Has there ever been a power fantasy on such a small scale as what we see in Vampire Survivors? In games like Monster Hunter or Prey, you’re usually the poor sap trying to survive an encounter with something bigger, stronger, and significantly angrier than you. Here, YOU are the raid boss. The difference is that you aren’t some grotesque monster. You’re an old man with a clove of garlic in his pocket.
Originally conceived as a pandemic-era project by developer poncle, Vampire Survivors entered Early Access in 2021 before receiving its full release in 2022. At first, it’s a minimalist approach to an auto-shooter, before exploding into one of the most maximalist survivor games I’ve ever played. The game has been consistently expanded through updates, DLC, and releases on other consoles, eventually finding its way onto my PlayStation 5. I picked it up during a PSN sale, DLC included, for something like $12. A shocking value given how much play I got out of this thing.
The premise is straightforward: the forces of evil are coming for you, and your job is to repel their advances. You have a roster of characters a mile long, each with their own starting weapons, abilities, and quirks. Immediately, you get some appealing pixel-art visuals in the character models and environments, even if the backgrounds themselves are pretty minimal. Your character attacks enemies automatically, leaving you to control movement around each zone. Defeated enemies drop gems that provide experience, allowing you to level up, collect new weapons, or improve those you already have. Eventually, you can evolve these weapons into more powerful versions capable of demolishing huge swaths of enemies on screen.
Speaking of the enemies, they are constant, and they are numerous. What starts as mowing down waves of tiny bats and shambling zombies eventually turns into a massive horde filling every pixel on the screen and turning your PS5 hardware into a jet engine. Most enemies simply shuffle toward you, but the game spices things up. Some fly in from the sides in massive formations, others fire projectiles, and some form enormous rings that slowly close in around you. Larger, boss-level enemies take more punishment and reward your efforts with treasure chests filled with upgrades. Eventually, there’s so much happening that you can barely tell where your character is. I consider this a feature.
Beyond the sizable roster, there’s also a pretty substantial list of stages to explore. Each offers different enemies, layouts, challenges, and relics to collect. Those relics unlock additional components of Vampire Survivors, ranging from superficial features to mechanics that fundamentally change a run. One allows you to customize the music, while another opens up Arcana cards that alter how your weapons and abilities behave. There’s always another thing to discover, another weapon to evolve, or another absurd combination to try. That constant drip of progression gives the game replayability baked right into its roguelite foundation.
Another thing keeping players coming back is the built-in time limit on most stages. If the hordes don’t overcome you, literal Death will show up at the end and melt you into the floor. It’s a pretty definitive way of telling you that your time is up. Progression comes through an assortment of objectives, from surviving long enough to completing specific challenges or finding particular secrets. There’s rarely a stretch where I felt like I wasn’t working toward something, even when a run ended with my corpse buried beneath approximately six million skeletons. The result is a satisfying feedback loop that doesn’t overstay its welcome and constantly pushes you toward one more attempt.
Vampire Survivors takes a gem of an idea, turns up everything that works, trims the fat from everything that doesn’t, and polishes the result until it shines. It’s just a nice, fun experience almost the entire time I’m playing. Low stakes, but with just enough tension to make survival interesting, and just enough spectacle to make becoming a walking explosion feel like an accomplishment. At times, input from the player is minimal, which keeps the frustration typically associated with roguelites at its lowest possible levels. Sometimes I want a game to demand every ounce of skill I possess. Sometimes I want to walk vaguely to the left while the population of Hell explodes. There’s room for both.
There’s a reason Vampire Survivors has become a standard-bearer for the reverse bullet-hell genre, and why so many titles have tried to replicate its formula. Its influence, ridiculous value, and the sheer enjoyment I got out of playing it earn Vampire Survivors the prestigious WOTS Top Shelf Game Award. It’ll fit nicely alongside the other awards in the cabinet. Maybe even in the most visible spot, given just how coveted this honor is.
Leave a Reply