Popular Mod for The Blood of Dawnwalker Removes the Game's Core Tension

A new mod for The Blood of Dawnwalker, the RPG from former CD Projekt Red developers, is already undermining the game's central mechanic. In the game, you play as a man turned vampire with only 30 days to save his family. The non-linear story lets you approach missions freely, but each one advances the in-game clock, and some more than others. This forces players to carefully weigh their choices, with even skill tree upgrades consuming precious time.

However, the game's most popular mod on NexusMods, 'Better Story Timer,' extends the deadline to 90 days, tripling the original limit. This effectively removes the pressure to be selective, eliminating much of the game's intended tension. While such a mod might be expected months after release for players seeking a different experience, The Blood of Dawnwalker just launched today, and the mod has already been downloaded nearly 10,000 times.

This has sparked frustration among some players who feel others aren't giving the game a fair chance. One X/Twitter user commented, 'Gamers will do anything they can to not experience a game the way the developers intended. The main issue is that nowadays, gamers believe every game should be made for them, but that's rarely the case. Games that cater to everyone usually suck. Sometimes you aren't the target audience, and that's perfectly fine.'

Despite this, The Blood of Dawnwalker is being praised as a strong RPG, with IGN awarding it a 9/10 and highlighting the clock as a standout feature. The review notes, '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. The day/night cycle that has you juggling human and vampiric forms is awesome, and the constraints on how you spend your limited time end up being one of the coolest, most wonderfully stressful parts of the adventure.'

The game is intended to kick off a franchise spanning multiple eras, potentially including the modern day. While future installments are unconfirmed, The Blood of Dawnwalker seems to be off to a strong start both critically and commercially.