Gamers Succumb To 'Vampire Survivors' Fever After Xbox Game Pass Release

An unexpected storm brewed over the internet's gaming sphere after "Vampire Survivors" was let loose on Xbox consoles via Game Pass.

The simple yet terrifyingly addictive roguelite game riled up users on Twitter after they discovered the absurdity of its premise and gameplay. Here, players are given the sole task of surviving for 30 minutes against an unending horde of monsters.

There isn't much skill involved when playing "Vampire Survivors," but the results are amazing all the same. Some players even consider the game worthy of being included in the Game of the Year discussion alongside other titles like "Elden Ring," "God of War Ragnarok" and "Stray."

"Vampire Survivors" is a game that can be played with one hand since all anyone needs to do is move around while collecting items and avoiding physical contact with enemies. Weapons are aimed and fired automatically.

What it lacks in visual quality or presentation is compensated for by its fun gameplay and the ludicrous level of firepower that players can achieve. It can be considered a reverse bullet hell (or bullet heaven) game where the character is the one filling the screen with projectiles and other assortments of destruction.

Even before the Game Pass release, "Vampire Survivors" already had its hypnotic grip on PC users. It has over 120,000 positive reviews on Steam, and before that, it first made its existence known at itch.io as a free web browser game.

This must-play title easily lures players into the "just one more game" loop that can snowball into hours-long sessions. Very few games are capable of doing this, especially one that looks like it was released for the GameBoy Advance.

"Vampire Survivors" has spawned several offshoots from other indie developers. One famous example is "20 Minutes Till Dawn," which focuses on active shooting and a similar array of overpowered upgrades as players fight against hordes of Lovecraftian monsters.

Another example is "Soulstone Survivors," which is set in a fantasy world where players can pick from classes like barbarians and rangers as well as paladins and wizards to fight against a varied cast of monsters, including bosses.