Vampire Survivors: The simple game that keeps on giving

Vampire Survivor combines elements of top-down shooters, rogue-likes, and bullet hells. Quickly becoming a genre defining game, even if it is not the first of its kind.

I found myself in love with this game. Not the kind of love where I commit to a lifetime of playing only Vampire Surivors, but the kind of love where I will definitely open this game up each time I need to go to the bathroom or when I am laying in bed. Its addicting as it cannibalizes time I usually spend looking at memes!

Available on PC, Mobile, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and the Steam Deck, Vampire Survivor has had quite the impression on the gaming community at this point. It has also been featured on Twitch when it was streamed by some of the platforms top streamers. There are dedicated YouTube channels creating content solely for this game and games like it, a sort of cottage industry phenomenon that happens with many cult classics.

The game features top down mechanics where you move one character from an available cast through timed stages. The enemies attack in immense waves that get more dangerous and numerous as the game goes on. Your character automatically fires and uses weapons that may be collected throughout the playthrough, but these improvements are lost at the time your character inevitably dies at the hands of Death (though it is possible to stave off the hard stopping overpowered reaper after minute 30). Gold collected in each attempted stage is saved and used for upgrades that carry over to your next attempt.

The replayability for the game comes though the cast of characters and unique weapon combinations in a solid game feel that has many gamers spending countless hours going through stage after stage. The game FEELS good despite it being graphically simple (a throwback to old school Castlevania ascetics), and the controls limited to your character movement and the selection of weapon upgrades.

In all, the game’s popularity has already inspired other developers and content creators that will have a last impact in the industry. Its free on mobile and $4.99 USD on Steam, making the game very accessible to millions of gamers. It’s certainly worth the shot.