The Blood of Dawnwalker Update 1.1 Lifts Gore Limits On Steam In Japan
The Steam Japanese version carries a 87% positive review rating, and the patch arrives as the studio moves the expression fix to consoles only on a later timetable.
Key Facts
- Bandai Namco Entertainment and Rebel Wolves released Update 1.1 for The Blood of Dawnwalker on October 22, 2026.
- Update 1.1 removes blood and gore expression restrictions from the Japanese version of The Blood of Dawnwalker on Steam and restores the game's opening, which had been cut entirely.
- The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of The Blood of Dawnwalker are scheduled to receive the same expression changes in early 2027.
- Update 1.1 adds Spirit Rebirth Medicine, a potion that lets players reallocate skill points, along with the ability to pet animals.
- The Blood of Dawnwalker holds a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam based on 87% positive reviews.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Game Spark.
Bandai Namco Entertainment and Rebel Wolves released Update 1.1 for The Blood of Dawnwalker on October 22, 2026. The patch removes the restrictions on blood and gore expressions in the Japanese version distributed on Steam, and it restores the game's opening, which had been cut entirely under those restrictions. A skill reset function arrives through a potion called Spirit Rebirth Medicine, and players can now pet animals in the game. The patch also adds a lower difficulty setting with combat assists, plus subtitle font size and full subtitle options. Frame generation settings were updated, and combat animations, camera work, aiming, lock-on, and the responsiveness of Shadowstep and Planeshift were adjusted. The same gore changes for the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions are scheduled for early 2027, per the developers' earlier announcement.
Update 1.1 carries more than 1,100 improvements and fixes, a figure the patch notes put at the head of the changelog. The lower difficulty setting is called Story Mode and adds combat assists on top of the existing "Lenient" tier, which was previously labeled "Story".
The skill reset item appears under two names in the notes: Spirit Rebirth Medicine and Elixir of Mental Renewal. Its function is to clear all swordsmanship, magic, and vampiric abilities and return the time spent learning them so players can build elsewhere.
- Animal interaction: dogs and cats can be petted.
- Subtitles: font size can be increased, and subtitles can be displayed for all lines.
- Frame generation: dedicated settings added alongside the technology update.
- Stealth and traversal: aiming accuracy, lock-on, and disengagement improved; target designation and surface adherence tuned for Shadowstep and Planeshift.
- Vendors: equipped items are hidden when selling, and a Buyback feature is added.
- Presets: items can be equipped in both day and night presets at once.
- Balance: boars and wolves have less health at high levels, and high-level item upgrade costs are rebalanced.
The game is a single-player open-world RPG from developers who worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It has drawn most of its audience overseas, while reception in Japan struggled over the expression restrictions.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.