions shape not only the story and gameplay. There are morally “good” choices and “less good” choices.
My question is, personally: Which character path do you prefer in The Blood of Dawnwalker and also in games in general? Do you enjoy the good path with a kind of heroic redemption? Or rather the corrupt, dark path?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): I have an absolute weakness for what is called “chaotically good.” I don’t like to rely completely on law, redemption, and those typical paladins, but I also have a weakness for good endings, good choices, and making everyone happy …
Unless I don’t like someone! If the characters annoy me, I can finally punish them – as I’m in a game, you know? But mostly I’m just, well, a happy bear.
Caro (MeinMMO): When it comes to Coen, if you play yourself, what path would you choose for him?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): Honestly, probably something in the middle. Because I think his goal – to save his family – is a noble goal, but it also brings a damn heavy responsibility with it.
If he is unable to let go even a little bit, that wouldn’t make him a very happy person in the long run.
I think he has the right to think of himself too. Saving the family, sure, of course, but maybe he shouldn’t be an absolutely self-sacrificing person. So I think there’s a middle ground that can be found.
Caro (MeinMMO): I see. When I think of the production and other games and their main characters … Let’s take Cyberpunk as an example: We have this fixed character, V, but you can customize them. You can play as a woman or a man and change the appearance.
With Coen, you’ve decided on this one fixed protagonist. What was the decisive reason for you to say: “We have this character, this is he, he is firmly rooted in this world, and you can experience his story”?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): It allowed us to tell a much more personal story. Because especially in the Middle Ages, men and women had different roles. Pretending that this isn’t the case while trying to depict a setting that is reminiscent of medieval Europe wouldn’t make sense.
If we had made him a generic character that could be completely customized – like choosing gender and so on – then we wouldn’t have been able to tell the story of an older brother who has to take care of his family. Who has been trained by his father to take care of the family. Who was put in this position, participated in the rebellion at the beginning, and all that.
So to tell a story that is closer to the character and more immersive, we had to choose a fixed character. Even if that certainly has clear disadvantages, because many people – honestly including myself – prefer to play as a woman. I make no secret of that. But I understand that for this kind of story, you need a character that has deeper roots.
his family.
Caro (MeinMMO): When you have such a fixed protagonist, there must be quite a lot of pressure on the team. We have characters like Geralt from The Witcher, who fans find incredibly charming.
How great was the pressure to create this showcase character for your own game, which people would want to embody and accompany? Was there any pressure at all?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): I think the bigger pressure at first was creating a character that differed from others. One that people wouldn’t immediately project the image of any other fantasy protagonist onto.
We tried to find a way to avoid that without blocking many dialogue options that players might want to choose.
But to be honest: When it comes to the charm of a character, writing is only part of it. Because both the character model – how he looks – and the voice acting play an immensely important role in the charm of a figure.
You can write the best dialogues in the world: If the voice actor has no charm, the character will end up being lousy. And sometimes a bad dialogue can be completely saved by a fantastic actor who simply has that kind of charisma that comes across perfectly.
Caro (MeinMMO): That’s true. I was admittedly a bit nervous because I enjoy being able to play a female character. I knew he had to work for me. In the first two hours I’ve played so far, I had a good time with him.
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): We wanted to present him a bit less like the typical, stoic fantasy protagonist. I think that’s something that players like me and maybe you prefer – I can relate much better to a man with emotional maturity than to a grumpy guy.
It really helps to take other paths. I’m sorry, but it’s just not fun for me to play as a tough macho man who just walks around and, you know, (she makes a grumpy noise).
I mean, there are people who like that, but I see him as a character who also offers something to those who don’t necessarily always say, “Oh, I always choose the stoic doer.”
We wanted to do something quieter, different, and hopefully it works for everyone – but nothing works for everyone, that’s just the reality of life.
determination and love.
At some point, it has to come to an end
Caro (MeinMMO): This is perhaps a question to think about briefly – but imagine a perfect world where you and the team have unlimited resources: unlimited time, unlimited money, unlimited creative freedom. How would the game look? Would it differ greatly from what you have now?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves), who doesn’t think as long as I initially expected: I mean, it would be much bigger. There would be many more branches in all the decisions. There would be many more mechanics because developing each individual mechanic is extremely time-consuming. And the engine wouldn’t cost us so much hair! (laughs) We’ve lost a lot of hair working with it.
Yes, I think if you throw unlimited money and time at any project, it will differ completely from what people can create with reasonable resources. That’s just the reality of life.
Caro (MeinMMO): Would you personally as a writer find that one moment when you say: “We don’t need anything else, this is how we deliver it, this is how it is finished”?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): I believe there aren’t any creatives in this world who would ever say: “Oh yes, my life’s work is complete, yes, it fits perfectly.” No, I think it would be an endless carousel and a roller coaster of: “Well, one more feature, one more feature, one more dialogue, one more quest, one more branch.”
Caro (MeinMMO): Was it hard to find the moment when you said: “Okay, we need to stop, this is it, now it gets polished and shipped”?
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): Not for me, because we have experienced people who can just make the decisions. I just say: “Okay, whatever you say!”
I think for them, that just came with experience. They knew what they were aiming for, what was realistic, and they learned when to stop.
Caro (MeinMMO): Okay, we now have the last question: Everything you talked about – your earlier experiences with art, with writing, the comparison with character archetypes like a paladin … My question, which you actually anticipated: Do you play D&D? And if so, are you by chance a dungeon master? Because all your love for different art forms screams for it.
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves) laughs: I played D&D when I was younger and I loved it. Nowadays less. In my free time, I write my own stuff. So if I want to be a dungeon master, I am basically writing a book!
Caro (MeinMMO): Strong! Thank you very much for your time! It was really nice to talk to you.
Ariana Siarkiewicz (Rebel Wolves): Thank you – have fun playing!
What do you think about this approach to a protagonist and the vampires? And are you already looking forward to The Blood of Dawnwalker? Or does it sound like the game is not for you? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
The Blood of Dawnwalker will be released in September 2026, but I have already spent 4 hours in a beta version of the action RPG: After 4 hours of The Blood of Dawnwalker, I say: This will be a Game of The Year candidate
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