For the past few days I’ve been consumed by a game by the name Vampire Survivor. It’s cheap, both in terms of price (just $3) and presentation (huge keys that are more suited to mobile than PC), while quite obviously taking most of its aesthetic inspiration from who takes off Castlevania Series. But I can’t get enough of this weird, obsessive little game.
I found myself playing Vampire Survivor-Originally) released on steam and juck.io last year – almost whenever I have a free moment. Draft is reviewed? time to ramp up Vampire Survivor and see how far I can get before my editors get back to me. Waiting for Final Fantasy XIV Popping login and raid queues? Might waste some time with that too Vampire Survivor. As crazy as it sounds, I’ve even started spending my precious free time doing a few more runs.
Vampire SurvivorAs the name suggests, it’s all about survival. It’s a pseudo-roguelike where you traverse an arena that quickly starts to fill up with all sorts of creepy monsters. Bats, skeletons, mummies, and giant praying mantises relentlessly approach your location from the edges of the screen. Luckily, as a player, all you have to worry about is navigating through this crowd. Your character will automatically attack with gear, which you can acquire through level-ups and item drops.
As with most roguelikes, there are multiple characters to choose from when starting a new one Vampire Survivor run. Antonio is the game’s Belmont, starting with a whip that gets stronger as you level up, while Imelda wields a wand and gradually gains more experience over time. These differences only matter in the early game, however, as you quickly accumulate more weapons and passives over the course of a run.
No matter who you choose Vampire Survivor does everything to make her a Bullet Hell boss. In addition to the whip and wand, you can augment your character with bibles, crosses, holy water, axes, and more, all acting like their obvious ones Castlevania counterparts. Selecting multiple of these items will grant you upgrades like larger hitboxes and more projectiles. With passive items that further boost attack, as well as stats like movement speed and defense also thrown into the mix, you’ll quickly begin to understand the importance of leveling up your skills before the hordes get too much to deal with To finish.
Vampire SurvivorHowever, its real power lies in its near-constant rush of dopamine. It feels like a mobile game without all the mobile game bullshit, or maybe one of those mindless Flash distractions you used to sneak up on your school’s classroom computers. Not only is it satisfying to rid the screen of baddies, but occasionally rare, stronger enemies will reward you with a treasure chest that showers you with additional items and money to unlock with an eye-catching sequence that rivals even the best loot boxes.
I mean look at this:
Goose bumps.
I’ll just come out and say it Vampire Survivor is the perfect game. No, it doesn’t have the expansive views of death stranding or the narrative bats of Disco Elysium, but when it comes to sheer moment-to-moment playability and texture, this odd project rivals some of the best experiences in the medium. I feel like I’ve finally found a game I can compete with The Binding of Isaac that it’s something I’ll return to year after year for a quick boost of feel-good brain juice in between massive AAA distractions.
And hey, even if you don’t come to the same conclusion, Vampire Survivor only costs a few dollars more steam. You can even play an Early Access version right in your browser, courtesy of juck.io, no purchase or download required. Be careful: it can be addictive.
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