Vampire Survivors debuted on PC before arriving on Xbox and eventually mobile through developer Poncle. Read my Steam Deck review of the base game here, DLC review here, and iOS review of the base game here. Following the Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell DLC release which took a little while to come to mobile, the second paid DLC for the game is out now on all platforms in the form of the Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari DLC. As with the main game and prior DLC, I’ve been playing Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari pre-release for review on Steam Deck. Early access was not available for the mobile version, so this review will cover the DLC and the current state of the game on Steam Deck.
Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari adds in a huge new stage, eight new characters, many new weapons, and additional secrets as usual. In a lot of ways, it feels like the prior DLC, which is to say, it isn’t bad, but it is more of the good stuff. As of this writing, I’ve spent about 12 hours in the game on Steam Deck since getting access to the DLC. I’ve been experimenting with different builds, testing my old builds like the money farm build with new weapons, and more. One more notable addition in this DLC is the attack animations for two characters which is new to Vampire Survivors as a whole.
The fantasy focus in the DLC has been good, and it carries through to the enemies found in Lake Foscari, upgrades, the music, and also the aesthetic of the stage. I’m curious to see how this feels on a new save on another platform, because my near 100%-completed PC save with Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari has been a lot of fun. I just wish performance on Steam Deck was better, which remains my only real complaint with the game right now, unless you opt into the New Engine Beta. I swapped into this following the public launch a few hours ago, and it is a marked improvement on Steam Deck.
I still haven’t seen everything Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari has to offer, and likely will be playing it daily over the next few weeks like I did with the first paid DLC pack. I’m also looking forward to replaying the DLC on Xbox and mobile from tonight. Just like the setting, the fantasy theme carries over into the music, which is amazing in this DLC for the new characters. I hope the soundtrack on Steam gets updated with these new songs soon, because I’m certain I’ll be listening to them outside the game just like with prior songs.
Like I said with the Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell DLC, Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari is a lot like the Dead Cells DLC packs where they add in a lot of content to the base game that already had tons of quality content. If you enjoy playing Vampire Survivors I don’t think you need a review to tell you it is worth paying just $2 to add more to do in-game, but if you are still on the fence, I’ve enjoyed just about everything Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari has given me so far, and look forward to seeing what else the developer brings to Vampire Survivors in 2023.
Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari with its fantasy focus, new characters, weapons, and lovely stage is an easy recommendation for any fan of the game. The base game was already too cheap for what it offers, and these DLC packs are a nice way to enhance the core experience while getting more to do for those who have been hitting 100% with prior content drops. I still hope 2023 sees the game get cross platform saves to let me go from Steam Deck to Xbox Series X to iOS and back. Right now, Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari is essential for everyone playing the game. Grab that Academy Badge and jump in.
Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari Steam Deck Review Score: 5/5
