Vampire Survivors, a sleeper hit that has cast its dark spell on hordes of gamers, is officially a giant killer.
The retro-style game just pulled off a massive upset by beating God of War: Ragnarök to win the Bafta Game of the Year award.
We’ve been raving about it for a while now, even including it in our list of the best games of 2022. Best of all, you can try it for free on iPhone and Android, so there’s really no excuse to partake in the action.
So, is it time to sink your teeth into this indie gem? Here’s what you need to know about the little bloodsucker taking the gaming world by storm.
What is Vampire Survivors?
Vampire Survivors is a deceptively simple action game that pits you against an ever-growing army of monsters. You’re equipped with one weapon, which fires automatically. Ultimately, that means all you have to do is move your character around using the directional controls.
Well, it actually gets harder the longer you survive. With every passing second, pixellated enemies and items continue to emerge, eventually filling the screen. But, with the right upgrades, you can obliterate hoards of creatures before they even get near you.
In our list of the best games of 2022, Vampire Slayers was an ES critic’s choice in our Games of the Year round-up 2022. We described it as an “easy-going dopamine fest”. Hence, it’s a great game for casual players and newbies. Compared to modern blockbuster games that take hundreds of hours to complete, the game feels like a breath of fresh air.
With Bafta’s seal of approval, there’s never been a better time to give it a go.
Where can you play Vampire Survivors?
Vampire Survivors is available on all major gaming platforms, barring PlayStation.
To get it for free, you can download it for your iPhone from the Apple App Store or your Android device from the Google Play Store, though it’s also available on PC, Mac, and Xbox for £4.
Who made Vampire Survivors?
Vampire Survivors is the brainchild of independent developer Luca Galante, who runs the British game studio Poncle. Galante used the techniques he learned from his time as a software developer in the gambling industry to create the game.
He told The Verge that the game’s sensory barrage of colours and sounds is supposed to feel like being in a casino.
The ENTIRE development team of Vampire Survivors take home the Best Game BAFTA 👏 #BAFTAGamesAwards pic.twitter.com/r634RffVKI
— BAFTA Games (@BAFTAGames) March 30, 2023
After scoring a certification from the Italian Academy of Video Games, Galante moved to London in 2010 to pursue a career in the industry, according to a profile of the developer by Barclays.
Initially, he worked in a McDonald’s before landing a job in the gambling industry. Galante started work on Vampire Survivors in late 2020, taking inspiration from a single-stick mobile shooter called Magic Survivors and by using premade assets from gothic platformer Castlevania.
When was Vampire Survivors released?
An unpolished version of the game was launched in early access in 2021, before its official release on PC, Mac, and consoles in late 2022. It finally came to smartphones for free last December.
The game quickly rose in prominence, reaching a peak of 77,000 concurrent players on Steam in February, 2022.
What awards has Vampire Survivors won?
Vampire Survivors has been racking up silverware since its release. Most recently, it scooped two awards from Bafta, including best game design and best game of the year.
Before that, it nabbed trophies from the Golden Joystick Awards (best breakthrough game), the New York Game Awards (Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game), and the D.I.C.E. Awards (action game of the year).
