Vampire Survivors Plus Armored Core ls The Perfect PS1 Mash-Up

"Vital Shell , fortunately, is less a monstrous example of scientific hubris and more a competent, top-down arena shooter that combines fantasy mechs with automatic battling mechanics and adds an aesthetic splash of PlayStation 1 visuals and ambient jungle music for good vibes. I spent a few rounds running the game through its paces after noticing its launch this morning and, folks, it's pretty dang fun."

"If you've played Vampire Survivors , you should mostly know what to expect here. Vital Shell places players in control of a giant robot and tasks them with destroying everything in their wake. What this looks like in practice is kiting waves of enemy hordes around a nondescript battlefield, persisting long enough to level up, and building an ever-improving kit of weaponry and upgrades for tackling the challenges ahead."

"As fun as Vital Shell is gameplay-wise, it really excels in presentation. The level-up screen looks like something out of early installments of Armored Core , and the clean 3D graphics make it easy to distinguish friend from foe during raucous battles. Marvin Wizard also developed the game with a "console-first approach" from the beginning , which means the menus are snappy and easy to navigate via controller. I first tried playing Vital Shell with mouse and keyboard but quickly switched to my trusty DualSense"

Vital Shell is a top-down arena shooter released on Steam by solo developer Marvin Wizard on January 8. Players control a giant robot to kite hordes, level up, and assemble weaponry and upgrades in a loop similar to Vampire Survivors. The game blends fantasy mechs, automatic battling mechanics, PlayStation 1-style visuals, and ambient jungle music. Presentation highlights include a level-up screen evoking Armored Core and clear 3D graphics that distinguish allies and enemies during chaotic combat. The game was developed with a console-first approach for smooth controller navigation. A demo is available and co-op is planned as a possible future update, with a temporary launch price of $4.79.

Read at Kotaku