Motion-survival roguelike Vampire Survivors is already probably the greatest offers in gaming. For 5 bucks, you get an endlessly replayable time sink that’s filled with unlockable characters, dozens of weapons to experiment with, and intelligent secrets and techniques to find. The sport’s most up-to-date add-on, Ode to Castlevania, one way or the other manages to make the unique providing really feel anemic by comparability.

Possibly that’s a slight exaggeration, however Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania under-promises what it really provides for an additional $3.99. That is greater than only a love letter to 3 a long time of Castlevania video games; it’s an exhaustive homage to the very inspiration behind Vampire Survivors.

Ode to Castlevania features a huge new stage to discover, one which’s vaguely Dracula’s Fortress-shaped. There’s some inspiration from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night time to its construction, because the map contains recreations of boss arenas and teleportation rooms that may zip you round its big footprint. However exploring on foot is likely one of the finest methods to understand what developer Poncle has constructed right here with its tribute to the Metroidvania-style maps that repopularized the Castlevania sequence.

Poncle marketed Ode to Castlevania with “20-plus new characters,” together with varied Belmonts, Belnades, good ol’ Alucard, and loads of sequence deep cuts. With out spoiling any surprises, “20-plus” is hilariously underselling simply what number of new characters gamers can unlock and play with within the DLC.

The motion itself hasn’t modified a lot. Veteran Vampire Survivors gamers will fall proper into the sport’s routine of dodging hordes of enemies whereas scrounging for XP and strategizing their randomized construct. However Ode to Castlevania contains huge quantities of secrets and techniques, new weapons to equip (together with eight new whips alone), and quite a lot of shocking variations on normal Vampire Survivors gameplay. Gamers will simply sink dozens of hours into the DLC to expertise all the things.

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania provides extra than simply extra. It’s one thing of a glow-up for the sport too, because the enemy sprites borrowed from and impressed by the 2D Castlevania video games are nicer than what Poncle’s supplied prior to now — a few of which felt like knock-off, legally distinct variations of graphic parts made by Konami. And for the Castlevania music fanatic, nearly each memorable tune and theme from that sequence is represented right here in some kind.

Ode to Castlevania is a becoming title for Poncle’s newest enlargement for Vampire Survivors. It’s clear that the love for the franchise that led to Vampire Survivors’ creation is on show right here. With Ode to Castlevania, the sport’s creators at the moment are sharing that love with all of us.

Vampire Survivors and Ode to Castlevania can be found on Android, iOS, Mac, Nintendo Change, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Home windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Sequence X, giving practically everybody the chance to get pleasure from a bit of Castlevania nostalgia.