Vampire Survivors - Game Review

 I play video games a lot but I wouldn't call myself a "hardcore" gamer. In a year, I may play between two and four AAA titles but the rest of the time I'm playing smaller indie games, usually on Steam. I found out about Vampire Survivors from Splattercat's YouTube channel and have been hooked on it!

 

It's only $3 and the developer is updating it just about every two weeks with tweaks and new content. The game itself is pretty simple but there are plenty of things to unlock that will keep you saying "just one more."

To start, you select your character. Each one has a specific weapon and starting bonus. It's been awhile since my first go-round so I forget which of these are available when you start. Then you pick the level/map you want to play. Again, only a couple are available at first with more to unlock as you go.

Your objectives are simple: Avoid the monsters, kill them and pick up the crystals they drop. The crystals fill your XP bar. Get enough to level up and you choose a new perk. You could have the chance to get a new weapon or an item that gives you a bonus like faster weapons or increased XP gain. There's also the option of leveling up a weapon or item you already have.

The longer you survive, the harder the game gets so make sure you're grabbing those crystals! Occasionally, a boss monster will come for you. You'll know them because they'll either be a normal sized, glowing creature or a larger monster that's hard to miss. If you beat one of these down, you'll be rewarded with a chest which basically grants you a free level up. If you get Lucky, you can get three levels at once! If you have a weapon leveled up to 9, you can also get an Evolve for it which makes it crazy powerful.

The weapons are all unique in appearance and how they attack. With the exception of the daggers which fire in your movement direction, so you have little control over where your shots go. Some go after the closest target, some are random and there's one always goes straight up.

Remember how I said the game gets harder the longer you survive?

There will be times you get absolutely swarmed by monsters! Your build (weapons/items you choose when leveling) will make or break your play through. You're going to die but the good news is, as you play, you can rack up gold which can be used to buy permanent power ups like armor, more life, or more damage which apply to all future games.

The game play sort of reminds me of Robotron 2084 except all you have to worry about is moving because your weapons self-fire. There's more I haven't talked about but some of the fun here is from discovery. No matter what type of gamer you are, this is well worth the $3 on Steam considering it's getting frequent updates. There's plenty of room to experiment with weapon combos and things to unlock to keep you coming back to it.