Vampire Survivors-like
Vampire Survivors-like, also known simply as Survivors-like or bullet heaven, is a subgenre of shoot 'em up video games in which the player combats successive waves of enemies by maneuvering their character as it automatically shoots bullets. Typically the player unlocks periodic upgrades to their attacks and passive abilities, with each successive run proceeding in the fashion of a roguelike.
The genre was popularized by Vampire Survivors in 2022, with a number of developers creating similar games to capitalize on its success.
History
[edit]The genesis of the genre can be found in the 2019 mobile game Magic Survival, which the developers of Vampire Survivors drew from when designing its gameplay.[1] Following the success of Vampire Survivors in 2022, various developers produced games with similar gameplay.[2] These titles included HoloCure – Save the Fans!, Brotato, and 20 Minutes Till Dawn, among others.[1] Some spin-offs of existing games were created in the Vampire Survivors-like genre, including Temtem: Swarm, based on Temtem a monster-taming game, which included a catching mechanic,[3] and Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.[4] The genre's name was initially unclear, with bullet heaven or reverse bullet hell arising as early descriptors. Robin Valentine of PCGamer rated the bullet heaven terminology poorly, favoring the name "survivor games" or "auto-shooters".[5]
Reception
[edit]Ed Thorn of Rock Paper Shotgun wrote that most Vampire Survivors clones did a poor job of distinguishing the player from the visual clutter in comparison to the original.[6] William Hughes of The A.V. Club praised the large amount of clones, stating that "gaming is an inherently iterative medium, with the entire history of the art form made up of creators building on other people’s good ideas for play".[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Fenlon, Wes (2022-12-29). "So, so many Vampire Survivors clones came out this year". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Benson, Julian (2025-04-20). "Vampire Survivors kicked off a game development gold rush, but has a legitimately new genre emerged between the cash-ins?". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (2024-02-20). "Pokémon meets Vampire Survivors in new Temtem 'bullet heaven' spinoff". Polygon. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ a b Hughes, William (2024-03-15). "Game Theory: Yes, please, bring on the Vampire Survivors clones". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Valentine, Robin (2025-03-11). "We need to decide on a genre name for Vampire Survivors-like games before a really terrible one sticks". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Thorn, Ed (2022-11-23). "Vampire Survivors-likes need to cut through the clutter". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
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