In our Beyond Co-op review of Vampire Survivors, I asked, "how about a sequel with co-op?" Dreams do come true sometimes, as proven by today's announcement that 4-player local co-op will be added to all versions of the game on August 17! Not only that, but Vampire Survivors will launch on Nintendo Switch on the same day. All versions of the gothic Roguelike will remain affordably priced at $5.
An Intro to Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a top-down Roguelike from indie developer Poncle that bears more than a passing resemblance to Konami’s classic Castlevania series. Set in the countryside of Italy, an evil vampire has unleashed an army of monsters against the local population. Only a family of vampire hunters and their allies can stop the menace – or die trying.
Part of Vampire Survivors' appeal is its simple but challenging gameplay. The hero automatically attacks at regular intervals, so all players have to do is move around, exploring, dodging foes, and collecting items. The overall goal during a run is to survive for 30 minutes, but it will take plenty of attempts to reach that point.
Between runs, players can spend the gold found from breakable objects and treasure chests on permanent upgrades that will make future runs a little easier. There are lots of playable characters, all with unique starting weapons, perks, and stats, and numerous stages to unlock over time as well.
Co-op is coming, and so is Switch
The most exciting part of today's announcement is that Vampire Survivors will soon support 4-player local co-op. Co-op mode will not utilize split-screen (for better or worse), so all players will have to stay on the same screen together. All existing content and new content will be playable either in solo or co-op. Players will not need to start from the beginning to play co-op. All players in co-op games will share the same experience bar and take turns leveling up, which is an interesting way to handle the balancing challenge that multiplayer inherently brings. For more details, see the developer's Co-op FAQ.
Vampire Survivors will launch on Switch on the same day that existing versions get the co-op update: August 17. The Switch version, like the Xbox and Steam versions, will sell for $4.99. The two existing DLCs, which sell for $2 each, will also be released on Switch.
We can't stress enough what a fine game (and a trendsetter) Vampire Survivors is. We'll have lots more vampire-killing co-op coverage for you in the future!