After its Early Access release in late 2021, there was a feeling that it wouldn't be able to escape its charm anytime soon. vampire survivor. The roguelike shooter's firm grip on players didn't wane until its full release in late 2022, and the title has since been released on all major platforms, with a VR version even supporting Meta Quest. The retro design and easy-to-understand mechanics made many people instantly obsessed. Fans inadvertently started doing “one more run” before they even realized they had done it. In newly released works vampire crawlerSurvival is still the goal, but this time it's all about building the right deck. It's clear that developer Luca Galante has a deep understanding of what makes the roguelike genre stand out, and from the time I spent with him. vampire crawler It was the most fun game I've played in 2026 so far.
Galente, often referred to by its studio name, poncle, has become somewhat of a legend in the indie gaming world. vampire survivor Unemployed and on a tight budget. The title earned far more money than the solo developer expected, allowing him to provide additional help expanding the game, and spawning several expansion packs, which were particularly well-received. castlevania crossover. Not one to rest on his laurels, Ponkle surprised fans in November 2025 by making the following announcement: Vampire Crawler: Turbo Wildcard in Vampire SurvivorsThe gameplay trailer reveals that a roguelike deck builder will be his next challenge.
A dedicated player got his chance to try it out for the first time. vampire crawler Within minutes of the demo's launch at Steam Next Fest in February 2026, it attracted over 3,000 concurrent players and soon received rave reviews on social media. It has tons of unlockable content, a powerful soundtrack, and (as the 'Turbo' in the title suggests) lightning-fast gameplay options to keep things from getting stale. vampire crawler It's as addictive and rewarding as a proper roguelike.
Vampire Survivors Dev Studio Launches New Publishing Division
Following the incredible success of its debut Vampire Survivors, developer Poncle is exploring new opportunities as a publisher.
Vampire Crawlers have completely taken over my life.
When to turn on vampire crawler For the first time, players are unwittingly thrown directly into the action. Anyone who has played any of the following deck builder titles: Balatro or Slay the Spire You get the point. Start with a few cards, earn more cards by defeating enemies or finding treasure, slowly gathering more powerful cards to utterly slaughter your enemies, and aim for the best run possible. Rinse and repeat. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, poncle incorporated familiar mechanics into his signature retro style while adding plenty of fun elements of the gothic theme. The game is also lightning fast, which is a bonus for those who want to unlock good stuff without getting tired along the way.
Turn-based gameplay loop vampire crawler Simple enough. At the start of each run, your deck is small, with only a few attack or defense cards. Defeating monsters earns you XP, and each time you level up you can select new cards to add to your growing deck of doom. The cards come in seven colors, with each color representing a specific type. For example, red cards improve attack, blue cards defend, and yellow cards improve certain statistics. Attack cards can be enhanced with gems, which can give you amazing buffs. (The 3x attack power benefit saved my skin more than once.)
When I first turned on Vampire Crawlers, I “accidentally” played it for about 7 hours. That fact alone shows how fun the game is.
Cards require a certain amount of mana to play, and mana can be refreshed each turn or replenished by using certain cards. Enemies can inflict damage and the run ends when the player's HP reaches 0, but armor cards can be used to mitigate incoming attacks. As the game progresses, players can also earn coins, which can be used to unlock certain perks that will make their next play through the Village Hub area even better. Players can also choose a crawler to run with. Each Crawler wields a different weapon and grants specific perks, from increased damage to enhanced healing abilities.
Additionally, players will discover a total of 15 artifacts throughout the game, each of which unlocks key game mechanics. The first can be found in the tutorial level, which grants you the combo stack mechanic. vampire crawler theater. Basically, playing cards in ascending order of mana cost grants a combo multiplier to the damage done, which can result in massive damage output very early on. As players work harder and harder, they can unlock even more useful additions to the gameplay, such as ways to unlock powerful Arcana cards, and the incredibly useful ability to clear the entire first floor of a previously completed dungeon at the touch of a button while earning XP.
While some people who watched the game's demo took to social media to share their overall excitement for the title, others expressed concerns about the level of strategy required. For some players, the combo stack mechanic seemed too easily exploitable, removing the difficulty and severely limiting the amount of advance planning players had to do to win. After spending dozens of hours with the title, these concerns seem unfounded. In later levels, players will need to figure out how to build longer chains, decide which crawlers to bring, and carefully select the most effective cards and gems to get the most out of their runs. This trial and error has brought me back, and probably will again in the near future.
The game's theme song was composed by Yoko Shimomura. Kingdom Hearts and final fantasy 15 fame.
Vampire Crawler is a roguelike that keeps on giving.
today, vampire crawler There are 161 achievements to strive for, and while there's already a lot to discover in the title, more content is on the way soon after launch. This includes a dedicated endless mode, new ways for players to manage large numbers of cards, and an improved tutorial for those just starting out. Poncle also aims to improve the Steam Deck experience and game resolution on Nintendo Switch 2. Personally, when the game first released, I was shocked to see that ultrawide support was exclusive, considering how many AAA titles for PC have been released in recent years without this feature.
The developer also promised that they will continue to make balance adjustments based on user feedback after launch, noting that late-game difficulty, level balance, and overall run length have already been adjusted to make the title as fun as possible. I didn't encounter any bugs or issues while playing the game. This is evidence of the meticulous care that poncle puts into its work.
There is something special about participating in a work of love. vampire survivor It was there before that. vampire crawler It doesn't try to be something it isn't. I don't try too hard to look different because I don't need to be different. Pocle has found his niche in retro. castlevania– The inspired world and frequent dopamine hits made me a fan of his work in just a few minutes.
- released
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April 21, 2026
- ESRB
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Youth/Blood, Violence
- developer
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Ponkle
- publisher
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Ponkle
- Addictive and fast-paced gameplay
- Rich content to unlock and achievements to earn
- banger soundtrack
- Damage numbers actually increase.
- The specific mechanism isn't explained too well.
vampire crawler It releases on April 21st for PC via Steam, Xbox Series A PC code was provided to Game Rant for the purpose of this review.
