Rebel Wolves has announced that it plans to release major update 1.1 for the dark fantasy ARPG *The Blood of Dawnwalker* next week. In addition to lifting the blood effects restrictions on the Japanese Steam version—an issue previously raised by the community—this update introduces new features and over 1,100 improvements and fixes.
Removal of Blood Censorship in the Japanese Steam Version
Released on September 3, this dark fantasy ARPG is set in 14th-century Europe and tells the story of Cohen, a “Dawnwalker” who lives as a human by day and a vampire by night.
Prior to its release on May 18, an announcement titled “Differences Between the Japanese Version and the International Version” was posted on the official website, explaining that the Japanese version would include changes to certain sexual content, as well as blood depictions in combat, extreme violence, and death scenes.
After release, a series of comments on social media and in Japanese Steam reviews—such as “blood effects during combat have been toned down” and “blood isn’t shown on the skin of characters who should have been injured”—led to the discovery that the Steam version is subject to the same restrictions as the Japanese console version.Despite the game’s vampire theme, some cutscenes and scenes crucial to the story were also removed, leading to concerns that the censorship was excessive.
In response to these concerns raised by the Japanese community, the developers issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on September 4, reporting that they had begun working to add additional language versions and remove restrictions on blood depictions.
In the upcoming Update 1.1, the patch notes explicitly state: “Japanese version update: Blood and gore will no longer be censored in the Japanese version of the game on Steam.(Japanese version update: Blood and gore will no longer be censored in the Japanese version of the game on Steam), marking a swift response achieved in about one month.
Numerous New Features and Gameplay Improvements Implemented
In addition to the removal of blood and gore restrictions, Update 1.1 also introduces numerous new features and gameplay improvements.
New Features:
Draught of Mind Rebirth: A feature that resets your skills, allowing you to relearn sword techniques, sorcery, and vampire abilities
Petting Animals: The ability to pet dogs and cats has been added to the directional combat system
Story Mode Update: The existing “Story” difficulty has been renamed “Forgiving,” and a new “Story” mode with combat assistance has been added
Subtitle Settings Added: Font size has been increased for all dialogue, and subtitles can now be enabled
Changes and Improvements:
FrameGen technology update (including dedicated settings)
Camera improvements (adjusted combat animations and camera movement)
Combat improvements (improved targeting, lock-on, and evasion from enemies)
Movement Improvements (Improved responsiveness and wall-hugging when using Shadow Step and Plane Shift)
Over 1,100 additional improvements and fixes
"The Blood of Dawnwalker" is now available for PC (Steam), PS5, and XBOX Series X|S. Major Update 1.1 is scheduled for release next week.
Note that while the game is also available on GOG.com for PC, it appears that the game’s page cannot be accessed from Japan (*Clicking the link to the sales page results in a redirect).
