Vampire Survivors is a 2022 roguelike shoot 'em up video game developed and published by poncle (formerly just Luca Galante). Following an early access period from December 2021, it was released for macOS, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, and iOS in late 2022. A port for Nintendo Switch was released on August 17, 2023, and a port for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 was released on August 29, 2024.
The player controls an automatically attacking character while fighting against continuous waves of monsters, with the goal being to survive the onslaught for as long as possible and unlock additional characters, weapons, and relics for subsequent sessions. In spite of the game's name and key art, almost none of the monsters encountered are vampires.
Vampire Survivors received accolades at the Golden Joystick Awards, New York Game Awards and D.I.C.E. Awards. The game was nominated in five categories at the British Academy Games Awards, of which it won in two: Game Design and Best Game.
An expansion titled Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania, in collaboration with Konami, was released on October 31, 2024, which features characters, weapons, enemies and music from the Castlevania series.
Plot[]
Vampire Survivors is nominally set in rural Italy in 2021. Hordes of monsters summoned by the evil Bisconte Draculó ravage the land, and the Belpaese family and other heroic survivors take it upon themselves to hunt down and defeat Draculó. This quest takes them through monster-infested locales such as a cursed forest, a haunted library, an abandoned dairy plant, an ominous tower, and an otherworldly chapel.
It is a well-known running joke that Draculó may or may not exist, as every stage description continues to describe the Survivors' hunt for a vampire losing steam as time goes on, believing that finally, this will be the place where a vampire will be found. However, every single coffin they find just contains another Survivor. Eventually, though, the player will be faced with The Directer, the final boss of the game.
Two DLC packs expanding upon the series have been released. Legacy of the Moonspell is set on Mount Moonspell, which has fallen to an army of yokai and oni, leading the Survivors there in the hopes of finding clues as to where a vampire could be found. Tides of the Foscari takes the Survivors to Lake Foscari, where they encounter students from Foscari Academy, a school focused on teaching three different houses of students: mages, warriors and tacticians, and spies. However, the students discover an abyss below the lake, where they accidentally unseal a monster that has the potential to consume the world.
Adventures[]
There are a few different Adventures that have their own stories:
- A Garlic Paradise follows the elderly Poe Ratcho as he attempts to find the titular Garlic Paradise and retire.
- World of Light and Dark focuses on Imelda Belpaese, whose newfound life as a holy woman is uprooted when enemies from both Heaven and Hell invade her small church. She is thus tasked with finding assistance in her battle against the forces of both light and darkness.
- Legacy of the Moonspell tells the story of Miang Moonspell as she searches for help in taking down the villainous dragon Orochimario.
- Emergency Meeting is a crossover with Among Us - after Gennaro Belpaese, Pugnala Provola, and Sir Ambrojoe are transported to the mysterious planet Polus, an experiment goes awry, creating aggressive monsters and bringing in alien threats.
- Operation Guns is a Contra crossover, focusing on the Contra Force as they fight against the villainous Red Falcon group and prevent an alien invasion.
The Tides of the Foscari and Ode to Castlevania DLCs have no Adventures, but have their own stories told through the stages themselves. The developers have stated that they want to tell a story in Tides of the Foscari that isn't just a rehash of the base DLC story, and that there was too much content in Ode to Castlevania for an Adventure at launch, though they may add one in the future.
Ode to Castlevania[]
Ode to Castlevania starts as Leon Belmont is unlocked, and as the player continues, they will unlock more and more characters in a long chain. Eventually, the player will unlock Richter Belmont, who can go after Count Dracula. Once Richter enters Dracula's throne room, the vampire goes into a tirade on how the Belmonts are "vandals" who, century after century, break into his castle and cause mayhem, not letting him have a moment's peace. The Count decides to prove that he "does, in fact, belong in this world", as The Directer assists him into a character unlock coffin. Death, furious at how Dracula, who is "supposed to bring death to the world", has decided to join the Survivors for fun instead, decides to destroy the world himself. With a few swings of his scythe, he removes all the player's weapons and leaves them with Antonio Belpaese's whip, and kills them, only to be brought back every time by The Directer. Ultimately, The Directer attempts to hold back Death's scythe, but is powerless as the scythe destroys all the Atlantean masks circling his head, killing him and leaving the player unable to move. The Atlantean masks soon appear and are collected by the player as Aspects, restoring their abilities to move, see their health bar, deal damage, collect EXP, level up, and kill enemies, respectively. Finally, the "Aspect of Black" is collected, "the beginning of everything", and dissolves to reveal a black disk. The disk spins and Alucard's voice from "Bonus" begins to play, followed by a new arrangement of the track. As the new track plays, various Belmonts, Belpaeses, and other fellow vampire hunters and Survivors join the battle alongside Richter, finally defeating Death once and for all. As the sun rises on a new day, The Directer shows the player visions of many other Castlevania heroes and villains, before returning them to the character select screen and revealing new character slots one by one.
Gameplay[]
The player selects one of multiple characters with different starting weapons and bonuses, and controls them on a typically endless stage with an auto-generated, repeating layout. (DLC stages are the exception, as they are a finite level designed by hand.) The player attacks automatically, and the goal is to survive as long as possible against constant waves of monsters that inflict damage when they come in contact with the player. Defeating monsters and exploring the stage allows the player to collect experience gems, which are used to level up; "floor chicken", which restores the player's health; and other helpful items. Each level increase provides the player the choice of three or four weapons and passive power-ups; once the player has collected six weapons and six power-ups and upgraded them all fully, any further levels they gain offer only gold coins or floor chicken. Another way to upgrade weapons and power-ups is to open chests, which are dropped by particularly powerful monsters and may contain one, three, or five random items. Most weapons have an ultimate form that can be attained by opening a silver chest after fully leveling the base weapon and meeting other specific conditions, usually involving having a specific passive weapon. After making enough progress, players are granted access to Arcanas, passive abilities obtained at the start of a run and from purple chests dropped by enemies. These abilities can affect items on the stage, player stats, or certain weapons held by the player. (Many characters in the Ode to Castlevania DLC have an extra Arcana by default.)
Sessions of Vampire Survivors have a soft time limit of 15, 20 or 30 minutes, depending on the stage chosen. At the time limit, the stage is cleared of all enemies and a final, tremendously strong enemy named The Reaper will spawn. One additional Reaper will appear every consecutive minute thereafter to ensure the player's eventual demise. A session that reaches or exceeds the stage's time limit is considered a successful completion and rewards bonus gold coins. Between sessions, accumulated gold coins can be spent to unlock new characters and persistent power-ups. Additionally, by completing challenges and finding Relics, the player can also unlock new stages, weapons, and characters, as well as additional game modifiers, such as an endless mode that removes the soft time limit, a hyper mode that raises player and enemy speed, and a limit break mode that allows players to continue to improve weapon attributes even after fully leveling them. Additionally, players can gain golden eggs from killing certain enemies or buying them from an in-game vendor, which apply permanent attribute improvements to their currently selected character - the boosts may be miniscule, but they add up as more and more golden eggs are obtained.
Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania[]
The Vampire Survivors have come a long way in their honorable hunt, and after joining forces with the Belmont Family, they are the closest they've ever been. Finally, within their grasp... A vampire. Possibly, at least.
The sun has set on Dracula's Castle once more, and as the moon rises a hellish horde of murky Mudmen, ghastly ghosts, and frightening Fleamen take the stage as the battle of good and evil rages once again. Unleash an arsenal of new Vampire-vanquishing weapons upon these beasts and leave a trail of doom in your wake before attempting to rid the world of the unspeakable terror himself. Do not be blind to the shadow that looms over you Survivors, as your quest has only just begun! It's all very serious stuff, so now let's pump up the volume and let's go, this is Castlevania in Vampire Survivors, baby!
Exclusive content[]
- 80 characters (20 hidden, 40 secret)
- 107 weapons
- Special Weapon Selectors
- A monstrously large stage, Ode to Castlevania (Dracula's Castle)
- 91 music tracks (36 new arrangements and 55 returning from Castlevania games)
Gameplay[]
Ode to Castlevania contains a new stage by the same name, which is the largest in the game so far. Pressure plates can be found across the map that summon bosses, which can be defeated to either find new weapons or relics, with a special type called Gates. Gate relics unlock nearby doors, allowing players to progress further into the stage, as well as unlock their related fast travel point. The final boss room can be reached by anyone, but only Richter is able to enter the final battle. Leveling up isn't necessary for the final boss, as the player's weapons are set back to normal. Certain sections will also force the player into a 2D view, allowing them to jump - these sections pit the player against a boss.
The DLC adds a new feature exclusive to Castlevania weapons called Weapon Selectors. As the series has many different weapons, spells, and more, the developers didn't want to limit players to just one for each character. Once all weapons of a specific type have been evolved, their corresponding Weapon Selector will be unlocked, showing up in runs occasionally and as a starting weapon for select characters. (Unlocking them all will allow certain characters, like Soma Cruz, to start with a Candybox, an item allowing the player to pick from the entire game's weapon selection.) Many weapons from across the series are included in the base game, though some have seen renames. For example, the Ricochet Rock is the Runetracer, and the Holy Water is the Santa Water.
Characters[]
Playable characters[]
Many of the characters in this DLC are unlocked in two separate chains. Once one character defeats a specific boss in the Ode to Castlevania stage, evolves a specific weapon, etc., the next character in the chain will be unlocked. Once both chains are complete, they will link back into one, culminating in unlocking Richter.
Receives a hidden Svarog Statue at Level 5. Gets a bonus to most stats when Vampire Killer is equipped. |
Gains a temporary Cooldown reduction when overhealing by +8. |
Starts with extra Arcana X - Beginning. Gains +1 Amount every 10 levels (max 3). |
Greed can occasionally affect Might and Armor. |
Growth can occasionally affect Might and Armor. |
Can receive Belnades' Spellbook as 4th level up option until Level 7. Every 6 levels automatically levels up any equipped spell from the Belnades Spellbook. |
Starts with extra Arcana IX - Divine Bloodline. |
Starts with extra Arcana XIX - Heart of Fire. When Health is low, Might is increased. |
Triggers any equipped knives in retaliation or when overhealing by +8. |
Gains an extra Arcana VII - Iron Blue Will at level 10. Spawns Mirrors of Truth every 5 levels. |
Charge ability affected by Speed: triggers all equipped weapons from the Coat of Arms. |
Gains +1% Might every level. Immune to health drain. Once per life, triggers Soul Steal after receiving fatal damage. |
Charge ability affected by Growth: triggers all equipped weapons from the Belnades Spellbook. |
Starts with extra Arcana XIV - Jail of Crystal. |
Starts with extra Arcana III - Tragic Princess. |
Triggers four different abilities when certain conditions are met: Soul Steal by charging, Dark Inferno when leveling up, Summon Spirit when overhealing +8, and Sword Brothers at low HP. Immune to health drain. |
Becomes invincible and deals damage to nearby enemies for 20 seconds when health reaches a critically low level. |
Gains a random Familiar as a follower every 10 levels (max 4). |
Maria Renard (adult) Gains a follower every 10 levels starting from level 2. Overhealing slightly increases Might. Overhealing by +32 temporarily boosts all current followers. |
Gains +1% Might every level. Charge ability: triggers all equipped weapons from the Ebony Diabologue. |
Hidden characters[]
Once the black disk relic has been obtained and Death has been defeated, many more slots will appear on the character select screen, starting with the already-unlocked Dracula.
Gains +1% Might every level and +1 Revival every 100 levels. Curse increases Might. Incoming damage capped at 10. Immune to health drain. |
Gains +1 Growth every level. Starts with extra Arcana XX - Silent Old Sanctuary. |
Starts with extra Arcana II - Twilight Requiem. |
Cornell (human) Morphs into a stronger version when equipped with Trinem Custodem. |
Starts with extra Arcana I - Gemini. |
Overhealing slightly increases Greed. Greed is doubled while Invulnerable. Starts with extra Arcana XV - Disco of Gold. |
Starts with extra Arcana IV - Awake. Gain an extra choice of Arcana at the 7:14 mark. |
Starts with extra Arcana VI - Sarabande of Healing. Obtains a Heart Refresh every 2 levels. |
Gains +0.02 Recovery every level. Once per life, triggers Firebreathing for every character after receiving fatal damage. Evolves the Alchemy Whip when reviving. |
Charge ability affected by Might - attempts to safely detonate a Neutron Bomb. |
Overhealing slightly increases Speed. Might is greatly increased while Invulnerable. |
Starts with extra Arcana XVI - Slash. Inflicts higher overall critical damage. |
Gains a bonus to Area and Luck depending on how many enemies are in sight. |
Starts with extra Arcana XI - Waltz of Pearls. |
Gains 0.2% Cooldown reduction per level. Starts with extra Arcana XII - Out of Bounds. |
Gains a cooldown to Might and Cooldown depending on how many enemies are in sight. |
Gains a random Familiar as a follower every 10 levels (max 6). |
Increases enemy spawn quantity by 50. Immune to health drain. |
Gains +1% Curse per level. Becomes invincible and deals damage to nearby enemies for 20 seconds when health gets critically low. |
Overhealing slightly increases Might and Curse. Might receive Ebony Diabologue as 4th level up option until Level 11. |
Secret characters[]
These characters are hidden, and their slots are unlocked by finding the Pile of Secrets relic from Beelzebub's fight. This adds 37 new entries to the Secrets menu, with a majority being new characters. The characters' unlock conditions are told in riddles - for example, "make Death feel at home" involves finding the four Clock Tower weapons and uniting them into one, then replaying the final boss fight with Death; and "entrust the familiars' care to the gentlest soul twice" involves finding a Familiar Forge as Julia, either through leveling up or through the Candybox item, then finding the second one in the Ode to Castlevania stage.
Some characters can transform while in mid-gameplay upon fulfilling certain conditions, and killing 100,000 enemies with these characters will unlock their alternate forms, dubbed a "Megalo" form. Five of these are included in this DLC, with most (except Cornell, whose form isn't labeled as a Megalo form) requiring the player to find the Ebony and Crimson Stones relic, which Legion drops upon its defeat.
Obtaining all the secrets, including the 19 base game ones, will unlock a final secret character slot, containing Chaos.
Maria Renard (young) Cannot be damaged, but disappears after reaching the current Time Limit. |
Character options: Faerie Familiar or one of the Four Sacred Beasts. Gets more projectiles every 20 levels (max +3). |
Character options: Ukoback, Bitterfly, Alleged Ghost, Imp, Wood Rod or Pumpkin. Gets more projectiles every 20 levels (max +3). |
Blue Crescent Moon Cornell (werewolf) Gains +1% Might per level. | |
Water included. |
Deeply moved by money. |
Get more projectiles every 20 levels (Max +3). Amount is doubled while invulnerable. |
Retaliates with Aurablast. Triggers Aurablast and a random equipped weapon from the Coat of Arms when overhealing by +8%. | |
Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! |
Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! Charlotte! Jonathan! |
Immune to health drain. |
Immune to health drain. | |
Immune to health drain. |
Immune to health drain. |
Starts with extra Arcana XXI - Blood Astronomia. Immune to health drain. |
Fights well with (and against) his father. | |
Increases the base damage of every equipped fire-type weapon when leveling up. |
Gets a hidden clone of the latest equipped weapon or evolution. |
Obtains a Karma Coin every 2 levels. |
Starts with extra Arcana XIII - Wicked Season. Immune to health drain. | |
Immune to health drain. Can choose a per-level bonus. |
Triggers a random equipped weapon from the Ebony Diabologue when overhealing by +8. Immune to health drain. |
Charge ability affected by Curse: triggers all equipped Dominus weapons. Immune to health drain. Can fly. |
Count on him to change halfway through dinner. | |
Gets more projectiles every 20 levels (max +4). |
He doesn't understand the game. |
Six axes axe axes as axes axe. |
She likes her Wall and Floor Chicken well frozen. | |
Starts with extra Arcana XVIII - Boogaloo of Illusions. |
Starts with extra Arcana XVII - Lost and Found Painting. Triggers Keremet Morbus when overhealing by +8. |
Gains +1 Luck every level. Can fly. |
Can choose a per-level bonus after defeating a set amount of enemies (max 5 times). | |
Has hidden weapons that get stronger when levelling up. Can fly. |
Doesn't appreciate being blasphemously mockered. |
Bigger is better. |
Megalo Elizabeth Bartley (true form) Increases enemy spawn quantity by 50. Immune to health drain. | |
Megalo Olrox (true form) Count on him to change halfway though dinner. |
Megalo Death (true form) Doesn't appreciate being blasphemously mockered. |
Megalo Dracula (transformed cape) Gains +1% Might every level and +1 Revival every 100 levels. Curse increases Might. Incoming damage capped at 10. Immune to health drain. |
Starts with Arcanas I-XXI. |
Enemies[]
- Alastor
- Amalaric Sniper
- Armored Fleaman
- Axe Armor
- Bat
- Bitterfly
- Bone Ark
- Bone Golem
- Bone Pillar
- Bugbear
- Catoblepas
- Corpseweed
- Dead Warrior
- Devil
- Disc Armor
- Dullahan
- Flea Man
- Flea Rider
- Flying Zombie
- Ghost
- Gurkha Master
- Harpy
- Hippogryph
- Imp
- Killer Doll
- Malachi
- Merman
- Mud Man
- Persephone
- Specter
- Skeleton Ape
- Spittle Bone
- Succubus (Portrait of Ruin)
- Treant
- Warg
- Werewolf
Bosses[]
- Abaddon
- Behemoth
- Blackmore
- Brachyura
- Carmilla
- Death
- Eligor
- Elizabeth Bartley
- Galamoth
- Gaibon and Slogra
- Gergoth
- Giant Bat
- Jiang Shi
- Loretta and Stella (vampires)
- Malphas
- Maneating Plant
- Medusa
- Menace
- Minotaur
- Olrox
- Paranoia
- Puppet Master
- Soleil Belmont
- Succubus (Symphony of the Night)
- The Creature
- Walter Bernhard
- Zephyr
Arena bosses[]
Music[]
- Abandoned Castle
- After Confession
- Amber Scenery
- An Empty Tome
- Aquarius
- Awake
- Baljhet Mountains
- Bloodlines Bequeathed
- Bloody Tears
- Bonus
- Chapel Hidden in Smoke
- Dance of Pearls
- Dracula's Castle
- Dracula's Tears
- Ebony Wings
- Eneomaos Machine Tower
- Heart of Fire
- Invitation of a Crazed Moon
- Iron Blue Intention
- Jaws of a Scorched Earth
- Leon's Theme
- Lost Paintings
- Mad Forest
- Moonlight Nocturne
- Pitch Black Intrusion
- Reincarnated Soul
- Sarabande of Healing
- Successor of Fate
- Simon's Theme
- The Beginning
- The Sinking Old Sanctuary
- The Tragic Prince
- Vampire Killer
- Victorian Fear
- Wandering the Crystal Blue
- Wood Carving Partita
Gallery[]
Packaging artwork[]
Artworks[]
Screenshots[]
Trailer screenshots[]
Other[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Vampire Survivors was originally created as an homage to the Castlevania series, and so many nods are present, from the various weapons being references to famous Castlevania sub-weapons, to various characters like the Belpaeses (who are based on the Belmonts).
- Simondo Belmont, a secret miniboss from Contra: Hard Corps that references Castlevania, particularly the Belmonts from the classic games, was released in the Contra themed DLC, Operation Guns.
- The Ode to Castlevania trailer uses the "Everyone is here" phrase, popularized by the second Super Smash Bros. Ultimate trailer.
- It contains almost every playable character from across the whole series (excluding mobile-only titles, the exclusive characters from Judgment and the Lords of Shadow universe). Pumpkin is an option for Innocent Devil.
- Quincy Morris technically makes his debut in this game, with a secret unlockable referring to him as "the Morris whose tale is yet untold." His appearance is based on Billy Campbell's portrayal in the 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula.
- Hammer was considered for a playable character in Dawn of Sorrow and in a DLC for Harmony of Despair, but never made the cut, being technically playable for the first time.
- Some characters like Blackmore, Elizabeth, Galamoth and Olrox only appeared as a bosses before, technically debutting as playable characters as well.
- Other characters, even ones that never have shown fighting potential like Lisa and Mina Hakuba and only played a supporting role in other games, technically made their debut as playable characters in this DLC.
- Charlie Vincent and Hugh Baldwin are notable exceptions for the above cases, they are not from a mobile or fighting game and neither from the Lords of Shadow timeline, have shown fighting potential despite being in supporting roles, are end game bosses, yet, are not playable in the DLC despite the main characters from their games being represented.
- Hugh Baldwin is another notable exception, he is a boss and a playable character in
- Jonathan and Charlotte's paired-up descriptions are references to a YouTube video of gameplay footage switching between the two quickly. Likewise, Death's description is also a reference - specifically, to the base game character Mask of the Red Death, whose description is "A blasphemous mockery."
- The Black Disk relic references the Playstation version of Symphony of the Night, once acquired, it plays the original audio of Alucard warning that the disk has computer data on cut number one and shouldn't be played, and follows by playing the associated Bonus track of the disk.
External links[]
- Discord
- Steam
- Vampire Survivors at poncle's official website
- Vampire Survivors at the Vampire Survivors Wiki
- X
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