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[jshackles]

So - Vampire Survivors was such a hit, that it seems to have spawned its own new genre of games. There are now tons of clones (some good, some not at all good) popping up on Steam. They all use the same [Rogue-like] + ["Reverse Bullet Hell"] + [keep getting slightly stronger as time goes on] + [keep increasing enemy difficulty until you die] gameplay loop.

The OG:

Decent 3D variants:

Porn variants, because of course there are (NSFW):

Low effort:

What do you think GAF? Is this a "flappy bird" situation, or is a new game genre born? Which ones have you played? What are your favorites?

 

[justiceiro]

Yeah, I'm hearing tons of vampire survivor like when describing new indie games.

It's kinda bizarre because I'm pretty sure games we saw tons of games like this over the years.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Same thing happened after Slay the Spire blew up. A bunch of clones popped up and most of them stink.

 

[Little Chicken]

Parasites.

Not that Vampire Survivor is particularly original.

 

[GHG]

Yeah, I'm hearing tons of vampire survivor like when describing new indie games.

It's kinda bizarre because I'm pretty sure games we saw tons of games like this over the years.

We have. Crimsonland springs to mind and I'd argue that had more depth.

 

[Holammer]

While I love 'em, they're starting to stink up the roguelike tag for proper Roguelikes. Can someone come up with a catchy name for the genre, something like 'Metroidvania',

 

[BennyBlanco]

We have. Crimsonland springs to mind and I'd argue that had more depth.

That’s a twin stick shooter. Not really the same thing.

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

Soulstone is pretty good.

A lot of these seem to add MORE complexity or at least more friction when it comes to combat systems and character upgrades. Vampire Survivors makes it REAL easy to hop into a game....some of the clones are dropping the ball there imo.

 

[amigastar]

I've bought Vampire Survivors but haven't played it yet. Is it really that good?

 

[jshackles]

I've bought Vampire Survivors but haven't played it yet. Is it really that good?

These people certainly think so

 

[GHG]

That’s a twin stick shooter. Not really the same thing.

The principle is similar enough, it's just that in vampire survivors they've simplified the concept even further.

 

[BennyBlanco]

The principle is similar enough, it's just that in vampire survivors they've simplified the concept even further.

Twin stick shooters are an ancient genre. Smash TV, Robotron, etc.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Yo...where Brotato...? Best name ever.

 

[Knightime_X]

This was actually the true original.
It's where VS got it's idea from.

Crimsonland

 

[UniformDeliverance]

I recently downloaded '20 minutes to Dawn' and lost loads of hours of my night to it. It's such a simple and addictive game, seems dumb at first but you get stuck in this "just one more run" mindset.. I think there's something to this Survivors genre, looking forward to seeing it grow with more robust projects.

 

[MetalRain]

It's kinda bizarre because I'm pretty sure games we saw tons of games like this over the years.

Yes, many people have found this idea again and again.

I remember quite vividly playing Phobia II from 1998 sometimes in 2000s.

But there must be much older games like this.

 

[cormack12]

Hentai survivor

 

[synchronicity]

Just an attempt to jump on a moving train, hoping it accelerates to top speed. Just like any other trend.

 

[SJRB]

Kojima when a game made on a shoestring budget selling for 3 bucks spawns a ton of similar games, setting new genre in the industry while no one else is making strand games:

 

[daveonezero]

I feel it is it’s own thing separate from twin stick shooters.

I was playing this Wizard survival games Solemons Boneyard on IOS a decade ago and I never played Crimsons Land

Are any of these good and are any in iOS?

Survivor.io is quite shit.

 

[The_Mike]

The cover looks more interesting that the game.

Every time I see it I'm like "oh yeah it's on GP as well I'll check it ou..."

Sees the screenshots and leave the store again.

 

[4EZCOOLDART]

The one thing that keeps me from enjoying Vampire Survivors is the 30 minute round time. It really feels like a pick up and play for 10 minutes kind of game and the rounds, for me, start to drag on.

 

[jshackles]

The one thing that keeps me from enjoying Vampire Survivors is the 30 minute round time. It really feels like a pick up and play for 10 minutes kind of game and the rounds, for me, start to drag on.

Once you beat a level and get to the 30 minute mark, you can unlock "hyper mode" where the clock/enemies move twice as fast (which gives you more powerups). With that it only goes about 15 minutes - though in reality a bit more since that doesn't count the time leveling up or opening chests.

 

[Rhazkul]

Same thing happened after Slay the Spire blew up. A bunch of clones popped up and most of them stink.

Monster Train is awesome though.

As for the Survivor Genre: incredibly dull and boring. It's like an auto-battle Hack'n'Slash/ARPG where you don't do anything but run around and pick some skills (which you never cast yourself). Not getting the appeal. It seems people hate playing games themselves and just want to manage the meta aspects (just like idle/clicker games).

 

[Puscifer]

Parasites.

Not that Vampire Survivor is particularly original.

One thing I'll give it is that at least he just wanted it as a hobby at first.

 

[Herbspiceguy]

I've been playing Soulstone Survivors for a week and can highly recommend it. It's like an autobattler Diablo with insane modifiers and tons of character/build variety. The game wants you go all out and feel like a badass.

 

[Little Chicken]

Parasites.

Not that Vampire Survivor is particularly original.

wow I'm an asshole. I can't stop playing it now.

 

[Rickyiez]

The cover looks more interesting that the game.

Every time I see it I'm like "oh yeah it's on GP as well I'll check it ou..."

Sees the screenshots and leave the store again.

Same . My eyes couldn't handle that much ugly objects and particles spawning on the screen

 

[GhostOfTsu]

Pick up your phone and download the original Magic Survival. Vampire Survivors is a copy of that game. Since then there are tons on mobile and they're all better than Vampire Survivors.

I reached level 19 on Vampire and I was done. Really cheap copy and looks awful.

On my phone I have Super Wizard, Survival.io, Magic Dungeon, Lonely Survivor, Soul Knight.

Let me know if you have more suggestions.

 

[jshackles]

I've been playing Soulstone Survivors for a week and can highly recommend it. It's like an autobattler Diablo with insane modifiers and tons of character/build variety. The game wants you go all out and feel like a badass.

I've also been playing this. And while I like it quite a bit, it doesn't really scratch the same itch that Vampire Survivors did for me. I think it's because it's more of a "kill X enemies" type of game, rather than a "survive x amount of time" kind of game. Really kinda throws the whole formula off a bit.

But I agree that build variety is good - maybe too good, since a lot of builds will end up pretty samey the longer you go.