Vampire Survivors shocked everyone in late 2022, carving out a place as the late-comer in many Game of the Year lists with simple, short gameplay and an overwhelming variety of characters to choose from. Now, barely a year after moving out of Steam’s pre-access program, the game is set for a new Nintendo Switch version.
What is Vampire Survivors?
While on the surface Vampire Survivors looks like a Castlevania rip-off, with art reminiscent of the classic series and a focus on old-school weapons and spells with minimalist sprites. Where the game excels is offering the simplistic, satisfying gameplay of annihilating hordes of enemies as they surround the player from all sides, making it a game of strategy as power-ups and weapons are collected. The game offered something that could be picked up and played by almost anyone, using only the simple controls of a joystick or arrow keys as all the battling is done automatically.
While players have a designated weapon from the start for most characters, from the starting Castlevania homage of a whip-wielding warrior all the way to a furniture-tossing trickster, and even more weapons scatter the map. It might seem like mindless brutality just moving through wave after wave, but the strategy in both weapons and powerups is needed as characters level and advance in the map, waves of enemies becoming more aggressive as time goes on.
Strategy will determine if players live or die to the creatures of Vampire Survivors (which contains no vampires), thanks to the deep yet surprisingly straightforward leveling system, gathering money for lasting longer in levels and trading it for increased health or strength. The weapon. variety even distinguishes itself with an evolution mechanic, with weapons combining to form even more devastating versions or new abilities entirely. By the end of a run in the game, players feel like a god, able to control time and create pillars of fire among other terrifying abilities. There’s a weapon that just throws cats that attack every enemy they see, and it’s one of the best in the game.
What’s New in Vampire Survivors Switch Edition?
Two DLC packs have been made available so far, with each introducing new characters, weapons, and maps to the game as well as little pieces of lore and backstory scattered throughout the character descriptions. With the reveal of the new Nintendo Switch port of the game, Vampire Survivors also brings couch co-op play with up to four players, something fans have been requesting since the game’s release. The best part? The game is already available on other systems for USD 4.99, with each DLC coming out to only USD 1.99. It’s hard to find this much replayability for this cheap, but this game is worth ten times that value in fun and developer support alone.
Developers have pledged to increase work on the game, originally created by Luca Galente and developed by working with four freelancers to make it the cult favorite today. Since the success of the game, they are now working full-time to make it the best experience possible for the fans that made it all happen.
Vampire Survivors will hit the Nintendo Switch on August 13, 2023. While pricing for this console version hasn’t been announced, it’s usually a safe bet that it will be the same price as other versions.
