Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania review

The medium of video games is such an unpredictable one, with surprises both nice and nasty always lurking around the corner. In such an uncertain hobby it’s nice to have a constant, and for me that constant is that I will always have a great time playing Vampire Survivors. With hundreds of hours clocked into the simple but endlessly compelling Roguelike, to call myself a fan of poncle’s 2022 megahit would be an understatement. Now back with their most ambitious DLC to date, Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania will eat up all your free time and you’ll love every minute of it.

Unlike the previous two crossover DLC offerings, Ode to Castlevania doesn’t add a separate mini adventure to the game. Instead all that’s added to Vampire Survivors once purchased is a single new stage, which will probably feel a little underwhelming at first. It won’t take you long to realise that there’s a ridiculous amount hiding in this new stage though, which is so much larger than any stage we’ve seen before it’s almost silly.

Most levels in Vampire Survivors contain a few secret unlockables that mean you’ll have to play them a few times to find everything, but the Ode to Castlevania level will take dozens and dozens. With 20+ characters and 40+ new weapons to unlock in it though you’d probably expect that, but what you might not expect are the sheer number of Castlevania themed enemies, bosses and even environments. To see everything you’ll need to explore the huge castle which is full of hidden passages, locked doors and even minor platforming sections, and you’ll use the map and fast travel points to do so successfully.

If there’s a Castlevania game you love then you’ll almost certainly see it referenced in Ode to Castlevania, with it featuring so many enemies, bosses and characters I had forgotten about entirely. To call it a lovely letter to Castlevania would almost be an understatement, and you can really feel that the people who make up poncle adore the classic Konami series more than you’d think was possible.

Playing as your favourite Belmont (or Belmont adjacent character) is wonderful, and that’s in part due to their awesome new weapons. You’d think adding eight new whips into a game that already features two would be a little overkill, but they all work so differently and are great at killing hordes of Succubus and Wargs. There’s also a whole host of elemental magic to throw around too, and these spells are among my favourite weapons in the entire game now.

If you’ve been playing Vampire Survivors since the beginning you’re probably used to the ridiculous value of this cheap as chips game, and the Ode to Castlevania DLC is no exception. For only £2.99 or your regional equivalent you’ll get easily over twenty hours of play from Ode to Castlevania, but even more if you want to unlock absolutely everything. The fact that poncle continues to be this generous with new content is absolutely mind blowing, and makes it ridiculously easy to recommend.

There’s not a lot to complain about regarding Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania, as it’s a phenomenal add on to the base game. I will say that with so many new weapons added I found working out their evolutions a bit of a nightmare, and it took me much longer than it did in the previous DLCs. I also think the map might be a bit overwhelming especially when you first start, with a lot of tricky to navigate areas and unclear hidden paths. It doesn’t take long to get used to this, but for a few rounds I struggled.

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania is a ridiculously good DLC with a miniscule price of entry. The Castlevania based content is well implemented and exciting, the new stage is huge, and the new weapons are a blast to use. If you’re a Vampire Survivors fan then buying Ode to Castlevania is a no brainer, although it will steal hours of your life.