JoeGames

In 2022, Luca Galante’s Vampire Survivors added a spark to the indie sphere, igniting a subgenre and a renaissance of pixel-art games. After millions of units sold and a pair of BAFTA Games Awards, Poncle Games has finally returned to this universe with Vampire Crawlers. Released on April 21st, 2026, this spinoff makes an interesting pivot, abandoning ‘bullet-heaven’ chaos for the tactical, controlled havoc of a deckbuilder. While Crawlers is never able to reach the towering heights of its predecessor, it still delivers an addictive roguelite with loads of customization and a wealth of secrets to discover.

Crawlers begins with an homage to Survivors‘ isometric perspective before shifting into a first-person style and introducing players to its gameplay mechanics. Similar to something like Slay the Spire, the goal is to defeat floors of enemies using a deck of cards that grows over the course of a run. Crawlers differentiates itself from genre contemporaries with an emphasis on rapid, simple gameplay that foregoes the methodical approach of traditional deckbuilders in favor of a bombastic style that revolves around playing cards sequentially in order to build up large combos.

*Tip: Always try to play cards sequentially and design decks around having a handful of cards of each cost. Being able to play 0,1,2,3,4 every turn will win most levels until you are able to create longer combos.

Initially this style is challenging and entertaining. Attempting to create infinite combos and figuring out synergies is consistently satisfying and the game rewards each run with new cards, crawlers, power-ups, or other means of progression. This loop is generous and makes each run have new strategic possibilities that allow decks to become a lot stronger. It offers lots of variation but never feels overcomplicated because the goal of each deck is the same. Sadly, this simplicity ends up being a double-edged sword in the latter half of the game.

After the first handful of levels players will have unlocked enough cards to make infinite combos that do not lose when played properly. This is fun to construct but once players know how to do it each run ends up functionally the same even if the cards used are different. This issue is compounded by the fact that most enemies in the game perform the same attack patterns and even the bosses that offer a bit more challenge fall apart once the combo is attainable. Vampire Survivors did a great job of adding post-launch content that made the game more difficult and diverse over time. Crawlers can definitely do that but for now it doesn’t offer enough challenge to players who want to play for a long time.

Infinite Combo Explanation: For an infinite combo you need at least two purple tome cards, two wild cards, some type of recursion (drawing cards), and some damage cards (If you can have 0,1,2,3,4 it’s best.) Build up a massive multiplier by following the pattern and using wilds to reset it whenever you cannot use other cards. Use the recursion and purple tomes to make sure you never run out of sequential options or mana. If you use the same card more than 5 times in one turn it will break and end the combo but by this point nothing will survive.

In spite of this, Vampire Crawlers is not a game that stales quickly. Levels are challenging early on, packed with secrets and collectibles to find that make the experience more customizable. Combining cards together gives variation to each run in the form of unique moves while new crawlers fundamentally change the strategy of runs with different abilities and starter decks. Later in the game you can have multiple crawlers together at once which allows for theoretically infinite experimentation and synergies. Thus, while beating levels isn’t challenging, figuring out which combinations to use gives players an exciting choice paralysis as they solve the puzzle of each run.

*Meta-progression options: These are the four areas where you can strengthen yourself and customize your build between runs.

Crawlers also stays fresh because of its unique 2.5D 8-bit style that looks a lot like the original Doom with assets from Vampire Survivors turned up to 11. Character sprites are charming and unique while enemies make up for their similarities in combat with a gallery of dark fantasy designs. Card and attack animations are similarly stylish and range from explosive attacks with magic or fire to absurd weapons in the form of feral cats or upset birds. This consistent visual style is supported by an upbeat, occasionally spooky soundtrack that shifts constantly between encounters giving a nice diversity to the game’s many levels.

A handful of the many monsters available to fight in Vampire Crawlers.

Vampire Crawlers may never escape the gargantuan shadow of its predecessor, but it is still an exceptionally polished, enjoyable game. Despite a lack of challenge in the latter half, it still offers an addictive roguelite which constantly rewards players for investing their time into its systems. Add in some excellent customizability, an easy barrier of entry, and consistent artistic quality, and you are left with a compelling product for new players and veterans of Vampire Survivors alike. If this game gets the same amount of post-launch support and DLC as its predecessor, Poncle might have another smash-hit on their hands. For the time being this is still a pretty great investment for ten dollars.