Vampire Crawlers Review

Rarely these days do I get as addicted to a game as I have to the Vampire series. Following the sizable success of Vampire Survivors, this game brings charm and a complex yet simplistic nature to a classic genre: Dungeon crawling. Amazingly, the developers have done it again, and given us a new take on a storied genre. You’ve never seen dungeon crawling like this, mixing elements of idle shooters/slashers, rogue-likes, card based games, and that just-one-more gameplay.

Crawling through Paradise

It’s that very gameplay that makes this package more than it could be, and have you crawling back. Utilizing a lot of the same characters and items from Vampire Survivors, this game is all about the run. It’s in this loop that you will find that addictive spirit. What can you do to best that last run? Will it be a different combo? A different character? Maybe a handful of luck will help. Either way, it will have you itching to get in there and be better than your previous attempt.

It can also be this nature to be better than the last run, that will make you want to scream. The nature of the luck of the draw can come into play. When this happens, you feel helpless, like the game is conspiring to end you. That will happen a lot. You will come back. A lot. How long you are able to hold out will be the ultimate question. The core of the game is designed to keep you doing just that, so some personalities, mine included, will crawl right back in.

A Winning Combination

Combination is the name of the game when it comes to weapons. The idea is figuring out which weapons to combo with your character to maximize Stats. These stats: Area, armor, luck, DPS, etc. are what make the game go round. Stats for characters will judge what weapon you start with, and ultimately what types will ultimately combo best. The question then becomes, will my choices lead to the ultimate run, or fast downfall?

You will accomplish this by using combinations like garlic, with a bible or an axe or whatever combo tickles your fancy. There are items for everything, from helping regenerate health, to clearing a whole screen, much like in Survivors. It’s in the choosing of these weapons and combos, that a run will be made or broken, so be careful how you proceed. Choose your path, and enjoy the ride.

Gameplay Is King

Visually, the game harkens back to it’s older brother. Old school sprites, a focus on colorful enemies, and minimal effects are all you need. It’s a dungeon crawler after all. While it wears its influences in its minimalist graphics, the real fun and innovation comes in the form of its addictive game play. What keeps you coming back again, and again. The gameplay loop for this one can lock you in for hours or have you stomping away in frustration. This game will guarantee that, either way, you will return.

The game sees you building decks with the items you start with, choose, or find on the maps. Once in an encounter you find yourself cycling through a hand, to ensure that you combo the right cards, and maximize your damage or effects. Players will constantly be trying to find the best lines to run, upping the last one and finishing off the enemies as quickly as possible. Much like in Survivors, the time is against you as well, as Death will appear at the end mark of all maps.

As you will see, your goal in each level is to simply survive to that time limit (and beyond if you play your cards right), and find new characters and unlock new levels. On this front, this game is as packed to the gills as its older brother. There are tons of characters, new items, new skills, and new combos every time something new comes along. This game always makes sure there is something new to see or do.

At The Finish Line

This game is all about the contradictions of striving to be perfect or throwing in the towel in frustration. It will push you to be the absolute best, or to never want to darken it’s door again. That’s where this game absolutely shines. You will almost always find yourself back in the midst of a new run, and have been there for hours. A gleaming example in the middle of todays polished graphics and stories, that gameplay is truly king. I will definitely keep crawling back for more, and I think you guys will too.

I am glad to give this one, a 8.5 out of 10!