Summary
Vampire Survivorswas a surprise hit in 2022, and the addition of co-op to the game on August 17 is going to make it even better. Game Rant had the chance to go hands-on withVampireSurvivors' co-op mode ahead of its release and can confirm that it’s a game-changing new addition that makes the already-addicting game that much more difficult to put down.
Vampire Survivors' approach to co-op is simple. It takes all thestages and game mechanics from the single-playerVampire Survivorsexperience but lets up to four players experience it at one time. It’s incredibly easy to get a game ofVampire Survivorsco-op going, making it so players can jump into the action immediately without having to sift through any extra menus.
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Theconcept ofVampire Survivorsis that players have to move their character around the screen to avoid being hit by enemies while their character automatically attacks. Co-op doesn’t fundamentally change this, but it does make everything a tad more chaotic. There are ways where co-op can makeVampire Survivorseasier and ways it can make things more challenging. For example, having extra players inVampire Survivorsmeans more attacks are going out, but players also have to stay somewhat close to each other as the game is same-screen co-op with no split-screen options.
The same-screen limitation can sometimes causeVampire Survivorsplayers to get stuck when trying to navigate their way around hazards, trapping them in the path of a swarm. This added challenge is off-set somewhat by the fact that co-op players have endless chances to come back to life. Dying inVampire Survivorsco-opturns the player into a coffin. After some time, the player will burst out of the coffin with about half their health bar and can resume playing like normal.
There is no co-op specific content inVampire Survivors, which may disappoint some fans who have already extensively played the game in single player, and there is also no online co-op at launch. The lack of proper online co-op inVampire Survivorsis definitely disappointing, but at least thelocal co-op implementationis near-flawless. It lets players have the completeVampire Survivorsexperience, but with friends.
The pros and cons ofVampire Survivorsco-op balance themselves out, with the mode ultimately being a fantastic addition to an already-great game. It coincides with the release of theNintendo Switch version ofVampire Survivors, so those on Switch looking for a great local co-op game to play need look no further.
Vampire Survivorsis out now for Android, iOS, PC, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
