Vampire Survivors introduced a whole new genre to mainstream gaming, but one of the things that’s kept the game on top is one that most dedicated players aren’t even aware of. Vampire Survivors is game that more or less invented its own genre that to this day still goes without a proper name, but it’s something between an idle game and a roguelike. It grabbed legions of players with its unique design, but even now with new additions to the “idle-action” formula it keeps a strong fanbase.
Most players might quote the Castlevania trappings, the energetic music, or the slot-machine like visual and sound effects, but it’s actually the deep and impactful progression system that keeps players coming back to Vampire Survivors. From unlocking the Cross to unlocking Avatar Infernas in Vampire Survivors, the game changes drastically and strangely through a player’s save file. Not only is there a wide breadth of quirky weapons and characters to collect, their impact can sometimes change the entire flow of the game, and are often acquired in strange and interesting ways.
Vampire Survivor’s Impactful Progression Has Yet To Be Imitated
Vampire Survivor‘s unlocks are plentiful and strange in their own right, but it’s the very noticeable gameplay impact that makes players keep searching for the next upgrade. In most similar games, the player is usually unlocking new weapons, characters with specific perks, or new levels, which introduce more gameplay but not necessarily diversifying it. Vampire Survivor‘s unlockable relics, such as the Randomazzo and Yellow Sign, introduce entirely new and game-changing mechanics present in most – if not all – future runs that slowly build to an entirely different (and much more broken) gameplay experience compared to the very first time players take Antonio to the fields.
Vampire Survivors introduces these new gameplay mechanics through truly bizarre and strange means that sound like rumors of Sonic in Super Smash Bros. Melee or Sheng Long in Street Fighter 2. To unlock the Yellow Sign, a necessary item for progression, players must complete a specific bonus stage, upon which they will be sucked in through a portal to a secret zone where a hidden boss attacks them and strips them of all their weaponry and upgrades. Unlocking Vampire Survivor‘s secret characters like Gains Boros is often even stranger, having to find secret flower circles or curse oneself and break the boundaries of the map.
Vampire Survivors truly did bring a new formula into the market of indie gaming, and it’s been a joy for players to try out the new iterations and twists on the instant classic. While none have quite aped the more subtle and unique aspects of fixation Vampire Survivors provides, they have introduced their own changes that have engaged plenty of players. With time, more games might not only catch the same wonder Vampire Survivors did with its perplexing secrets and gameplay, but with improvements and additions to the now familiar idle-action genre.
