The Blood of Dawnwalker Update 1.1 adds an easier Story mode, a respec potion and animal petting

It'll also let you suck down a Draught of Mind Rebirth Quick! Hit left scratch ear! Hit down rub belly! Slap right bum pats! Annnnd you've died because you failed to parry a paw coming for you with the force of a vampire's claw. This is how I assume things will go if I boot up The Blood of Dawnwalker once its 1.1 update debuts. Devs Rebel Wolves, in their infinite wisdom, claim to be set to add in "directional animal petting" as part of it.

The Blood of Dawnwalker is already one of the best role-playing games of the year, but developer Rebel Wolves is preparing a big update that should make it even better. Like all good things in life, it starts with getting to pet a dog. Update 1.1, which is scheduled to arrive next week, brings a number of new features to the game, including the ability to pet both dogs and cats via the game's directional system, which is currently only used for combat. It will also feature a new Story difficulty setting that provides "additional combat assist," new subtitle settings across all lines of dialogue, and most crucially, an item called Draught of Mind Rebirth. The Draught of Mind Rebirth will allow you to forget all the skills and abilities you've acquired across the Swordmastery, Witchcraft, and Vampirism trees. Not only will this give you the chance to reallocate your points in a way that best fits your playstyle--it will also give you back the time associated with those skills. That means you'll have the chance to complete extra missions if you happen to find yourself impeded with Dawnwalker's 30-day limit. However, we don't find the system to be restrictive as it currently stands. Th

Rebel Wolves really put out something special with The Blood of Dawnwalker, its vampire RPG where you straddle the line between monster and man. Now it’s getting even better with directional animal petting. Yeah, you heard. Similar to Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dawnwalker’s combat uses directional inputs to attack and defend from different angles during combat. Update 1.1, due out next week, will let you take that system and use it to frantically rub a dog. “What happens when you merge a directional combat system with the ability to pet dogs and cats?” the studio asked. “Directional. Animal. Petting.” The update also adds a consumable item: the Draught of Mind Rebirth. Take a sip and you’ll be able to respec all your upgrade points and try out a different build without starting the game again. Elsewhere, the game is also getting an even easier mode for those who couldn’t get to grips with directional combat, as well as options for larger font sizes for the subtitles. Accessibility is always good. There are also some visual upgrades coming, such as frame generation improvements, better animations and camera movement, improved lock-on and targeting, and better traversal.

A remaster of cult 2004 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines may be in the works. In a post on the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, a user wrote: "I can confirm that it is in the works. NOT a Remake, but a Remaster, with some caveats. That's all I can say".

Previews indicate Nintendo really cares about this one Switchboard is Polygon's weekly newsletter for all things Nintendo, sent on Thursdays and published on the site on Saturdays. You can subscribe here.

While I had always assumed it was the result of an airtight contract or a talent rep sent from heaven, it turns out Debra Wilson doesn’t have a firm explanation as to why so many of her in-game performances feature her real-world likeness. During a podcast appearance, the prolific Wolfenstein, Wolverine, Suicide Squad, Star Wars Jedi and Death Stranding voice actor said the decision usually comes down to the developers. “Honestly, I love games where they don’t look like me at all,” Wilson tells podcaster Joseph Shepherd. “I might as well just go and do theater… If it just looks like me, then how do you get a chance to really escape into a character?” While the episode of Hyperfixated was recorded before the release of Marvel’s Wolverine, the clip has recirculated, admittedly by some in bad faith. The MADtv star has been contributing vocal performances in games for decades, but it’s in recent history that a number of those digital roles share her uncanny appearance.