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A huge hit indie game has crossed over from Windows PC to Xbox, and it’s totally blowing up — in more ways than one. Hello Vampire Survivors.
Vampire Survivors launched last week on Xbox Game Pass, being available on Steam and PC Game Pass on Windows 10 and 11 for a fair amount of time. The premise of the game is so completely simple; survive waves of nasty retro-style beasts armed only with auto-firing powers. You’d be forgiven for thinking Vampire Survivors was too simplistic looking at it in stills, but behind its pixelated veneer beats the heart of a true monster, eager to crush every shred of your willpower as it demands. “one … more … game.”
No matter who you are or your preferences, you absolutely must try Vampire Survivors, the unlikely $5 dollar Xbox hit of the quarter.
Vampire Survivors: A monster is born
Initially launched in early access last December, Vampire Survivors is the brainchild of Luca “poncle” Galante. Inspired by mobile games like Magic Survival on Android, Galante reportedly spent around $1500 initially on the development of the game, before it became an unexpected success on Steam and itch.io. The game went from a few dozen players to a few thousand players in a short time, peaking at nearly 80,000 concurrent players according to Steam Charts. I suspect the game is now seeing a similar run on Xbox as well, where it’s currently enjoying a stint of console exclusivity.
In an interview with Vice, Galante explained that Vampire Survivors came about because he missed having a community to manage. Galante used to be an administrator for a private Ultima Online server, and Vampire Survivors was supposed to form the basis of a weekend hobby.
Fast forward to now, and Vampire Survivors is going all out. Anecdotally at least, my Twitter timeline is full of clips from the game as Xbox players join PC players for the first time in their efforts to survive the night.
Non-stop delivery of fire, freaks and fun
Vampire Survivors revolves around … well, revolves around an endless map with rotating area attacks that grow exponentially in power for each run. This is essentially an automated bullet hell game at its core, with players only asked to move with a joystick or arrow keys around various gothic Castlevania-inspired layouts.
Vampire Survivors wears its Belmontian heart on its sleeve, with retro visuals that look pulled right out of the NES era. Although, the sheer amount of creepy creatures and violent laser beams on screen would probably turn an NES into a small volcano – and hey, turning yourself into a small volcano is practically the goal in this game.
The roguelike elements of the game kick in after each death, showering you with various unlocks, new characters and gold to spend on constant upgrades. Each character has a unique set of traits and power levels to weave into your playstyle. The starting characters are weaker, but there are challenges associated with performing at a higher level with this as a handicap. And at the same time, other weapons and power-ups might elevate a “weaker” character more than before as you move up the game’s terrifying ranks.
The waves in each level aren’t completely random either, meaning you can learn to some extent what to expect up to a certain point. Every enemy downed gives you a chance to get a gem that contributes to your EXP bar. Once filled, you’ll be given a choice of 3 to 4 power-ups, which can also power up and combo with other power-ups themselves, turning you from a lowly level 1 daggerman to a level 100 cyclone of death, throwing giant scythes and fiery laser beams into swarms of enemies coming down on you.
In all honesty, there is no better way to spend $5 right now.
The sound effects, visuals and satisfying “pop” of each enemy speaks deeply to those with nostalgia for the classic 8-bit era. Even younger players will appreciate the satisfying simplicity of Vampire Survivors, though. Its restless reward loop feels truly endless when you first start, drip-feeding 5G Xbox achievements every few minutes. Ever since I got hold of this game, I haven’t been able to put it down. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 swept aside, Overwatch 2 in the backlog — we’re now Vampire Survivor, armed with health-draining whips, holy fire grenades and garlic
The really amazing thing about this game is that it’s literally $5. In all honesty, there is no better way to spend $5 right now, gaming or not.
Vampire Survivors is the best $5 in gaming
In a world where AAA publishers are pushing us increasingly towards $70 games (or higher, in certain countries), there’s something almost absurd about the fact that this $5 indie game has already taken up a good 25 hours of my life across my Xbox Series X. and my Steam Deck. And I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface.
The potential for ongoing content, DLC drops, tie-in content with other franchises, and additional levels and powers is huge. It works great on Xbox Cloud Gaming, and is a great waste of time paired with a Steam Deck or even the most budget gaming laptops. And it’s all just $5 (or even less if you’re already an Xbox Game Pass subscriber.)
Can’t stress enough how much I recommend you go out and grab this game right away. Be warned, though, it will crater your productivity.
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