In the world of video games, a loving homage can take on a greater purpose. Several beloved franchises sit unloved in the clutches of their corporate owners, forcing enterprising fans and creators to work around the brand restrictions. Konami's Castlevania franchise has been limited to anniversary collections, cameo appearances, and mobile games for a long time. Vampire Survivors borrows much from the franchise, including an upcoming animated series.
Among video game adaptations, the Netflix Castlevania series is one of the universal favorites. It's a wonderful encapsulation of the game series' narrative and an excellent show in its own right. It's probably the strongest story in the franchise. Luca Galante and Story Kitchen are set to attempt a similar feat with a much stranger game.
What is Vampire Survivors About?
The plot of Vampire Survivors is entirely limited to the brief descriptions that accompany weapons, items, and characters. From those brief snatches of text, a familiar story can be gathered. The game is set in Italy, where an all-powerful vampire named Bisconte Draculó has summoned an endless flood of monsters. Draculó is ostensibly the game's main antagonist, but he never appears outside the title screen. To oppose evil, the Belpaese family arm themselves and traverse the countryside. They're supported by a wide array of fellow monster hunters, including the Ladonna family, a few friendly monster people, and at least one dog. The heroes are drawn to various haunted locations, where they must kill hundreds of thousands of monsters. There's never a resolution for this narrative.
How Does it Compare to Castlevania?
Almost every major element of the story and aesthetic of Vampire Survivors is a direct reference to the Castlevania universe. Draculó isn't exactly subtle. The Belpaese family is the game's answer to the Belmont family. Each sibling resembles a member of Castlevania's first family. One of the Ladonna family members looks suspiciously like Alucard. Almost all the early weapons are directly stolen from Castlevania. The whip is the staple of the franchise, and it's the first weapon that a player can use. Sub-weapons like the dagger, holy water, throwing ax, boomerang cross, bible, and ricochet stone are directly preserved in look and function. A fan of one game would come away knowing many of the rules of the other. There are plenty of references to other games, but Castlevania is the primary source material. Since Vampire Survivors is almost entirely dominated by gameplay, its derivative story isn't a problem. Moving away from interactivity seems like a terrible idea for this franchise, but there are ways to make it work.
How can the Vampire Survivors Series Stand Out?
Castlevania follows the adventure of Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard as they struggle to defeat Dracula and his army of vampires. The heroes enjoy most of the focus. Trevor Belmont is the last son of his monster-hunting dynasty, Sypha is a magic-wielding representative of the Speakers, and Alucard is Dracula's vengeful son. The second season is the most focused narrative, but there's still more to come. Vampire Survivors could easily create a cheap imitation of the beloved Netflix series by picking three of the main characters and sending them on a quest to defeat Draculó. It would be easy to just tell the same story again, but there are ways to change the focus and create something a bit more original. Though much of Vampire Survivors is identical to Konami's franchise, the gameplay is completely dissimilar.
Vampire Survivors features more than thirty playable heroes. One way to make the adaptation stand out when compared to the Castlevania series is to spread its focus. Each episode could center on a single hero who will battle the endless waves of monsters in a unique scenario. To mirror the game's survival focus, each hero could die at the end of their episode, leaving the next survivor to take on Draculó. This allows for an immense amount of variety and exploration throughout the series. It can be an anthology about the quest to defeat the vampire lord. The countless people and creatures who rise against the evil Draculó provide an interesting cast. Imagine a game known for having very little plot responding with a series packed with twenty or thirty good stories.
Vampire Survivors is working with some weird source material. Choosing to follow the game it's already heavily inspired by into the world of animated television is bold. Castlevania is a rare success story among video game adaptations. Vampire Survivors might go on the massive pile of video game movies and shows that were promised and never produced, but it could also become an interesting new entry in the genre. People are never going to get tired of a group of heroes banding together to kill an all-powerful vampire, no matter how derivative the story may feel.