Mobile DLC review for Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell
Our Verdict
Vampire Survivors lauds over all other mobile titles as the most engaging casual game, and the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC only adds to this. The new location is dynamic, while fresh weapons and characters offer new ways to get creative with builds. Considering the price point, we couldn’t ask for anything more.
I mean, I really do like Vampire Survivors. Secrets? sorted. Opens? And all of them as well. Each and every character? It's a done deal, buddy, I have them too. Naturally, I will be among the first to emerge from my cave and pay the meager 99 cents for a copy of the new Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell DLC when it eventually makes its way to mobile devices. I survive as a vampire.
In case you missed it, the Vampire Survivors: Legacy of the Moonspell DLC has been available for a few months on the Xbox version of the game, providing casual roguelike players with a new area, characters, weapons, and more. Moonspell, a game that has already taken so much of my life that it's almost become the Butch Cassidy of my banked hours of spare time, is now available on mobile devices. I would be pleased to make a couple more donations, however.
You may visit Mt. Moonspell, a snowy area that seems to be situated in the mountains of mythical Japan, by purchasing the Legacy of the Moonspell DLC package. Mt. Moonspell is a contender for the greatest map in Vampire Survivor right away. There are definite differences across the regions to investigate, making it considerably more dynamic than anything we've seen so far. It everything seems incredibly fresh and fascinating, from the tunnels full of trolls and creatures to the Shinto-style temples to the mountainous terrain.
If you are familiar with Vampire Survivors, you will recognize that your first task upon reaching Mt. Moonspell is to locate the coffin, locate the '?' mark on the map, and unlock a new playable character. As we previously said, this dynamic area seems like the first true adventure level in Vampire Survivors, which may be a response to critics who believe the game veers too far toward the casual genre and falls short in terms of player engagement. If you're not ready for the formidable beasts lurking in the shadows, you're going to have to fight like crazy to get out of the goblin grottos.
The abundance of new personalities and weaponry in Vampire Survivors is, of course, its main attraction. There is a lot of tinkering to be done when figuring out the ideal builds for each of the eight new Vampire Surviving characters and thirteen new weapons, including evolutions. Nor are the new weapons a cop-out. Every instrument for killing creatures has unique qualities and allows for a variety of potential builds. Each new weapon fits into the game naturally and doesn't seem forced or like the creator is urgently searching for fresh ideas. Examples of these are Babi-Onna's mirage robe, which generates time-stopping spectres, and Menya Moonspell's sideways bursting bullets.
Not only does the new character and evolution provide replay value to this map, but they also make playing the whole game more fascinating. For me, Vampire Survivors has always been about the builds, and with the addition of the 13 new possibilities, there are even more imaginative ways to think of new construction ideas. One new giant tanuki character, McCoy-Oni, for instance, has a weapon that, when used with garlic and other AoE attacks, increases the area-of-effect of skills every few seconds, allowing you to surround your character with an ever-expanding forcefield. That's only one of the innumerable configuration choices that the new DLC offers.
Arriving at the 25-minute mark, the boss is another highlight of Moonspell. The monster in issue, the Orochimario, is a fearsome hydra that can approach you without entering any Areas of Evaporation. This big bad gives the DLC another level of complexity and suggests that there may be more creative bosses in the future, apart from the reaper archetype that we've already seen a lot or simply normal foes that are larger than life.
Performance-wise, there are no errors this time around—which is noteworthy since when Vampire Survivors first came out on mobile, there was a bug that prevented you from unlocking a character. Modern mobile phones should have no trouble processing heavy games, even when you're on an unending run with tons of foes flying at you.
What this initial wave of Vampire Survivors DLC represents for the future excites me the most, in my opinion. More than any other map, this one encourages exploration and provides a diverse range of opponents in various areas. For other games, it may not seem like much, but Vampire Survivors was already very amazing. It would be like handing Dracula Blade's legendary blade. Even if he doesn't need it, it doesn't hurt to have more strength.
Therefore, I heartily urge you to cough up the little amount necessary to leap back out of the grave. This service gives you a new method to interact with the maps you already know by heart, along with hours of additional content—especially for the price. For my part, I'll be spending months monster-mashing my way up Mt. Moonstone and chomping at the bit for the next Vampire Survivors DLC. Where is that garlic now?
See our reviews of Bayonetta Origins (), Paranormasight Switch (), and Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse Switch () for further insights into the newest games. For further information about the future of mobile gaming, check our Samsung interview.