The Blood of Dawnwalker's Most Popular Mod Completely Defeats the Purpose of the Game
The Blood of Dawnwalker already has a mod that largely defeats the purpose of the game.
In The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new RPG from ex-CD Projekt Red staff, the player fills the shoes of a man-turned-vampire who has 30 days to save his family. The game has a non-linear story with different approaches, allowing you to progress how you see fit, but there's a catch: Every mission you take on advances the game's 30-day clock. Some quests advance the clock more than others, forcing the player to be thoughtful about quests they accept. Character progression, such as using the skill tree, also advances the clock.
Naturally, some fans don't like the pressure this creates. The clock forces them to make tough decisions; it means you have to be choosey about what you do in the game. With that said, it makes sense that its most popular mod completely removes the tension created by this mechanic. The Better Story Timer mod on NexusMods gives you 90 days to do quests, triple the intended amount. This means you don't really have to be precious about the in-game clock or think too hard about your choices. It removes most, if not all, of the friction in The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Of course, something like this might make sense a couple of months post-release for those who want to play it differently, but it literally just came out today. The mod has been downloaded almost 10,000 times already, meaning it's pretty popular... but some users have expressed annoyance over players not giving the game a chance in the way it was intended.
"Gamers will do anything they can to not experience a game the way the developers intended," said one X/Twitter user. "I think the main issue is that, nowadays, gamers believe every game should be made for them. The issue is that’s rarely the case, and the games that do cater for everyone usually suck. Sometimes, you aren’t the target audience. And that’s perfectly fine."
The Blood of Dawnwalker is intended to be the beginning of a franchise, one that will sprawl across multiple eras, possibly including the modern day based on a previous trailer for the game. It's unclear when future entires will arrive, but currently, The Blood of Dawnwalker is being hailed as a strong RPG in reviews and appears to be off to a strong start commercially.
IGN gave it a 9/10 in its review, praising the inclusion of the in-game clock.
"The Blood of Dawnwalker is my new favorite vampire game and one of the best story-driven RPGs I’ve played in a long time," reads an excerpt from the review. "The day/night cycle that has you juggling human and vampiric forms is awesome, and the constraints placed on how you spend your limited time ends up being one of the coolest, most wonderfully stressful parts of the adventure."
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.