I know exactly which game Vampire Survivors reminds me of and it’s Geometry Wars, which is a wonderful thing. And yes, I know it doesn’t look like it, and yes there’s a crucial difference in that, here, you’re not in control of your own attacks – and I’ll come onto that in a moment. But it’s absolutely Geometry Wars in the way that really matters to me. In that screen-filling spectacle of being utterly overrun by an endless wave of enemies while you scrabble to find any gap to escape through. That thrilling, never-ending headlong pelt while fireworks go off around you. Vampire Survivors packs that thrill.
Vampire Survivors
- Developer: Poncle
- Publisher: Poncle
- Platform: Played on PC
- Availability: Out now on Steam Early Access for £2.09, with a free demo on Itch.io
Now, the not-being-in-control-of-your-attacks bit. This is the game’s quirky ingredient, the part you notice early on and maybe wrinkle your nose at. I did; I honestly thought the game was broken and restarted it, silly sausage. But what happens here is the game attacks for you. Say you’re equipped with a whip, which you will be, then every so often, the whip flashes out and hits. It goes something a bit like whip, beat, beat, whip – it’s not a long wait (although it’s agonising later on if you don’t improve it).
You don’t control the direction of the attack either: the whip always attacks the way you’re facing. And the same is true of all weapons in the game, in that they attack with their own unique rhythms and in their own ways. What you’re trying to do is layer them up to a deafening, destructive cacophony, because you are by no means limited to only one. You get the option of adding another weapon or attack, or ability, whenever you level up (or get a free one from a chest), which you do by collecting experience gems enemies drop. And there’s a lot to choose from.