Vampire Survivors' Piranha Plant Rings Are The Bane Of My Existence

thegamer.com:

I just started playing Vampire Survivors this week, and the first thing that stuck out to me was how stark the game is. The first level is all flat, and minimally detailed, green grass tiles scrolling in every direction, interrupted by the occasional brown path and white pillar. Four archetypal heroes who, per the developer, are fresh out of a vampire-themed asset pack. And more ghouls and ghosts straight from central Castlevania casting than you could shake a stake at. This fits the minimalist gameplay, which allows you to actively control nothing except which direction you move.

The second thing that stuck out was how flashy the game is in other ways. After less than a minute of play, I collected enough blue gems to upgrade my character, an action that was accompanied by a loud, celebratory chime and a downpour of gems from the top of the screen. Whenever you get your hands on treasure, the game's pixel art goes into orgiastic overdrive, with a kamehameha of flashing lights bursting out of the chest for so long you might stop feeling excited and start checking your phone. For seemingly trivial accomplishments, the game pays out like a slot machine (which is fitting given that, earlier in his career, solo dev Luca Galante worked on casino games).

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The third thing that stuck out to me was how tricky these monsters can be when they want to be. The game has a seemingly endless supply of enemies to throw at you and it does so in the meanest possible combinations. Given that the only action you control in this game is your movement, Vampire Survivors primarily challenges you to dodge fast and large squadrons of enemies. Early on, huge groups