Reverse shmup Vampire Survivors becomes an indie hit

Vampire Survivors

In case you haven’t heard, a little indie game called Vampire Survivors has seemingly come from nowhere and solidified a spot among the top games played on Steam.

Releasing just at the end of last year on December 17th, Vampire Survivors is an automatic twin-stick shooter that lets you “be the bullet hell”. Players control their movement, but not their shooting; instead the game places an emphasis on tactical purchase of upgrades to your character’s arsenal.


Who doesn’t remember the upgrade heavy flash-games of yesteryear? Learn to Fly, Toss the Turtle, and some of these games even made it to mobile like Burrito Bison. While the genre appears to have faded from its mid aughts internet heyday, it’s clear a desire still exists to appease the simple desire of buying an upgrade and watching a number go up.

Since its launch, the game has invaded Steam’s top played charts and at the time of publishing has more players than Halo Infinite. Pretty impressive for a $2.99 game.

You can find a rundown of Vampire Survivors from the game’s Steam page below.

Vampire Survivors is currently a time survival game with minimalistic gameplay and roguelite elements.
There’s no place where to hide, all you can do is try to survive a cursed night and get as much gold as possible for the next survivor, before Death inevitably puts an end to your struggles.

Content in the early access version

  • 7 characters
  • 24 weapons and 14 power-ups
  • 10 pickups
  • 34 achievements
  • 2 stages
  • Supports mouse, keyboard, controller, and touch screen.

Starting Tips

  • Take your time to grab gems and items, they won’t disappear.
  • Get just two or three offensive weapons, but focus on leveling them up one at a time.
  • Armor and Luck are good starting power-ups to spend money on.

For anyone reluctant to spend money on what could just be a flavor-of-the-month title, you can visit itchi.io and play the game for free in your browser.

,

About

A basement-dwelling ogre, Brandon's a fan of indie games and slice of life anime. Has too many games and not enough time.


Where'd our comments go? Subscribe to become a member to get commenting access and true free speech!