Quickly proving to be a sleeper hit afterarriving on the scene in 2022,Vampire Survivorsis a nostalgic treat for fans of roguelike gaming. Set in the Italian countryside, the game focuses on the villainous Bisconte Draculó assault on the land via his summoning of hordes of monsters.
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For players, dealing with these monsters means surviving brutal onslaughts for specific periods of time, typically ranging from 15 to 25 minutes. As if such a long stretch of combat wasn’t challenging enough, there’s typically a powerful boss waiting toward the end of the mayhem to further up the ante. For gamers looking for a quick victory and resolution,Vampire Survivorsis a nightmare to get through, as Death itself spawns time and time again to take more efficient players down until they stay down at the end of each round. For everyone else, however, the all-action shoot ‘em-up gameplay, old-school graphics, level layouts,and exciting DLCscan make for a thrilling treat.
6Trinacria Is A Speedy, Recurring Threat
According to the Ars Gouda, Trinacria’s story is eerily similar to the plot of theinfamous cult classic horror flickEvent Horizon. Opening a gateway to a dimension of pure evil, Trinacria is unsurprisingly quite a handful for players to deal with.
Popping up in several game stages, including Cappella Magna and the elusive Holy Forbidden, Trinacria is a fast-paced threat that is resistant to the handy instant kill skill. For those who best this fearsome foe in the Cappella Magna round, the hyper mode for that stage will subsequently be unlocked. While both HP and power vary considerably depending on where players encounter Trinacria and what their own levels are, her speed remains a key trait, adding to the challenging nature of taking her down.
Like most bosses, she only spawns late into stages, when the player character has already fought their way through hordes of enemies, ensuring a difficult-to-overcome climactic battle for gamers,regardless of their weaponry.
5The Ender Provides Two Tough Battles For Players To Survive
Popping up during the Cappella Magna stage of the game, The Ender hits the scene once the player has reached the 30-minute mark of the round. Interestingly, The Ender’s HP variesdepending on the level of the player.
Even with this variable factor, The Ender lives up to its ominous name, brutalizing the player with fire, and scythes shot like bullets. This tough boss also makes its presence felt during the Boss Rash challenge, arriving 10 minutes into the 15-minute round. Much like its showing in the Cappella Magna stage, The Ender is a ferocious foe.
In a noticeable change its HP and overall power are more dead-set than the slightly more player-friendly, shifting scale displayed in the Cappella Magna. Weapons such as the Magic Wand are ideal for keeping this boss at bay, while the Laurel can assist in withstanding the barrage of scythes duringthe impressively brutal showdownsthis villain has to offer.
4The Director Puts Players Through Several Phases Of Tough Combat
Arriving in the Eudaimonia Machine, the deadly Director viciously takes the fight to the player. Taking the Director down is a tall order, as it’s impervious to being knocked back, and is invulnerable to a variety of attacks.
As if taking The Director down wasn’t challenging enough in its own right, the powerful boss can also spawn additional enemies for the player character to contend with. Hurling Golden Egg Bullets at the player, The Director has an exhausting five phases of battle for gamers to plow through.
The Eudaimonia Machine’sstatus as a special stagefor more experienced players to get through is well-preserved by its climactic boss. The epic, multi-stagebattle veers between thrilling and infuriatingdepending on the weaponry the player has at the ready.
3The Reaper Provides An End-Stage Threat
Whenever the players reach the time limit of a stage,an even bigger obstacle is waiting for them. Spawning on the minute after the time limit, The Reaper swoops in and nearly always gets the better of the player.
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Boasting a massive helping of HP and strong resistance to abilities such as debuffing and freezing, the relentless Reaper lives up to its deadly image. Curiously, earlier versions of the game had a secret playable character Toastie intended to be the only one capable of defeating Death at the end of a stage.
For that to work, however, players must first get Toastie all the way up to level 200. Given its recurring knack for wiping players out, as well as its frustrating placement at the end of an exhausting battle with other foes, The Reaper is a recurring menace that keeps players on their toes.
2Red Death Is A Potentially Game-Changing Unlockable Character
A more ominous rendition of the Reaper, Red Death is one of the most powerful characters players can unlock in the whole game. However, to unlock Red Death, players must first pull off the improbable and defeat it in combat.
The most efficient way to topple this sinister figure is to come inarmed with high-level Evolved Weapons. Pairing up killer instruments such as the Crimson Shroud and Infinite Corridor can be devastating enough to ultimately sap the Red Death of its HP.
Considering this boss comes storming in with a whopping 600,000 in HP, killing blow weapons are absolutely essential if players wantany chance of getting the job done. The exhausting foe can be acquired for a sizable 1665 coins as a playable character once defeated, with its infuriating levels of durability and strength suddenly becoming major perks for players.
1White Death Is An Invincible Final Boss
While many game bosses over the years have been notoriously difficult, few have crossed the line into unbeatable territory. White Death is one such example of the latter, proving to beinsurmountable for the playerno matter what.
After overcoming the grim challenge posed by the Red Death, players are confronted by the ultimate reaper. No matter the weapons at the ready, the White Death is simply unbeatable, ensuring the player character does not make it out ofthe game’s exhausting actionalive no matter what.
While it makes for a somewhat deflating final boss fight, it’s also a perfect fit for a game where the last 25 minutes are frequently treated as a major accomplishment in its own right. Instead of doing conventional damage, this closing figure simply sets the player’s health to 0, definitively putting a stop to the often high-stress action of the game.
Vampire Survivorsis available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, and Android.
