Vampire Survivors Switch Review

Vampire Survivors took the gaming world by storm when it was first (officially) released back in October 2022. Owing to its absurdly simple yet addictive gameplay sprinkled with roguelite elements that keep players coming back for more, the game even took home the best game award during the BAFTA Game Awards earlier this year.

The game was a perfect fit for the portable Steam Deck, and it would have been nice if it were more widely available on another handheld… Well, good news! Starting today, the game is finally available on the Nintendo Switch!

The Switch release brings with it all post-launch updates, along with the latest feature in 4-player local couch co-op, so players are getting the latest and greatest version of the game. Safe to say, one of the best games of 2022 just got better.

For the uninitiated, the aim is to basically survive as long as you can against an almost unending wave of monsters. These waves will be coming at you from all sides, and it is up to you to survive with many of the weapons you’ll be able to pick up as you level up. If all of this sounds intimidating and complicated, fret not. Much of the gameplay of Vampire Survivors only really requires one hand to operate, and players don’t even need to “fire” their weapons because the game will do so for them automatically.

Much of the weapons here actually take influence from another vampire-slaying game that we all know and love. Throughout your escapades, you’ll take control of a whip, daggers, holy water, an axe, garlic, lightning bolts, and much more to aid you in killing the hordes of monsters. Each weapon will have levels to them, and each time you level up, you can choose to upgrade your current weapon or add another weapon to the mix. These weapons will have different attacks, and it is up to you to find a good combination that will be powerful enough to keep the monsters at bay.

Speaking of combinations, Vampire Survivors offers inquisitive players with many of these weapon combinations that, when certain requirements are met, these attacks will morph into something more powerful. There are many to unlock, but the clincher is that not all weapons are offered to you during a run, meaning you’ll want to play and play again to unlock these powerful weapon combos, with some being more interesting than others thanks to how they will affect your play style.

Weapons aren’t the only things players will get to unlock in Vampire Survivors, but also the characters they will take to vanquish these threats. Each character in the game will, much like their weapons, offer certain benefits. One character might offer a specific weapon to start with, or others might even have better effects such as improved health or speed.

There’s an ungodly amount of content offered here in Vampire Survivors, and while each session will take anywhere from a few seconds to around 30 minutes, the urge to play again is very strong. Runs feel very rewarding, often unlocking something every time the game ends. For the most dedicated of survivors, there are even secrets that will take more than just simple vampire slaying to unlock.

As you gain levels and become more powerful, so do the monsters, and at some point players will need to do careful maneuvering to make it out alive. There are times when these runs will be quite frustrating because you didn’t properly choose an upgrade path, spreading yourself too thin instead of powering up a main weapon, but Vampire Survivors is so easy to pick up and play that these frustrations are almost nothing compared to the satisfaction of seeing your combination of weapons unleash hell on these approaching demons and eventually finishing a run.

Vampire Survivors can offer players tens and even hundreds of hours, especially for those that choose to fully engage in its many unlockables and secrets. That’s simply for the base game alone, and the latest free update that goes live today offers couch co-op of up to 4 players, adding another layer of replayability to this almost infinitely playable game.

One of the most requested features by the community, the gameplay remains largely the same, save for a few refreshing twists such as players sharing an experience bar that will have players leveling up in turns. There are limitations though, as no online co-op functionality is available, along with requiring one player to use an input device, which is the perfect setup for the Switch that almost always has a second Joy-Con handy.

Of course, players might be wondering how all of this performs on an underpowered device such as the Switch. Surprisingly, Vampire Survivors performs well on Nintendo’s “aging” handheld, especially during solo sessions. There are some negligible frame drops here and there, especially during the busiest moments when weapons are upgraded to the max and all effects trigger at the same time, but the Switch (or Steam Deck) often feels like the perfect place to play this game.

What we liked:

• Addictive gameplay loop
• Loads of unlockable content
• Feels right at home on a handheld

What we didn’t like:

• Minor and negligible frame dips

Verdict: Buy it!

Vampire Survivors is a stellar addition to the Switch library, and it does feel like a homecoming of sorts because the game really shines when played on a handheld due to its relatively short but rewarding sessions.

It’s quite disappointing that the paid DLC is not included in this release BUT, and I don’t want to sound like such a cheapskate here, both the base game AND its DLC is dirt cheap compared to other full-priced release that it almost warrants an instant purchase because of the gameplay and replay value it brings.

With the latest co-op update, Vampire Survivors has gotten even better, and to be honest, it’s really tough to beat the value of this game as it cements itself as a fantastic offering and one of the best in recent memory.

*Vampire Survivors was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch with a review code provided by the publisher.

*Vampire Survivors is now available for the Nintendo Switch. It is also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC, and Mobile Devices.