Vampire Survivors Review (Good Guy Nick)
Short version:
Pros:
+ Very replayable
+ Cool soundtrack
+ Highly customizable
+ Tons of content
Cons:
- Maps are somewhat unremarkable
“Long” version:
Vampire Survivors is a 2D action roguelike developed and published by poncle where you must survive an endless onslaught of monsters, all while levelling up, unlocking new weapons/combos and rescuing new survivors.
After seeing it pop up on Steam while it was still in Early Access, I decided to give it a try, as I usually play games like this on my phone when I am bored. I am glad I gave it a chance; this game is awesome!
It is a very simple game that is very easy to get into but it also provides a decent challenge to keep things interesting.
Vampire Survivors does not really have a story. You are dropped into a location and monsters start spawning in. I do not think there is much more to it. Honestly, it does not need a story, the gameplay is so good it carries the whole experience.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2825034547
Gameplay-wise, the game is very satisfying.
You start each round with no upgrades and you must defeat enemies and collect experience crystals dropped by monsters to level up. Every time this happens, you get to pick between 3 upgrades - these can grant you upgrades for weapons you are already using, brand new weapons or even passive items.
Some of the weapons/items can even create combos and unlock “ultimate” weapons that are usually much stronger.
There are several maps to choose from, but apart from a few of them being more “vertical” or “horizontal” when it comes to movement, they lack any real differences. Sure, one of them has a few corridors which lead to a bigger hall but it is nothing special. I did appreciate their visual variety, however.
The controls are very basic, as you do not have any direct control over the attacks you perform. You simply move around and, depending on the weapon, you either fire in whichever way you are facing, deal AoE damage or even fire random projectiles. Passive items will give you useful benefits such as more lingering effects on damage-over-time, faster cooldowns and even bigger projectiles and AoE.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2905183016
As mentioned before, the core gameplay is rather simple, but the sheer amount of customization is great. Each survivor comes with a different weapon and a passive effect and it is almost guaranteed that you will find a character that just “clicks” with the build/approach you want to take. I love characters which focus on AoE damage and that is what I went for in most runs; however, some areas were much harder for such builds and I had to tweak them or even go for a complete overhaul.
There are also special enemies (pretty much bosses) that will always drop a chest that contains 1-5 upgrades for your current weapons – these are super satisfying to open. Regular enemies have the change to drop random single-use items (like an orb that attracts every EXP crystal in the map) which are also incredibly useful.
While you will unlock a lot of items and characters at first, progress tends to hit a bit of a wall after 15 or so hours. I suggest you look at the unlock list so you can keep unlocking new things. It never gets “boring”, per se, but I found myself wondering why I played a couple of rounds and unlocked nothing.
When it comes to the graphics, Vampire Survivors features a very charming, pixelated art-style. I really enjoyed it. Such simple graphics also allow it to run on not-so-modern rigs, so if that is something that is important to you, keep it in mind!
Sound is up next. The soundtrack is a banger – I found myself jamming to some sick tunes while laying waste to all sorts of evil monsters. Also, the little jingle that plays when you open a chest… Oh my… It is cathartic.
Sound effects are simple but also satisfying. Some weapons can score critical hits and those feel visceral and make you feel like a bada$$.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2905183273
The base game is inexpensive and has around 35-40 hours of content. That is a steal.
They also released some DLC which I reviewed here.
So yeah, I cannot recommend Vampire Survivors enough. It is a simple game that is oddly satisfying and gives you a ton of bang for your buck. It is not the most balanced game, some builds are clearly better than others, but still, it is awesome!
Support the devs, get it! 😉
Final score: 9 out of 10.
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