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Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania Review – A Wonderful Tribute to Konami’s Classic Series and the Game’s Best DLC Yet

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As a seasoned gamer with a soft spot for both Castlevania and Vampire Survivors, I can confidently say that the latest DLC ‘Ode to Castlevania’ is an absolute triumph! It’s like Konami and poncle read my secret gaming diary, found out about my undying love for Dracula’s Castle, and decided to craft a dreamscape just for me.

When Vampire Survivors teamed up with Contra for its ‘Operation Guns’ DLC in May, I wondered why developer poncle didn’t choose Castlevania as their first collaboration with Konami, given that Vampire Survivors lacks vampires. And now, with the introduction of the game’s ‘Ode to Castlevania’ expansion, there are still no vampires present in Vampire Survivors – not a single one! This is impressive consistency on poncle’s part, especially considering the new level, which is none other than Dracula’s Castle. You might recall that Dracula himself is a vampire. Despite this conspicuous absence of bloodsuckers, however, this additional content remains another fantastic piece of premium material.

This is a generous slab of new stuff to plug into Vampire Survivors, with more than twenty characters to unlock, including Simon, Trevor, Richter, Leon, and Sonia Belmont, Alucard (wait, isn’t he half-vampire?), forty-odd weapons including eight (yes, eight!) whips, and a variety of other stuff to sink your teeth into. But it’s the sprawling Dracula’s Castle stage that’s the real star here, opening on the castle grounds where you’re set upon by shambling zombies, bats, ghosts, and other ghoulish nasties, before you cross the drawbridge into the grand palatial expanse itself – a maze of opulent corridors, secret hidey-holes, keyhole-shaped portals, and cavernous halls.

Examine the map – it’s massive! As per poncle, it’s the largest stage available in Vampire Survivors so far, and spending multiple hours traversing its entirety leaves no doubt about that. Red skull symbols on the map indicate bosses you can summon, which emerge from red glyphs on the ground, and feature notable characters such as a colossal Medusa head, a giant bat, and other imposing creatures familiar to fans of the Castlevania series. If you’re a fan of Vampire Survivors, Castlevania (and who wouldn’t be?), or both, then you’ll likely want to grab this DLC without delay if you haven’t done so already.

In one part of the castle, the perspective changes to side-scrolling, challenging you with an evil twin. Scattered throughout are hidden relics, keys to unlock new sections, and weapons to upgrade. After hours of gameplay, you may feel as if you’ve barely explored a fraction of what’s available. Unlocking every character is a lengthy task, each with their unique weapon to enhance and master. Essentially, this DLC serves as a delightful reminder of the exhilarating fun that Vampire Survivors offers when you have a collection of upgraded weapons firing simultaneously.

Even though it’s just been a few months since the Contra crossover DLC, this new Konami collaboration serves as another exciting reason to dive back into the mayhem – it’s essentially an homage to Castlevania, and one that couldn’t be more fitting. Combining Vampire Survivors with Castlevania is like a perfect match destined for greatness… complete with whips, but no actual vampires involved!

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania is out now for $3.99/£2.99, and adds no new achievements.

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2024-11-06 17:12

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