I thought Warhammer Survivors sounded like a neat spin-off—Vampire Survivors in a Warhammer skin, created by Boltgun developer Auroch Digital. Having spent 10 hours with its demo, however, I'm increasingly convinced that it deserves to be catagorised as a sequel.
A lot of care has clearly gone into the hero design, maps and all the horrible beasties trying to eviscerate you, and rather than simply replicate Vampire Survivors, Auroch Digital has included a bunch of novelties and new ideas, like followers and more overt boss battles.
Playing it on my Steam Deck has already had a terrible impact on my sleep routine, just like its predecessor. And with its launch just around the corner on November 10, I think I'm just going to have to accept that I'm going to be very tired for the rest of the year.
Everything you dig about Vampire Survivors is here too
Weapon evolutions, enemies that drop chests with multiple items, arcana, bosses, challenges, upgrades—if it's in Vampire Survivors, it's probably in Warhammer Survivors, albeit with some Warhammer-themed twists. Instead of experience gems, for instance, you get experience skulls (because of course you do). And instead of Red Death, you get Extremis bosses, massive seemingly invincible bastards—until you figure out the trick to destroying them.
Nuln oil is deadly
I have used buckets of Nuln oil in my Warhammer painting endeavours—and yes, I've spilled a lot of it. On my jeans, on my carpet, one time on my dog. But it's never hurt anyone. In Warhammer Survivors, it's been weaponised, damaging and slowing ememies, as well as making them more flammable. You'll also be able to get your hands on explosive dice, which roll across the battlefield before going kaboom! I'm sure there are rules against this.
Each map has a strong theme
The first WH40k map sees you running around a battlefield that's being swallowed up by tyranids. It's aggressively pink and full of horrible pustules and grotesque alien topography. In Age of Sigmar, meanwhile, it's skaven time! Nasty little rodents, glowing warpstones, you know the deal. There's even a map that's just your tabletop, full of paints and measuring tape, where all the game's monstrosities gather together to take you out.
You're not alone
While Warhammer Survivors is a singleplayer romp, that doesn't mean you're all alone. Unlockable characters can be rescued once you defeat the enemies harassing them, after which they'll join you in battle. In subsequent fights, they'll rejoin you when you select one of their associated weapons when you level up. At least one character gets buffs from having more followers, and upgrading his lasgun also lets him run around with his fellow Astra Militarum grunts.
It's tough!
I've poured hundreds of hours into Vampire Survivors, and Warhammer Survivors might be a bit trickier. Battles escalate a lot faster, and it took me longer to figure out good weapon combos that worked to thin the herd. I was a lot more desperate for healing than I'm used to with its predecessor. I think I'd prefer the early game to be slightly less intense, though the issue might be that the demo features fewer weapons and characters, which could be making it feel a touch more challenging than it actually is.
Enemy factions have unique traits
Enemy factions benefit from unique traits that may give you a bit of a hard time. Tyranids, for instance, can be empowered by more intelligent members of their species, which use their synapse power to enrage lesser critters within their radius. So you'll want to take these psychic beasties down quickly. Orks, meanwhile, can get all riled up, kicking off a WAAAGH, where they spawn in greater numbers and become faster and stronger.
WH40k and AoS are completely separate
When you play Warhammer Survivors, you select a universe first. Characters, upgrades and unlocks are specific to each universe, though you will find some passive abilities repeated in both. It feels like two spin-offs collected in a single game.
It already works perfectly on Steam Deck
Vampire Survivors is the game that really justified my purchase of a Steam Deck, and while developer Auroch Digital still says it's working on compatibility, it already feels great on my Deck. It's where I've spent most of my time playing it and I've got no complaints.
It's almost here, thank the Emperor
Cancel all of your plans in November, because Warhammer Survivors is launching on the 10th. And I've got high hopes for it. Yes, it's a spin-off, but it also feels like a proper Vampire Survivors sequel and potentially my favourite bullet heaven since the OG.
