Both V Rising and Valheim have become popular survival games on PC, both of which are still in early access. Each game brings a unique experience to the genre and both are definitely worth checking out for fans of crafting and building, but VRising’s rapid success and interesting take on the genre would give it the upper hand in jumping to consoles.
V Rising has all the basics of a traditional survival game. It features crafting, base building, resource management, and an online squad element; however, the combat and progression systems give it an edge over competitors like Valheim. Having a console port would not only allow more fans to partake in this game, but it would also help move the survival genre evolve on consoles.
V Rising’s Take on Survival
There are a plethora of survival games available today and most of them have the same type of experience. The player gathers resources, builds a base, and attempts to upgrade themselves and their base throughout the game. Though V Rising has all of these features, it adds a different twist to the formula.
Playing heavily on the vampire theme, V Rising is based in a dark, Gothic environment and fittingly has players create a castle as their base of operations. The usual survival meters such as food and water are replaced with a thirst for blood, which can be obtained by attacking the living out in the world. V Rising also features some welcome additions to the survival experience. Players are able to recruit NPCs to help assist in gaining resources or defending their castle. Other survival games, such as Conan Exile, have introduced this feature as well and V Rising implements it in a similar way that very much fits the tone of the game.
Another unique survival feature in V Rising is the way the game makes players work around vampires' natural weaknesses: silver and sunlight. Silver is a precious and useful resource in the game, but if it is carried by the player’s vampire, they receive constant damage, so it must be used and carried cautiously. Players must also pay close attention to the day and night cycle in the game. If vampires are exposed to sunlight they will perish, therefore most of the player’s traveling and pillaging should be done during the night. That being said, V Rising still allows players to travel during the day, but they must utilize the ever-changing shadows cast by objects in the world, which creates a dynamic and welcomed change of pace in classic survival games.
Vampiric Combat
Perhaps the most diverse and interesting feature in V Rising is its focus on RPG elements and combat. Many survival games, such as Valheim, include combat, but it is mostly contained to point and click attacks with limited combat options. V Rising’s combat is very quick and dynamic, likely because developer Stunlock Studios has a history with fast-paced area brawlers. One of the studio's first games is Battlerite a team-based MOBA, and V Rising has definitely adopted many combat elements from this title. The combat in V Rising focuses heavily on using abilities and quick reflexes. Both the regular combat and PVP feel more like a MOBA than a survival game, which is very refreshing considering that most survival games struggle with PVP elements.
The game’s progression system is not tied to experience, but different types of equipment and abilities acquired from V Blood, a special resource gained from boss enemies. Thanks to that, instead of grinding enemies to gain experience, players are encouraged to challenge difficult enemies and explore the world in order to obtain a better gear score.
V Rising is a survival game with a lot of potential for expansion. Since there are a lot of other survival games available, it has to make its mark on the world quickly before it too gets left behind. With its growing popularity and dynamic combat system, V Rising should expand its audience and give console players the chance to indulge themselves in this unique take on the survival genre before other rising survival stars like Valheim get there first.
V Rising is available in Early Access on PC.