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Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors is scaring me
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(Image credit: Poncle)
Vampire Survivors sucked up a dangerous amount of my free (and unfree!) time a few years ago, and developer Poncle's now using its Nosferatu-style powers to visit me in my late night fever dreams and threaten to do the same thing again, this time with a deckbuilding spin-off. Help.
Revealed at the Xbox Partner Preview showcase last night, Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors is the exorbitantly long name of the indie dev's new spinoff, which sees the original roguelite's moreish loop, overpowered builds, in-jokes and blinding bullet hell pixels switch to a first-person lens. Vampire Crawlers is more than just a perspective shift, though.
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Of course, the first-person dungeon-crawling that the game is named after is also new, and Galante explains that lots of the "bare-bones choice tree" maps you see in modern roguelikes, even the good ones – Slay the Spire, Cobalt Core – are a bit overused. "It's practical, but I wanted to create something just a bit more involved, to give a little more meaning to exploration," he adds. "The dungeons exist mainly to offer more interesting choices about what to do in between fights and to help in giving the feeling that you are moving through a world where a large variety of things could happen, instead of just navigating menus."
Vampire Crawlers is – ahem – crawling onto PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, mobile storefronts, Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass sometime in 2026. "As soon as it's ready!"
"On Steam alone, I probably have 3,000 hours": Nobody loves Vampire Survivors more than its creator, who once thought nobody would play it "for more than two hours" and ironically says short games rule.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ NewsletterContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES Xbox Series X PC Gaming Nintendo Switch PS5 Mobile Gaming Nintendo Switch 2 Platforms Xbox Nintendo PlayStation Kaan SerinFreelance contributorKaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.
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"On Steam alone, I probably have 3,000 hours": Nobody loves Vampire Survivors more than its creator, who once thought nobody would play it "for more than two hours" and ironically says short games rule
"I felt like playing 30 hours of story mode was actually the tutorial": Too many RPGs and JRPGs end after their combat really gets good, Vampire Survivors creator says, which is where the roguelike formula is so great
The Witcher 3 director says his upcoming RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker isn't "going fully into the vampire fantasy," and expect some Dishonored vibes
CD Projekt Red veteran behind The Blood of Dawnwalker says time isn't just a "resource" in the RPG but a currency, which players are in control of "fully" as they contend with the vampire game's unique 30 day limit
Stop everything, this vampire decorating sim screams dark romantasy and I can't wait to get my hands on it in 2026
"I see a lot of publishers I don't like": Vampire Survivors creator made his own publisher to "share the luck" and says too many companies "try to exploit the platforms just to make money"
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