Vampire Survivors Releases Surprise Laborratory Update

gamerant.com:

Vampire Survivors has announced and shadow dropped the surprise Laborratory Update. Developer Luca Galante, aka poncle, calls the Laborratory Update an AAAA upgrade, as it is the biggest free update Vampire Survivors has ever had to date, adding new features and animations to the game.

Vampire Survivors took the world by storm in 2022, becoming the highest-rated game on Steam, winning two BAFTAs, and selling millions of units. But the game didn't rest on its laurels and continued to release update after update, adding new features, characters, and stages. Lately, Vampire Survivors has been expanding its scope by crossing over with other titles. The latest is the Operation Guns crossover that will mix Vampire Survivors with Contra, with a release slated for May 9, 2024.

Before the crossover arrives, developer poncle surprised players with the Laborratory Update, another free update for Vampire Survivors. The Laborratory Update will bring a new holiday-themed character called Santa Ladonna, who comes with a custom weapon, the Santa Javelin. The update will have two more new weapons, including the evolution of the Santa Javelin, a new standard stage called Laborratory, and another bonus stage called Carlo Cart, where players ride a cart throughout the entire stage. There are also 7 new achievements available after this new patch.

The developer jokingly calls the Laborratory Update an AAAA upgrade as it adds «hyper-realistic features,» such as fully-rendered running animations and opening doors. So far, since its release, Vampire Survivors has received over 30 updates, adding new stages, weapons, and relics to the game or simply tweaking it. One of the most notable updates added a multiplayer mode to Vampire Survivors.

The Laborratory Update is part of Vampire Survivors' Chaos Roadmap and is considered version 1.10, along with the Operation Guns crossover. The roadmap also hints at a future update in version 1.11, which could be either a free upgrade or another