Movie tie-ins are back, and smaller than ever! After the free Pac-Man-style adaptations of Banshees Of Inisherin and Cocaine Bear, we now have a game for Renfield, the “Nic Cage is Dracula'' horror-comedy. It’s been appropriately turned into a Vampire Survivors-like bullet heaven shooter called Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, and it’s in early access right now.
The film follows vampire assistant Renfield (played by Nicholas Hoult) as he tries to quit a toxic job and leave his boss Dracula (Nic Cage) behind. The game is “Inspired By The Major Motion Picture” and places you in Renfield’s underpaid, overworked shoes. You’ll be trekking through a top-down pixelated version of New Orleans to fetch some dinner for dear Dracula - human-shaped dinner, I mean.
In true auto-roguelike fashion, Renfield the game will give you hordes of enemies to rampage through, all while you become increasingly unstoppable. Your upgrades go from standard stat boosts (sometimes with names like I Deserve Happiness) to flashier weapons such as a decorative platter that acts like a boomerang. Every upgrade is helpful for the game’s bosses, and you’ll later unlock more playable characters from the film, including Akwafina’s suspicious policewoman.
In a brief blog post, the developers laid out a vague roadmap. They’ve committed to adding new levels, enemies, upgrades, and characters through their early access feast, but there’s no timeframe on when to expect said updates. It looks like one of the better auto-shooting roguelikes around, and who knows, maybe it’ll get an actual in-game vampire before Vampire Survivors. Regardless, other devs will need to work hard to outshine the inevitable end boss of Nic Cage.
Renfield, the film, hits cinemas
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