I was definitely sleeping on Vampire Survivors—much like my colleague Dayna Eileen last year. Personally, I blame modern internet; so often it feels like a game blows up because its got easy virality that even though I’m seeing it everywhere and people are singing its praises, I choose to ignore it for a while.
What better time to dive into the game than now, when it’s reached its logical conclusion? For a game so obviously inspired by Castlevania it was only a matter of time until Konami decided to just hand Poncle the keys to the…castle. Honestly, I’m more than happy to see the Big K giving Castlevania to creative and talented developers—Lords of Shadow knows they aren’t doing anything interesting with the license—and the Ode to Castlevania turns an already incredible game into an absolute life stealer.
I’ll start by doing everyone a favour and tell you where to find the Ode to Castlevania DLC because it actually threw me for a loop. I had naturally assumed when I booted up Vampire Survivors that there would be a separate tab for it or some kind of indicator, or at the very least a single Castlevania character would be available at the start. Instead, you need to scroll to the very bottom of the level list to see the Ode To Castlevania map and once you jump in, you can begin unlocking these legendary characters.
The Ode to Castlevania level itself is an absolute treat—built in a way that pays loving tribute to not just the games, but the iconic castle. Players will begin outside, fighting through waves of bats and zombies, finding themselves in cemeteries, swamps, and even certain Mad Forest. Once they make their way inside Castlevania they’ll need to navigate its labyrinthine corridors in order to find the key that opens the door to the Dark Lord himself and defeat him once and for all—or at least 100 years or so.
“The Ode to Castlevania level itself is an absolute treat—built in a way that pays loving tribute to not just the games, but the iconic castle.”
It may seem obvious to say, but the draw really is the Castlevania connection. It starts with the simple stuff like basic enemy sprites being replaced with those from the games, which long-time fans will have a really fun time recognizing some of the classic and more creative enemies. But one of the more interesting and challenging elements of the Ode to Castlevania level is the way it places boss monsters at specific locations, allowing the player to challenge them at any given time.
It adds a lot to the strategic depth of Vampire Survivors, prompting players to decide whether to take on more easily manageable bosses while spawns are low, or adding yet another layer of difficulty when things start getting insane, but you’re better equipped to deal with it. But how you time your run is more essential now since exploring Dracula’s Castle is a challenge unto itself—as massive waves can easily trap players in tight corridors and result in rapid deaths.
But the standout feature of Ode to Castlevania is the plethora of playable characters drawn from almost every game in the series—I was a bit upset that Gabriel couldn’t find his way it but what can you do? Every character has their own unique style and weapon that feels distinct to their original game but also adds a lot of nuance to how Vampire Survivors plays.
“While Vampire Survivors already has a plethora of fantastic DLC to expand the game, Ode to Castlevania really does feel like the quintessential add-on for this incredible game.”
Trevor Belmont, for example, is a fairly well-rounded character, starting with a quick whip that comes out in an upward counter-clockwise pattern, with every seventh attack launching a dragon projectile. Alucard on the other hand, starts out fairly powerless, with a short-range sword and two timed magic attacks.
However, since Alucard is half-vampire, he has a fairly high health regen and defence, paired with a unique ability where standing still can charge a massive screen-clearing ability that restores health so there’s a high risk vs. reward to using him. Every character is incredibly fun to use, and every one of their unlockable weapons can create some devastatingly powerful combos when carried over to the main game.
While Vampire Survivors already has a plethora of fantastic DLC to expand the game, Ode to Castlevania really does feel like the quintessential add-on for this incredible game. It takes what was already an incredibly engaging and highly replayable experience and amplifies it ten-fold not just in terms of content, but a tangible connection to the series that inspired it.
