The Blood of Dawnwalker is getting plenty of praise online right now, including my review. Plenty of people are also wondering why, on Earth, the game features a time mechanic that pressures the player to keep one eye on the calendar or clock and one eye on the fight ahead. I have thoughts we can get to, but I also want to briefly outline how The Blood of Dawnwalker time mechanic works, in case it helps you decide to try the game.

How Does The Blood of Dawnwalker Time Mechanic Work?

In The Blood of Dawnwalker, you have 30 days and nights to save your family from an evil vampire cabal. As I mention in my 8.5/10 review of the game, the time mechanic is a major element that effects your player experience.. This mechanic serves two purposes: to split the time that you spend as a vampire and as a human, and to show time progress as you play through the story. Choosing what to do in the game has costs, but not for everything. For example, work through main quests or make decisions that impact the story, and time moves forward.

You see how much time will pass as a number and an hourglass icon. Daytime and nighttime each have 8 time slots, so if a major quest shows you’ll spend 4 hourglasses progressing that event, you lose half the day period you’re in. You’ll also pass time when you level up, which means any new skill you develop will cost you time. With a deadline on your family’s life, you feel a sense of urgency as soon as you’re out of the game’s intro period. Luckily, not everything you do costs time.

What Actions Cost Zero Time in The Blood of Dawnwalker?

Fast travel and manual movement cost no time against Coen on his quest to save his family. If you’re walking or running through areas and come across random enemies, you also aren’t penalized on the countdown. Thankfully, you also won’t lose time if you set your controller down and pass time idly.

Because the time mechanic isn’t actually tied to real-life time, does it enhance the experience? I think it’s a creative element to help add stakes to the experience, no vampire pun intended. That said, it may not deepen the player’s journey as intended, given how vague the setup is regarding your initial understanding of in-game time.

The Time Mechanic is Good at Putting Pressure on the Player, but Is That Good?

An open-world game thrives on your feeling of endless opportunities to explore and write your story. Coen, as a pre-created character, already feels separate from the player. Add the fact that everything you do can push you closer to an arbitrary deadline, and it starts to feel like a chore to min-max your time while working toward a grand rescue. In my review, I phrased it like this: “It’s not necessarily something that tainted my experience, but watching the clock while you make decisions that pass time in-game does put stress on the player, which will likely lead many to rush through things faster than they need to.”

If you’re not careful, you might blow past things that enrich the journey Coen is on simply because you didn’t want to accidentally waste time. With thoughtful writing and well-designed NPCs, it’s a shame to think I and others might miss elements of the game. I don’t replay games often, especially back-to-back after beating them, so for me, it’s a lost opportunity to get the full scope of the developer’s vision. Let me know in the comments how you feel about The Blood of Dawnwalker’s time mechanic and whether you think it’s a good motivator or unnecessary pressure.

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