Ode to Castlevania is a full-circle moment for Vampire Survivors. Heavily inspired by the franchise, and originally built with assets influenced by Konami’s whip-cracking series, Luca Galante and Poncle have blown all of their other excellent DLC out of the water. If your jaw isn’t on the floor by the time you roll credits, we’ll get back in our coffin.
This is Vampire Survivors’ second collaboration with Konami following the Contra-themed Operation Guns DLC. This time it’s the same great, roguelike, auto-shooting, time-sucking Vampire Survivors gameplay, but now with a distinct twist to delight Castlevania fans. And while those fans will get the most out of the DLC, it doesn’t really matter whether you’ve played a Castlevania game before — this DLC is a must-play, in our book.
The new map is easily the biggest Poncle has ever created. There’s an entire castle to explore where the rooms are all modelled and inspired by Dracula’s abode from Symphony of the Night, with multiple secret rooms and hidden paths, and there are even a few side-scrolling sections that had us gasping. It’s all paired with an incredible selection of Castlevania rearrangements that are up there with the very best.
On the map, you’ll see multiple skull markers, and heading to those will lead you to many different boss fights. Lament of Innocence’s Medusa Head, Order of Ecclesia’s Brachyura, and the Puppet Master from Dawn of Sorrow are just a handful of bosses you can take on, each with their own rewards that unlock new weapons or new parts of the castle.
After unlocking your first Castlevania character in Leon Belmont, you’ll start uncovering a bevvy of characters along with a whole new suite of weapons. Yes, there are even more whips, but they all play very differently, having different synergies and suitable builds to get the most out of them. We had so much fun melting the screen — and the game’s frame rate — by creating ridiculous spellbook builds where we’re throwing multiple elemental spells out in many different directions.
Even if Symphony of the Night gets a lot of the early love, almost every single game is represented here (sorry, Lords of Shadow). Want to play as Christopher Belmont with a classic Castlevania build? Have at it. Feel like mowing down crowds of monsters with Maria’s shield? All yours. Even Sonia Belmont from Castlevania Legend is here. If you think Poncle and Konami have forgotten about a character or game… well, keep playing.
The only real criticism we have of the DLC is that some of the later unlock requirements and secrets are extremely esoteric. Even if you have the Castlevania knowledge, you’ll probably need to look up a guide or throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.
That doesn’t change the fact that if you own Vampire Survivors, Ode to Castlevania is utterly essential. It’s easily the best DLC for the game, which acts as an incredible tribute to one of our favourite franchises while retaining and expanding on Vampire Survivors’ endlessly addictive loop. The pile of secrets waiting for you is anything but miserable, and we guarantee you’ll be gobsmacked.
