Both Vampire Survivors (Free) from poncle and PowerWash Simulator (not on mobile yet) from FuturLab are games that delivered an immense amount of value, and kept going with free and paid content. While the former has had two superlative DLC packs, the latter has started faltering recently as we saw with the Back to the Future pack. When poncle announced the Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC, the first collaboration DLC, I was a bit concerned. Vampire Survivors continues to feel too good to be true with value and fun, so I keep thinking it might falter somehow. Would the first collaboration be that? Thankfully not. This review will cover the iOS, Steam Deck, and Xbox Series X versions.
On paper, the Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC was already worth it at just $2.49 even if it only added the one big map. The fact that it brings in 9 new characters, 15 new weapons, new music, and even and Adventure is just icing on the sus cake. As someone who hasn’t played much of Among Us, I was curious how I’d find this DLC. It turns out, it is still superb, and I feel like the possibilities here are even crazier than before just in the Adventure, let alone main modes.
In many cases, developers release DLC and expect you to only access it after playing a significant amount of the base game. With the Vampire Survivors DLC, you get access to the new maps directly thankfully, so if you’ve not played a lot of the main game, you can still access the new stage, Polus Replica. This is where you begin with whatever character you’ve unlocked from the base game, and work your way to unlocking the new content.
Developer poncle has made things better with it being very easy to see what you need to do to unlock new content. You no longer need to constantly keep a tab open on your browser for some guide. The new stage features new enemies, bosses, and a plethora of possibilities as you mix and match new and old items. Things get a bit too crazy, and I wish Valve had fixed the Steam Deck capture so I could show you how much the frame rate can drop after a complex run towards the end. Either way, I love how fun things are with the characters and weapons in the Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC.
Out of the new weapons and characters, Imposter Rina is definitely my favorite followed by the Scientist Mina. The Science Rocks and Vent are the funniest new items for sure, but the evolutions in this DLC really elevate it to a whole other level. I definitely recommend experiencing it through the Adventure when you can, because the team did a fantastic job with that.
Visually, Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC almost seamlessly transitions Among Us content and animations into its aesthetic. It just works and makes complete sense when you play the DLC level and start unlocking characters. While I haven’t played much of Among Us, the new music in Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC is really great. This soundtrack continues to be the gift that keeps on giving just like the game. It is complemented by the lovely new sounds for the weapons and items included in the DLC.
If you’re new to Vampire Survivors and haven’t gotten the prior DLC yet or played it in co-op, read my co-op impressions of the Steam version here, my Nintendo Switch review here, Steam Deck review of Vampire Survivors 1.0 here, Legacy of the Moonspell DLC review here, iOS review here, and Tides of the Foscari DLC review here. I’m a big fan, and I’m glad to see poncle continue the high quality free updates and DLC with 1.8 and the paid Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting collaboration DLC.
Even if you don’t care or know about Among Us, the Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC is an essential purchase. It is just wild and crazy in the funniest possible ways while delivering so much through the characters, weapons, stage, and adventure included. I can’t wait to see what poncle does next for collaboration DLC, and Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting is something I’m going to play a ton over the coming weeks as I try and unlock everything on all platforms. If you’ve not played Vampire Survivors in a while, grab this DLC (and prior DLC) and get back. Vampire Survivors deserves it. Hats off to poncle for this one. Both figuratively and in-game.
Vampire Survivors Emergency Meeting DLC review score: 5/5
