VAMPIRE SURVIVORS
A roguelike that can win over the roguelike-avoidant.
$7.49 | PC, XB1/S/X, Mac, Linux | store.steampowered.com
Vampire Survivors is built around a horde mode in simple, sprawling maps. You pick a character from a selection of Belmont-alikes then try to outlast a horde of ghoulies and ghosties, growing in power and number over a 30-minute timer. The game’s first great curveball is how it handles shooting. Each weapon is mechanically unique, with different AoEs, fire rates, and damage profiles. Instead of directly targeting enemies, the weapons have a timed firing pattern influenced by you and your enemies’ positioning.
With six weapons maximally upgraded and at least a few of them ‘evolved’ through item combos, your character lets out a constant torrent of projectiles pushing back an endless wave of foes. It practically plays itself at this point, but that’s part of the fun. The closest thing I can compare it to is when you whip up a deathball of units in an RTS or more tactical RPG. It pokes that same lizard brain pleasure centre for me as when I drag to select a doomstack of Battlecruisers in StarCraft, or a partyful of mages with Melf’s Minute Meteors in Baldur’s Gate, click on an enemy, and
watch the sparks fly.
I certainly enjoy Vampire Survivors on my desktop, but I think it really sings on Steam Deck (or, failing that, a thin and light laptop). I got most of my gameplay for this review in on my couch or out on the porch. Untethered from a desktopgrade CPU, Vampire does start to chug a bit in those late run steamroll sequences, but the game doesn’t really demand twitch reflexes and I honestly kind of like the effect – it feels like my Deck is straining under the weight of all those meteors. Creator Poncle plans to transition it to a new, hopefully more stable, engine by year’s end.
Vampire Survivors is a killer little game, a fun roguelike that absolutely hooked me. It’ll also only kill your free time, not your wallet.
Vampire Survivors would be worth a look even if it wasn’t the price of a latte. It also works well on low-spec PCs.
Ted Litchfield
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"With six weapons maximally upgraded and at least a few of them ‘evolved’ through item combos, your character lets out a constant torrent of projectiles"