At a glance,Vampire Survivorslooks like a pixel-art twin-stick shooter, but it is much more than it appears. The game has many layers that are worth highlighting, including multiple characters, maps, weapons, and abilities.
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Vampire Survivors Gameplay
The game is considered a rouge-lite, meaning it has players attempting the same levels over and over again but allows for upgrades to base stats and new characters to be purchased using currency found in-game, all of whom have their unique starting perks and weapons. As opposed to other twin-stick shooters where the player moves with one hand and aims/attacks with the other,Vampire Survivorstakes a very minimalist approachby only allowing the player to move their character, with all weapons and abilities are used automatically.
Vampire Survivors’ gameplay has a fairly simple premise, the player is dropped into the map and has to survive an endless stream of enemies that become increasingly more difficult and abundant as time goes by. As the player advances toward the 30-minute time limit and defeats enemies, they are rewarded with gems that act as experience points for leveling up. Each level allows for a new weapon or ability, as well as the opportunity to level up weapons to better handle the hoards of enemies.
Story Elements
As simple as this game may seem, it does feature light storytelling elements. Nothing is told directly to the player, but subtle hints in each level guide the player toward certain objectives. Each level has secret items that are usually found by chance, unless the player finds theMilky Way Map, which shows all items in any given level.
In addition to showing extra items to pick up, the map shows player a question mark somewhere in the level. If discovered, this area shows a coffin surrounded by a group a difficult enemies. Once all the enemies are defeated, the player is rewarded with a new unlockable character who tells the player that the vampire they are looking for is in another coffin (a nod to the originalSuper Mario Bros). This is about all the story provided in the early access version of the game, but the developers have been adding new levels and characters regularly. Further, though there is no way to actually complete the game’s story, it is possible todefeat Death in Vampire Survivors, which is exceptionally difficult but does unlock a powerful new character.
Upgrades and Progression
In addition to simply upgrading weapons and skills,Vampire Survivorsadds other layers to the player’s equipmentthrough some easy-to-miss mechanics. Defeating stronger enemies has the possibility of dropping a treasure chest that could provide the player with up to five upgrades at once. With the correct combination of upgraded weapons and abilities, players can “evolve” weapons to do more damage and affect more enemies, giving them a significantly better chance to survive until the end.
By progression through the levels and unlocking achievements, players are also able to access abilities such as theArcana, which is a modifier system that gives them the option to obtain additional perks throughout each playthrough. It is through proper planning, weapon combinations, and perseverance that players are able to survive.
