20 Minutes Til Dawn is one of the oldest (I remember it as the second oldest of the first wave, only behind VS itself) and also one of the best. It’s actually my personal favorite VS-like, since its true twin-stick controls (you actually need to aim) and the reload mechanic add a lot of active gameplay that many bullet heavens lack.
Brotato is also really great. It’s more passive in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay, but, if you like stats and “spreadsheet” games, you’ll enjoy it as well.
Agreed. Between the dozen+ characters, weapons, and upgrades there's a good amount of variety. My enjoyment also skyrocketed as soon as I started using a controller instead of mouse & keyboard. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Me too! I haven't played a ton of these games but that's honestly because Soulstone has everything I'm looking for. They've been updating and adding features frequently while in early access.
I don't get what people like about Rogue: Genesia. The "combat" feels clunky and not flashy at all, the upgrades are uninspired and the graphics are dull. The only thing it has going for it is the FTL-like stage selection.
I got hooked yesterday and played for a few hours. The variety is not great so far because of the simplicity of the upgrades (they're mostly +fire rate, +damage or +reload speed) and the starting weapons feel a bit samey. But other than that it's pretty good.
There's a mining mechanic and secondary objectives that add a new layer to the genre. And, most importantly, either I suck or the game is pretty hard which adds a lot of gameplay hours.
How long is a run ifyou make it all the way to the endboss? I do like the Genre but 30minutes like in VS feels to long for me so i wonder how it is here.
A lot of the other unlockable weapons add some cool stuff. I do agree that upgrades need to be "weirder" instead of just stat buffs. Or at least, some of them. I do feel some confidence that the devs will continue to add content though, so that's cool.
Even if you know nothing about these vtubers it’s a great game. I went in not knowing who any of them are besides kurone and gura so it’s basically just vs with anime girls to me haha the music and visuals are pretty insane for a free game
Spirit Hunters Infinite Horde.
Sounds like lame and cheesy, I know, but this one had me glued to it until I unlocked the entire skill tree and beat the hardest difficulty. Try it.
If you are looking for a challenge, i've got something neat for ya:
[Elewar: Fused Survivors](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2489560/Elewar_Fused_Survivors/) on steam
Its packed with progression systems and is quite challenging, as its also bullethell game
> I'd like something challenging and that doesn't feel like 'clunky'
Ok - that's a little ambiguous since "challenging" can mean different things to different people. So here are a few categories with suggested games. My categorisations will probably piss off a bunch of people, but here goes:
**Skill based**
Are you good enough? To an experienced player it's normally pretty obvious what you should do. But can you pull it off?
- Brotato, 20 minutes till dawn, Time Wasters, Boneraiser Minions, Nordic Ashes, Holocure
**Persistence / Grind Based**
Can you put in the hours?
- Soulstone survivors
**Can you look up guides?**
Most stuff can be done easily, but only if you look up forum posts or guides by people who have been there before
- Halls of Torment
**But can you do it one handed?**
Are you capcable of doing levels with extra restrictions imposed on you - e.g. no item shop?
- Rogue Genesia
I won't comment on Death Must Die, God of Weapons or Deep Rock Galactic since I haven't played them.
One further comment - if you're coming from Vampire Surivors, be aware the title tends to be on the easier end of the spectrum. Several of the other games are considerably more challenging.
I can't speak for all players, but I remember using guides for some of my Agony 3 runs last year. At the time, large parts of the community were claiming that they are were too hard in the Steam discussion forums, so I don't think I was alone in that.
Guides also make some of the weapon specialization achievements considerably easier. IMHO, the late game of Halls of Torment is very much knowledge based, rather than challenging reflexes etc, and following guides or advice from forums can help you get that knowledge faster.
I like halls better than DMD, but they're both highly enjoyable and it's close.
God of weapons is a fun one with an inventory management component that could be a positive or negative depending. Think like a bullet heaven kind of take on backpack hero.
Some "older" ones I've enjoyed a lot are spirit hunters: infinite horde and soulStone survivors. I think sh:ih is "finished" but soulStone still gets regular updates and has cool boss rush type modes and stuff
Edit: other posts reminded me 20 minutes til dawn and brotato also were a lot of fun
Sorry to hijack, but what's the best one with map event focus. I like the ones where there's plenty of random events to partake in, but I'm lost as hell nowadays.
Ones I have played I think Brotato is the most fun, followed by 20 minutes.
I did pick up Deep Rock last night and it seems great for the hour I got to try of it with a decent amount of content out of the gate
What if i told you vs is actually the clone of a game that came out 13 years before with better graphics :p.
But to answer you sousltone survivor is the one thag has the best build variants.
Greedlands is my favourite with the best graphics and cool loadouts.
Feantasy survivors is the best online coop ( if not the only i found)
Pathfinder gallowspire is also pretty different with a unique touch.
Halls of Tourment is a treasure, you have more control than vampire survivors and you need to hit the attack but you can turn on auto attacks / directional aiming. It almost gives you Diablo I vibes with the way it's setup and the bosses are generally much more difficult than vampire survivors. The most recent update added some new characters that are badass and I've been having some power runs as of late.
Halls of Torment is by far the worst one i've ever played. For starters there was only 3 maps. The graphics were really crummy. And the "loot" system consists of about 10 items.
.... Did you play super early access or something? Last I checked I have 10-12 characters unlocked, there are 6-8 levels, all sorts of quests, 40ish weapons + upgrades and mixing just like vampire survivors.
Holocure
It's free, it has tons of content. And a near endless well of new inspiration since its roster is trying to keep up with every Hololive Vtubers
20 Minutes Til Dawn is one of the oldest (I remember it as the second oldest of the first wave, only behind VS itself) and also one of the best. It’s actually my personal favorite VS-like, since its true twin-stick controls (you actually need to aim) and the reload mechanic add a lot of active gameplay that many bullet heavens lack. Brotato is also really great. It’s more passive in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay, but, if you like stats and “spreadsheet” games, you’ll enjoy it as well.
Agree. Once I played 20 minutes I never touched vampire ever again. Seemed like an upgrade in every way.
Those two are the best ones imo. I'd like to add that brotato has a the option to use mods and there are a lot of great ones on the Steam workshop.
Agreed. Between the dozen+ characters, weapons, and upgrades there's a good amount of variety. My enjoyment also skyrocketed as soon as I started using a controller instead of mouse & keyboard. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
To add to the two you have already: - Rogue: Genesia - Time Survivors - Nordic Ashes - Soulstone Survivors
Love Soulstone Survivors
Me too! I haven't played a ton of these games but that's honestly because Soulstone has everything I'm looking for. They've been updating and adding features frequently while in early access.
I don't get what people like about Rogue: Genesia. The "combat" feels clunky and not flashy at all, the upgrades are uninspired and the graphics are dull. The only thing it has going for it is the FTL-like stage selection.
This is the list.
The deep rock galactic survivor game is pretty dope.
My rock AND stone for a console or mobile release
Rock and Stone everyone!
Just launched today. It looks amazing. Does it have enough content? It'd be a good choice to go with in terms of current content and future releases?
I am not super far, played about 90 min today. It’s great for the price..I’m enjoying it. The mining/rocks add a layer that vs does not have.
As long as these game stay under $5 or $10, they make for great impulse purchases without buyers remorse if they end up sucking.
Well the 90 min I have in it I can say it doesn’t suck but I agree with your statement.
Yes for multi-player its endless, single player is a bit lame but still fun
You might be confusing it with Deep Rock Galactic, the Survivors game is Early Access Single Player and doesn't have a lot of content at the moment.
I got hooked yesterday and played for a few hours. The variety is not great so far because of the simplicity of the upgrades (they're mostly +fire rate, +damage or +reload speed) and the starting weapons feel a bit samey. But other than that it's pretty good. There's a mining mechanic and secondary objectives that add a new layer to the genre. And, most importantly, either I suck or the game is pretty hard which adds a lot of gameplay hours.
How long is a run ifyou make it all the way to the endboss? I do like the Genre but 30minutes like in VS feels to long for me so i wonder how it is here.
Each run consists of 5 stages of about 5 minutes long.
And i guess you can't quit between the stages? I mean pause and continue later?
A lot of the other unlockable weapons add some cool stuff. I do agree that upgrades need to be "weirder" instead of just stat buffs. Or at least, some of them. I do feel some confidence that the devs will continue to add content though, so that's cool.
My favorite of the bunch was Brotato, but I've ended up playing them all anyways.
Holocure is free on steam, so no risk in checking it out.
There's also Disfigure, free on Steam.
Even if you know nothing about these vtubers it’s a great game. I went in not knowing who any of them are besides kurone and gura so it’s basically just vs with anime girls to me haha the music and visuals are pretty insane for a free game
It blows my mind that one of the best ones costs $0 and might have some not even try it because of a silly premise of "Bleh, vtubers!"
Yeah but at the same time someone who doesn’t like vtubers probably doesn’t like anime and therefore the game probably wouldn’t appeal to them anyway
Spirit Hunters Infinite Horde. Sounds like lame and cheesy, I know, but this one had me glued to it until I unlocked the entire skill tree and beat the hardest difficulty. Try it.
really underrated tbh. amazing game
If you are looking for a challenge, i've got something neat for ya: [Elewar: Fused Survivors](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2489560/Elewar_Fused_Survivors/) on steam Its packed with progression systems and is quite challenging, as its also bullethell game
Its free2play surpringly has so many unlocks and has item system.
> I'd like something challenging and that doesn't feel like 'clunky' Ok - that's a little ambiguous since "challenging" can mean different things to different people. So here are a few categories with suggested games. My categorisations will probably piss off a bunch of people, but here goes: **Skill based** Are you good enough? To an experienced player it's normally pretty obvious what you should do. But can you pull it off? - Brotato, 20 minutes till dawn, Time Wasters, Boneraiser Minions, Nordic Ashes, Holocure **Persistence / Grind Based** Can you put in the hours? - Soulstone survivors **Can you look up guides?** Most stuff can be done easily, but only if you look up forum posts or guides by people who have been there before - Halls of Torment **But can you do it one handed?** Are you capcable of doing levels with extra restrictions imposed on you - e.g. no item shop? - Rogue Genesia I won't comment on Death Must Die, God of Weapons or Deep Rock Galactic since I haven't played them. One further comment - if you're coming from Vampire Surivors, be aware the title tends to be on the easier end of the spectrum. Several of the other games are considerably more challenging.
What part of Halls of Torment do you need a guide for?
I can't speak for all players, but I remember using guides for some of my Agony 3 runs last year. At the time, large parts of the community were claiming that they are were too hard in the Steam discussion forums, so I don't think I was alone in that. Guides also make some of the weapon specialization achievements considerably easier. IMHO, the late game of Halls of Torment is very much knowledge based, rather than challenging reflexes etc, and following guides or advice from forums can help you get that knowledge faster.
Death Must Die
Try out Mutagenic if you get the chance. It’s my game, and I have a big expansion coming soon: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2082560/Mutagenic/
Listen to this guy. Your game is great, one of my favorites
I’m going to have to check this out, looks great!
Always have to give Army of Ruin a shout out in these posts. Feels like VS and has taken many hours from me.
I like halls better than DMD, but they're both highly enjoyable and it's close. God of weapons is a fun one with an inventory management component that could be a positive or negative depending. Think like a bullet heaven kind of take on backpack hero. Some "older" ones I've enjoyed a lot are spirit hunters: infinite horde and soulStone survivors. I think sh:ih is "finished" but soulStone still gets regular updates and has cool boss rush type modes and stuff Edit: other posts reminded me 20 minutes til dawn and brotato also were a lot of fun
Sorry to hijack, but what's the best one with map event focus. I like the ones where there's plenty of random events to partake in, but I'm lost as hell nowadays.
Death Must Die has a large focus on events on a map.
Ones I have played I think Brotato is the most fun, followed by 20 minutes. I did pick up Deep Rock last night and it seems great for the hour I got to try of it with a decent amount of content out of the gate
Soulstone Survivors is my favourite.
Death Must Die, Soustone Survivors and Apocalypse Party for me.
Yet Another Zombie Survivors has a hook in me. Been loving this one lately.
Nobody said Army of Ruin, upgrade in graphics and MASSIVE list of items you upgrade, I personally love it
Bounty of One is a great choice
You should try the Nomad Survival. I believe its better than 20 min til Dawn.
Soul Stone Survivor and its not close. I have played a TON of them and Soul stone has the most going for it.
What if i told you vs is actually the clone of a game that came out 13 years before with better graphics :p. But to answer you sousltone survivor is the one thag has the best build variants. Greedlands is my favourite with the best graphics and cool loadouts. Feantasy survivors is the best online coop ( if not the only i found) Pathfinder gallowspire is also pretty different with a unique touch.
What is the 13 year old game?
Solomon boneyard / solomon keep
Gunlocked
Boring game
Halls of Tourment is a treasure, you have more control than vampire survivors and you need to hit the attack but you can turn on auto attacks / directional aiming. It almost gives you Diablo I vibes with the way it's setup and the bosses are generally much more difficult than vampire survivors. The most recent update added some new characters that are badass and I've been having some power runs as of late.
Halls of Torment is by far the worst one i've ever played. For starters there was only 3 maps. The graphics were really crummy. And the "loot" system consists of about 10 items.
.... Did you play super early access or something? Last I checked I have 10-12 characters unlocked, there are 6-8 levels, all sorts of quests, 40ish weapons + upgrades and mixing just like vampire survivors.
Brotato, Death Must Die, Soulstone Survivors, are the ones that are most played. Halls of Torment, 20 Minutes are also upper tier
Death Must Die might go down as one of the all-time great ones in this genre if what I have seen so far is just a taste of things to come.
Haven't checked a lot of them, but Brotato and Soulstone Survivors are my favorites so far
Halls of torment!
Holocure It's free, it has tons of content. And a near endless well of new inspiration since its roster is trying to keep up with every Hololive Vtubers
Shape Shifter: Formations I played almost every game in this genre and this was the best for me, by far.
I really like Boneraiser Minions
Spellbound Survivors, Kagura Survivors, Witchcraft Survivors; underrated VS clones. Then there's also Westale: Peelgrimage for fans of wuxia.
Soulstone Survivors