Book Review - The Blood of Dawnwalker: The Art of the Game
November 11th 2026
Developer Rebel Wolves couldn’t have asked for a better debut after the reception of their hit RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker. The game introduced players to a new vampire-filled world set in the 14th century, coming with rich lore and impressive visuals. For those wanting to sink their teeth into more of this, The Blood of Dawnwalker: The Art of the Game has now arrived to fill that appetite!
The book was released on November 3rd, 2026 by publisher Titan Books in partnership with the developer and author Matthew Pellett, coming just a couple months after the game’s launch in September. Excited to see the concepts behind such an atmospheric game, a copy has joined the collection and I can now share my thoughts on the book.
Production Quality
This book comes as a 23.5cm x 30cm hardcover, giving the content lots of space for its showcase. The paper and print quality are great, so the art can shine even in the darkest images. The binding that holds it together is very good too, also offering some flexibility to allow the spreads to open up and reduce image loss in the centre fold, which I always love to see.
Titan Books has again dropped the dustjacket, which seems to be their new standard after using them for years, and use the orange and red colours on the cover really stand out on a shelf. Overall, it’s another well-made book from the publisher.
Content
Inside The Blood of Dawnwalker: The Art of the Game is a lot early artwork for the game alongside insights about its story, world, and development. It comes with more written text than I was expecting, with a lot of it given through interviews. It is wonderfully balanced and still has a very art-first approach that delivers in every chapter.
The 'Introduction' chapter is a strong opening that not only shares artwork for the astral plane and other moments from the game, but also dives into the creation of Rebel Wolves, the members of the team, using Unreal Engine, game mechanics, and more. This section speaks more to the broader development of The Blood of Dawnwalker and is very engaging, allowing the following chapters to focus on the visuals more. It also explains the concepting process and approach, which isn’t something I’ve seen before, but thoughtful for fans that may be new to concept art and artbooks.
The artwork is split into chapters for the environments, characters, monsters, and addition designs. The interviews speak often of wanting to be grounded and that is reflected in the artwork, which really captures a dark and realistic approach to all aspects of the game. The level of detail in many of the pieces is incredible, especially for the environments and the mix of wooded areas, caves, historical buildings, and other regions. Its fictional setting of Vale Sangora takes elements from many countries, including Slovakia, Poland, Scotland, and Hungary, creating a recognisable, yet creepy world.
The characters and monsters also manage to balance realism with otherworldly elements. It showcases a look at costumes and features for Coen and Brencis, as well as the side characters and villagers, giving a wide look at the excellent work of the artists. Early and unused designs for enemies you face are a highlight for me, which includes the uriash, bobolds, wurms, but also the vampires and their monster variants. I really enjoyed these nightmarish designs, their grounded nature makes them more horrific than something that’s over the top, so players will enjoy seeing the artists' concepts for them. I do wish there was more early art for some characters and creatures though, a single spread wasn't enough when the art looks this good.
The book ends with a look at a lot of frescoes that shares how Rebel Wolves tells some of the story and lore of their world through paintings, and not conventional methods. Just like with the environments and costumes, they really bring you into the 14th century time period and brilliantly show that the art team can use this unique style to add to the world of The Blood of Dawnwalker. The attention to detail in all aspects of the visual design is spectacular, and this artbook does a great job at showing Rebel Wolves’ dedication to this.
The written text also impressed me throughout the book, because a lot of detail is shared for the overall development and the art itself. I found that, thanks to the writing of Matthew Pellett and the interviews he conducted, this could be given to anyone that hasn’t played the game and they could still enjoy it. If you like dark fantasy, the descriptions and breakdowns that go along with the art make this a fantastic world building artbook by its own merit, inviting you to a new take on vampires and other creatures.
Interviews with members of the team come together to share interesting details about not only the visual direction, but the creative decisions about the creatures, the setting, mechanics, and more. Hearing from different roles, such as art director Bartłomiej Gaweł and narrative director Jakub Szamałek, make you quickly appreciate the amount of research and thoughtfulness that was applied to the world building and gameplay. Details such as having Griefberg Castle always visible no matter where you are on the map, and doing check-ins on the people researching gore left me impressed with not only the artwork, but the dedication to making the best game possible and a healthy process while doing it.
Artist Credits
Sadly, there are no artist credits for the artwork found on the pages. Although members of the team are mentioned in the book, there is no way to know which artist did each piece. The author does name the artists involved in his acknowledgement on the last page though, which is nice to see, but on the page credits or a list of names with the page numbers would have been ideal.
Use of Space
As you can see in the previews, no space is wasted in this volume. The team at Amazing15 did a superb job at using pieces that fill a spread and placing other images on top without taking away from the focal points. Text is also often used on top of the image, but placed in a corner to not detract from artwork. It’s a difficult balance that has failed in other releases, but it has worked very well in The Blood of Dawnwalker: The Art of the Game. The print quality also ensure that even smaller images can be seen clearly, while the many large ones shine as they deserve. I also like that frescoes were used on the endpapers, a small detail that didn’t go unnoticed.
Value
This release has an RRP of $50 in the US and £39.99 in the UK, which is standard pricing for a video game artbook. Titan Books have delivered a well-made hardcover and given it plenty of content for those that enjoy the artwork seen here, so this is a very fair price for the book that should leave buyers happy.
Deals come and go, and this look at Coen’s blood-soaked adventure is no different. Using Amazon as always, the book can be found shortly after release for under $45 in the US and under £30 in the UK, a great saving that makes feasting on this one very irresistible for those not done with their time in Vale Sangora. Whether you find a deal or pay full price, you won’t be let down from a value perspective.
Verdict
The Blood of Dawnwalker: The Art of the Game was a book I was looking forward to and I was not let down by what it delivered. The artwork is incredible and captures the atmosphere of an otherworldly past, while the interviews and insights give rich details that left me even more excited to see what Rebel Wolves does next.
Whether you’re just starting the game, finishing another playthrough, or just a fan of dark fantasy in general, there is a lot to pore over that I’m sure can inspire artists and developers as well. Not only did Rebel Wolves make their mark with their first game, but their debut artbook also has me hoping to see more from their team in the future.
If you enjoyed the review and previews and would like to add The Blood of Dawnwalker: The Art of the Game to your own shelf, you can order the book here;
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