Well, here we go. The first review I’ve written thus far that runs the risk of fanboy attacks. Up until this point, either nobody has heard of the games I’m reviewing or they’re so awful nobody would dare defend it. That time has come to an end. Vampire Survivors will not be getting a Must Play. It’ll get a Recommended. “How dare you not give Vampire Survivors a Must Play! It’s goddamn Vampire Survivors!” Well the problem is, VS has a weakness, and that weakness is Army of Ruin(my review linked), which did get a Must Play. You see, Army of Ruin took the formula popularized by Vampire Survivors and refined it further, to the point VS had to update, like having an unlock screen that tells you what you’re unlocking, and how to unlock it. VS is great, don’t get me wrong, its just not the undisputed king of the auto-shooter it used to be. I could still technically give it a Must Play, but I don’t feel it deserves it anymore.
Vampire Survivors, for the three people who don’t know, was the indie hit that popularized the auto-shooter genre, and spawned a variety of “clones.” In these games, your weapons fire automatically. You pick up exp pick-ups to get more weapons and items, and level those weapons and items up. Anyways, It took eons, but now its here for the Switch, and how is it? It’s Vampire Survivors, I’m not sure what else to say about it. It’s the game we all know and love. Here is a video of the Switch version in action, to prove I actually played the Switch version. I wasn’t going to put another 23 hours into the Switch version, the same exact game.
So this loops up around to Army of Ruin. Let us compare the two games, shall we? Army of Ruin’s five base levels are better themed than the five base levels of Vampire Survivors (DLC is another story). Army of Ruin has a better defined sense of progression, with each level having three different difficulty levels, plus an endless mode, and ruin levels. AOR also gives you a better, more detailed unlock system, and screens that show your exact progression with those. Army of Ruin has crisp 3d graphics, Vampire Survivors has blurry 2D sprites. AOR has a better weapon upgrade system, where an item can upgrade multiple weapons, provided its combined with the right other item.
On the flip side, Vampire Survivors does have all unique heroes as opposed to some palette swaps in Army of Ruin. VS has unique bonus levels while AOR does not. Base VS is cheaper than AOR, though that difference vanishes with the DLC. VS just added co-op mode with the release of the Switch Version, which is a stellar edition. I couldn’t get any friends over, but I’ll take other people’s word that co-op is game changing. Finally, Vampire Survivor has some nice touches that Army of Ruin lacks, like in regards to a “bugged level.”
Vampire Survivors is not unique anymore!
Where does that leave Vampire Survivors? Just one of many auto-shooters now, along with games like Void Scrappers. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad game, or even a mediocre one. Vampire Survivors is a great game! It’s just not the undisputed king anymore. Army of Ruin took the crown when it released. Now, with the addition of couch co-op, VS took it back. Even so, Army of Ruin came out two months ago, they haven’t updated it much since, but then, it was so polished, it doesn’t have to be. But that doesn’t mean Milkstone Studios won’t update in the future. Time will tell. Still, if you want Vampire Survivors on Switch, you now have it on Switch with co-op, and I can’t take that away. Go out, play it, have tons of fun! Just realize its not the only kid on the block anymore. Success breeds imitation, and sometimes that imitation improves upon the original. It happens, and it is ok.
Now if you excuse me, I’ll go run off somewhere to wait out the army of fanboys, that didn’t read the review, who will inevitably descend! Ironically, if this happens, it will only make me more powerful! Still, If you haven’t already, go out and buy Army of Ruin too, so Milkstone Studios has reason to update!
Overall: Vampire Survivors is a great game, just that it is not the only auto-shooter worth playing anymore.
Verdict: Recommended
| Platform | Nintendo Switch |
| Release Date | 8/17/23 |
| Cost | $4.99 |
| Publisher | Poncle |
| ESRB Rating | T |
