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The wiki database includes over 200 columns for info! View toggles: compact, pin, fun. Bigger Big Normal Small Smaller [-] [+] font size. Site & minireviews by xoxomonstergirl. Click a row to expand!

Genre/Control

Specific tags for the title's features

Ranking

Similarity & Review

Review

Multiple Sources

Similarity

Compared to VS. Not a review!

Similarity Scale

Percentage of possible points earned scored -1 to 1 in tenths in 60 categories

Genre Controls Modes Progress Builds Stages Content Aesthetic Vibe
[edit]

HoloCure - Save the Fans!

Free Available Released

Very commonly recommended free game for if you want something tight to the Vampire Survivors formula and just as fun. Technically a fan game for Hololive, it's a feature rich game anyone can enjoy. Some features, including fishing, are tucked into a little life sim menu mode. Has aiming and special moves but they can be ignored and still play ok. Many meta notes via Joske and Genki on Discord!

Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]

Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Content Rich Enemy Hell Female Protagonist Fishing Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter Wave Survival
9.0 Combined Ranking Score
3/72 Ranking Position
1501/1600 Total Points
9.3 Final Review
99% Steam
9.7 Scale
8.3 Vibes
21125 Steam Reviews
379/400 Review Points
8.7 Similarity Score
94% Diagnosis:
Similar
1122/1200 Comparison Points
99% Genre 7.8/8 genre
74% Simple Controls 3.3/7 move
100% Survival Modes 4/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build
81% Stage Features 4.4/7 stage
94% Content Breadth 8/9 stuff
99% Aesthetics 5.9/6 style
99% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.8/10 vibe vibe

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 6.2

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/21/2023

tsukumo-sana-from_holocure-save-the-fans.gifYou might not realize these are all fan representations of HoloLive vtubers as characters, except for the game kind of tells you. Many players including myself have no idea who they are and still enjoy the game a lot. It has a lighter humorous tone that doesn't bog it down into meme game territory and nails the basic VS formula with some subtle twists and upgrades with weapon evolutions.

Adds aiming and a special move button, but some builds you can make work for 1 handed play. Also has a home decoration side game, fishing, and more! On the downside, feels a little 'light' and less immersive for some reason to me, but hey, it's free! I'll be playing more of it!

Did I say it's totally free? It's Free! I'll come back and make real notes later.

smol-ame-from_holocure-save-the-fans.webpFull level/progression notes from Genki: "Leveling up is done like Vampire Survivors. Enemies drop XP, on level up you choose a weapon (or item). Eventually there's an option to reroll or banish a weapon or item. Occasionally, anvils drop on the ground. Anvils allow you to level up a weapon/item without the need for xp, enchant a weapon (apply a random buff) or enhance a weapon beyond it's max level (each enhancement costs coins and every time per weapon the probability of success decreases).

Stamps also drop from time to time. Stamps are buffs that are only applied to the main character-unique weapon. You can equip a max of 3 stamps and level them up to level 3 by sacrificing other stamps. Stamps can also be sold for coins. There's a also a super rare chance for super-items to drop from boxes. Super items are buffed version of normal items without any downside."

fubuzilla-from_holocure-save-the-fans.gif"Players can combine certain weapons to make a collab, an evolved version of those two weapon that also frees a slot. When certain requirements are met and the player collects a golden hammer, they have the chance to combine a collab with an item to make a super collab."

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

Measured in 60 categories via likert-scale style options -1 to 1 in tenths, how does this game compare to Vampire Survivors. This allows 1200 total "points". It's easier to have a point of comparison and we just picked Vampire Survivors since it's the most popular and commonly referenced game in the subgenre. For detailed methodology read the explainer. For in depth examples at score value, see the scoring guide and for term definitions see the key.

8.7 Similarity Score
94% Diagnosis:
1122/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.8/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 1/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 1/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 0/1
Move Only 0/1
No Dash 1/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 0/1
No Aiming 0.3/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
1/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map 0.2/1
BIG Maps 0.2/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 1/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0.5/1
Bestiary / Lore 0.5/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art 1/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.9/1
Bumpin Music 1/1
Fun Writing 1/1
Subtle Humor 1/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 1/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.8/1
Fun Ramp 1/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 1/1

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

The review scale is judged from -1 to 1 in 10 categories, with 200 possible "points" earned. Steam review positive percentage is worth another 100 points, and a "ten point" pure vibe review number adds extra subjectivity. Converted into points, that's 400 points total. The points aren't used directly in the ranking, though, which averages the three number scores for the final review score listed in the game line above.

9.3 Final Review
99% Positive Steam Reviews
21125 Steam Reviews
8.3 Pure Vibes
9.7 Review Scale
379/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 1/1
Good UI 1/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 1/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 0.7/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Metacritic Scores

 - +

This title has metacritic data! The "fuck the man" score is adjusted so each person's review is equally weighted, regardless of critic or fan status.

Critic

8.0 Converted 10 Point Score
1 Number of Critic Reviews

User

8.7 User Review Average
21 Number of User Reviews

Average

8.4 Direct Average
8.7 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Tag Cloud

 - +

More sortable taxonomies and categories associated with the game (genre tags are available in the main game table line!) We've just started adding tags to enable more sorting options, this section will get more filled out as we go!

Release Tags

itch.ioSteam DeckWindows PCFree AvailableReleased

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenContent RichEnemy HellFemale ProtagonistFishingHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick ShooterWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCutePixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

ComedyContemporaryMeme Game

Control Styles

Auto-FireControllerKeyboard Only

Game Mode Tags

Boss EndedCookingDifficulty ModifiersEndless ModeFishingHub ZoneIgnorable TutorialMinigame MetaprogressionMinigamesRoulette ProgressionTimed SurvivalUnlockable CharactersWave Survival20m

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

KayAnimate

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: No
  • Online: No
  • Player Count: 1
  • Leaderboards: In Game and Online Leaderboards Genki: "Finishing a run in Endless mode lets you upload your score to the board"

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 82
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: Totally Free
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: YouTube

Marketing Blurb

 - +

Some description of the game and its features from the creators.

"Play as your favorite Vtubers from Hololive! Fight, explore, and clear your way through armies of fans and save them from their mind-control in this unofficial free fan-game."

"Free, unofficial fan game featuring the vtuber talents of Hololive and its surrounding community, with gameplay heavily inspired by Vampire Survivors and Magic Survival."

More info and fan reviews on steam

Control Style Notes

 - +

Genki: "Twin stick shooter with special skills activated by a button and strafing / aiming lock also toggled by holding a button. Can be played with only keyboard (aiming and strafing will be locked to eight directions), mouse+keyboard or controller (both allow for free aiming 360 degrees)."

Automated Features

Auto-fire. Default, but there is a special move button.

No targeted auto-aiming, but by default all weapons that can be aimed fire in the direction your character moves. You can choose to lock(strafe) the aim in a specific direction or use free aiming with m+k or controller

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Partial
  • Controller Move Only: No
  • Controller One Handed: Partially Genki: "Possible to assign special skill and strafing to the two left triggers. Would be missing the free aim that comes with the right stick, though."
  • Mouse Only: No
  • Keyboard Only: Yes. Genki: "Weapon aiming and strafing will be restricted to only 8 directions, though."
  • Keyboard One Handed: Partially. Genki: "It's possible to play with 1 hand with certain weapon combinations and characters, but not all."

Accessibility & Tutorial

 - +

Accessibility Notes

Game is semi-accessible as it can be played with one hand, but it loses the aiming features.

Menu FX Toggles: Attack opacity slider, Visual Effects, Screen Shake, Show Skill Radius

Tutorial Notes

Has a very quick basic tutorial when you start a run for the first time showing basic movement and aiming controls for both keyboard + mouse and controller (twin-stick controls).

Game Modes

 - +

Stage Mode
(Timed Survival)

Endless Mode
(Endless Survival)

Time Mode
(Speedrun Mode)

HoloHouse
(Various Minigames: Management Sim, Farming, Fishing, Cooking)

Difficulty Modifiers
(via Meta Unlocks /
HoloHouse)

Game Mode Notes

Stage mode and Endless mode can be selected in all stages. Time mode has an specific stage specifically made for it.

The HoloHouse features various minigames such as fishing, farming, cooking, worker management and house building.

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

Stage mode is the default game mode that lasts 20 minutes and the run ends when the player defeats the final boss.

Endless mode lasts 30+ minutes (to upwards of 60 minutes, sometimes more depending on build and strategy), the run ends with a mob horde with exponentially increasing stats that eventually overwhelmed the player.

Time mode lasts 3-10 minutes. The goal is to complete a certain objective as fast as possible.

Speed Settings

None

Player Power Progression

 - +

Detailed notes on progression systems.

In Run Progression

Very similar to Vampire Survivors. Enemies drop XP, on dialog pops up on level event, eventual reroll and "banish" options.

Occasionally dropped "anvils" allow you to instantly level, buff or a chance to further enhance a weapon beyond it's max level for coins.

Occasionally dropped "stamps" are also equippable/upgradeable/swappable buffs

Very rare chance of super-items dropped from boxes, which are buffed versions of items without any downside.

Weapons can combine and evolve, called a "collab", freeing an equip slot. In certain conditions they can combine with an item to make a "super collab".

Meta Progression

Players unlock new stages, items and weapons by completing certain goals. They can earn gold (holocoins) through runs that can be spent on upgrades and characters.

The characters can not be purchased directly and are instead obtained through gacha with the in-game currency. Repeat characters in the gacha upgrade the existing character. Repeat characters on a gacha banner also give a secondary currency (a "tear") per repeated character. Tears can be used to directly purchase
characters or outfits without the need for gacha.

Upgrades can be refunded, gold spent on gacha can not be refunded. In the HoloHouse, gold can be spent on farming crops and combined with fish obtained from a fishing minigame. It's cooked into various food items that give effects during gameplay (essentially difficulty modifiers.)

Content By The Numbers

 - +

38 Characters, each one with a unique main weapon and 3 unique skills
64 Alternate Outfits in total

16 Base Weapons
23 Collabs
4 Super Collabs
34 Items(16 Super Item variants)
20 Stamps

16 Craftable Modifiers ("Foods")
1 XP pickup, 1 Healing Item (by default. Character skills can add more)
7 Stages (4 Normal, 3 Hard Variants with unique twists)
1 Time Stage
40+ Unique Enemies (and multiple variants)
17 Bosses

3 Levels of "Fandom" Buffs per character
168 In-Game Achievements(some also act as requirements for unlocks)

Multiple additional Features dependant on character skills

In Game Lore & Extras

Armory
- Check weapons, items, collabs and super collabs (super items not visible)

HoloHouse
- House Decoration minigame
- Fishing minigame
- Cooking
- Management minigame
(Fishing, cooking and management minigame required to 100% completion)

UI Walkthrough: Main Menus

 - +

Any other accessibility or menu options not mentioned already in the game modes. Instead of deciding what to list here, I'm going to just list it all. This should make for a pretty interesting UI study, actually, but probably won't be needed by most players. These are all likely missing late game unlock options! Please comment in corrections! From top left, back or close buttons are assumed. Spoiler Warning! Menu unlocks often happen later in play. See also meta unlock menu walkthrough.

Main Menu

Play
->Character Select
-->Outfit Select (if extra outfits unlocked)
-> Mode Select (Stage, Endless or Time)
--> Stage Select(Also enable Food from HoloHouse)
HoloHouse
-> Character Select
Shop
-> Character Gacha
--> Banner Selection (Select your number of rolls from 1-10)
-> Tears Menu (Buy Outfits or Characters directly with the secondary currency tears)
-> Buy Upgrades
-> Armory (Collection)
Leaderboard
Achievements
-> Achievements
--> General Achievements
--> Character Specific Achievements
-> Fandoms (Character-based meta-progression based on goals)
Settings
Credits
Quit

Display & Sound

Available on the main menu or the pause menu

Display
- Resolution(720p or 1080p)
- Fullscreen
- Attack Opacity
- Damage Numbers
- Visual Effects
- Screen Shake
- Hud Portrait(Character Portrait)
- Hud HP bar
- Hud HP number
- Show Mini HP(above player)
- Hide HP if full
- Show Skill radius
- Show Stamps

Sound
- Music Volume Slider
- Sound Volume Slider

Gameplay / Input / Other Options

Available on the main menu or the pause menu
Gameplay
- Damage Numbers, Visual Effects, etc under the option "Graphic Settings". See Display and Sound Options column
Input
- Keybinds: Confirm/Strafe, Cancel/Special, Left,Right, Up,Down,SET ALL.
- Controller: Confirm/Strafe,Strafe(Alt),Cancel/Special,Special(Alt),Start,Menu,SET ALL
- Controller Vibration
Other
- Language (English, Indonesian, Japanese)
- HoloHouse Custom Names (randomizes workers names in HoloHouse)
- HoloHouse Custom Messages

UI Walkthrough: Player HUD & Pause

 - +

From top left of the screen, persistent UI during play (aka Heads Up Display) and other menus during your run.

Player HUD / Gameplay UI

XP bar runs across the screen. Level is displayed on the top right.

Character Portrait (Size can be selected in settings)

6 weapon slots and 6 item slots below them. All next to character portrait.

Character Skill icon and charging bar below character portrait.

Coins collected and below it, enemies defeated. Both top right close to level.

Timer on display at all times. Shows selected mode and time elapsed.

Pause Menus

Actual Pause Menu on the center. On the left, Character Artwork, name and stats are shown.
-Skills (check character-specific skills and their level)
-Stamps (upgrade, swap or sell stamps)
-Collabs (see a list of already unlocked collabs and super collabs)
-Resume
-Settings
-Quit

UI Walkthrough: Leveling & Progression

 - +

Listing UI display as well. "In run" applies to "round end" UI in games with rounds. May use in game terms for complicated concepts. See also metaprogression system notes in the game mode notes.

Level / Power Up / Treasure: In Run and End Menus

XP drops as play buttons of varying color depending on the XP given. Gold drops from enemies. Health items can either drop randomly or be obtained by breaking certain objects. Anvils that let you upgrade your weapon also drop.

On XP Gain Event
- On the left, Character Artwork, name and stats are shown.
- Can bring up a side menu to see all available collabs possible.
- Pick from 4 options. Items/Weapons
- Reroll, Eliminate

On Stamp pickup
-Picked up stamp on left side. Description in the bottom center.
-Select an option to swap/upgrade/sell the stamp with any already placed stamp or place stamp in empty slot

On Collab
- Shows 6 weapons on screen. Weapons that can be collabed in general glow.

On Super Collab
- Shows all weapons and items on screen. Weapons and items that can super collab glow.

On Anvil pickup
- Shows all weapons and items. Maxed out items are greyed out.
- On item select: Level up item for free.
- On weapon select: Level up item for free if not maxed out. Can also "enchant" weapon (apply a buff) for coins.
If weapon already maxed, can choose to level up beyond max level for coins, has a probability to fail enhancement.

On box drop
- Can select to accept the drop or refuse it

Meta Unlock Menus

Characters can be purchased via gacha banners. There's a "tears" sub-menu per banner that also acts as a way to check alt outfit unlocked status.

Upgrades are bought in the shop. Divided in three menus: Enhancements (unlock basic game systems like stamps, rerolls, eliminates),
Stat Upgrades and Others(Game modifiers like weapon limit, banning super items, hardcore mode)

Enhancements: Special Attack, Growth, Reroll, Eliminate, Stamps, Enchantments, Fandom

Stat Upgrades: HP, ATK, Speed,Crit, Pickup Range, Haste, Regen, Defense, Special Cooldown Reduction, Skill Up, EXP Gain Up, Foods Drop Up, Coins Up, Enhancement Rates Up

Others: Marketing, Weapon Limit, Item Limit, Collab Ban, Super Items Ban, G Rank Off, Hardcore Mode, Refund All

All upgrades can be refunded, including the basic system ones (required for some achievements). Characters cannot be refunded, but
repeated characters on a gacha banner grant you a tear. With enough tears you can purchase characters or outfits directly without the need for gacha.

Fandom Menu: Under the Achievements Menu. Provides a list of every character's fandom exp and their conditions to level up. Fandoms grant you bonuses for each character. 3 levels of fandom per character.

[edit]

Time Wasters

Released

A commonly suggested survivors-like made even better if you'd rather aim and dodge boost in space. With a cute vibe, anime gal characters and satisfying gameplay, this one sucked me in. I spent a ton of time with this one, only reason it's not highly recommended is enemy and map variety is lacking, despite some fun map tower defense style features. Much zippier gameplay from the start compared to some games. It's easy to jump into your next run.

Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]

Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Horde Survival Mowing Game Rogue-lite Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter Wave Survival
8.4 Combined Ranking Score
14/72 Ranking Position
1432/1600 Total Points
9.2 Final Review
90% Steam
9.2 Scale
9.3 Vibes
1677 Steam Reviews
375/400 Review Points
7.6 Similarity Score
88% Diagnosis:
Similar
1057/1200 Comparison Points
96% Genre 7.3/8 genre
70% Simple Controls 2.8/7 move
100% Survival Modes 4/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
77% Buildcrafting Depth 2.7/5 build
93% Stage Features 6/7 stage
76% Content Breadth 4.6/9 stuff
89% Aesthetics 4.7/6 style
97% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.4/10 vibe vibe

Time Wasters Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 17.1

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/13/2023

Nice little anime-portrayed spaceship VS-like, very similar in gameplay though it does heavily rely on Dash and aiming. Many characters, though weapons are limited to the ones those characters have and no more. No weapon combo evolutions or upgrades that synergy with weapons and little map variety brings it down a bit in replayability, but it's fairly solid overall.

It really gets the 'circle round and mop up the horde' feel down really well, and all the weapons feel unique, so I may try to 100% it. It may not measure up as much as some of the others on the face of it, but it keeps pulling me back to play, almost more than any other but VS at the moment I write this (10/19/23)

One of my favorites, don't let the lack of written details here dissuade you. I just played it a lot before I started writing out details in this spreadsheet for games while I play. Will probably come back with more details eventually.

Time Wasters Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

Measured in 60 categories via likert-scale style options -1 to 1 in tenths, how does this game compare to Vampire Survivors. This allows 1200 total "points". It's easier to have a point of comparison and we just picked Vampire Survivors since it's the most popular and commonly referenced game in the subgenre. For detailed methodology read the explainer. For in depth examples at score value, see the scoring guide and for term definitions see the key.

7.6 Similarity Score
88% Diagnosis:
1057/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.8/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 0.9/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 0.6/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.6/1
Move Only 0/1
No Dash 0/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming -0.8/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 0.3/1
0.9/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.5/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map 0.9/1
BIG Maps 0.1/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 1/1
Enemy Variety 0.2/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 0.2/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0.2/1
Bestiary / Lore 0/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 0/1
Retro / Pixel Art 0/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.9/1
Bumpin Music 1/1
Fun Writing 1/1
Subtle Humor 0.8/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 0.8/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 1/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Time Wasters Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

The review scale is judged from -1 to 1 in 10 categories, with 200 possible "points" earned. Steam review positive percentage is worth another 100 points, and a "ten point" pure vibe review number adds extra subjectivity. Converted into points, that's 400 points total. The points aren't used directly in the ranking, though, which averages the three number scores for the final review score listed in the game line above.

9.2 Final Review
90% Positive Steam Reviews
1677 Steam Reviews
9.3 Pure Vibes
9.2 Review Scale
375/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 1/1
Good UI 1/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 0.6/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 0.9/1
Unique Twists 0.7/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Metacritic Scores

 - +

This title has metacritic data! The "fuck the man" score is adjusted so each person's review is equally weighted, regardless of critic or fan status.

Critic

- Converted 10 Point Score
- Number of Critic Reviews

User

9.0 User Review Average
1 Number of User Reviews

Average

9.0 Direct Average
9.0 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

Time Wasters Tag Cloud

 - +

More sortable taxonomies and categories associated with the game (genre tags are available in the main game table line!) We've just started adding tags to enable more sorting options, this section will get more filled out as we go!

Release Tags

Steam DeckWindows PCReleased

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogue-liteSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick ShooterWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCartoonCute

Setting / Story Tags

Sci-fiShip (Air/Space)Space

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Enemy Trap Events20m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Proton Studio

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: No
  • Online: No
  • Player Count: 1
  • Leaderboards: ?

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 96
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: No
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: No

Marketing Blurb

 - +

Some description of the game and its features from the creators.

"Time Wasters is a space shooter bullet heaven roguelite. Equip and upgrade weapons, destroy swarms of enemies, and collect Time & Space Cubes to bend the timeline to your advantage."

"Fast paced ship movement with boost upgrades" "Option to manually aim all weapons" "Unlock, Establish & Protect Outposts that provide bonuses"

More info and fan reviews on steam

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Return to Abyss

DLC Released

Underworldly anime styled mowing game with some cute character designs. I like the vibe and gameplay a fair amount so far but localization isn't quite there yet, with some text layout bugs and confusing explanations. You can save game mid run to quit out, which I appreciate as a steam deck player. Overall I'm hoping to come back to this one later and find it a bit easier to navigate. It's certainly very similar to Vampire Survivors (except for the hub world) but it may not be the most notable survivors-like on the list, currently with about a 7.5 on the review.

Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]

Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Hack and Slash Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
8.3 Combined Ranking Score
15/72 Ranking Position
1472/1600 Total Points
7.4 Final Review
80% Steam
7.1 Scale
7.0 Vibes
811 Steam Reviews
321/400 Review Points
9.2 Similarity Score
96% Diagnosis:
Similar
1151/1200 Comparison Points
100% Genre 8/8 genre
94% Simple Controls 6.2/7 move
100% Survival Modes 4/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build
98% Stage Features 6.7/7 stage
97% Content Breadth 8.5/9 stuff
83% Aesthetics 3.9/6 style
93% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.6/10 vibe vibe

Return to Abyss Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 3.4

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/16/2023

Underworldly anime styled survivors-like staring cute gals sweeping up baddies and operating out of a cafe hub world. First impressions are generally positive!

Enemies feel slow and awkward at first, because the less lofi art style kind of exposes that mechanic in the early game (some games do some great work to make the slower movement feel more natural, but I can accept it as a quirk.) It's not quite as bad as it is in some of the 3D titles and some characters like the bats feel animated quite nicely even while slowly drifting in. It's not something I spent too long worrying about as they can quickly overwhelm you. Map obstacles like lava on the ground add another level of complexity to dodging enemies.

You can save the game on quit which is pretty useful. There is a dash unlocked via in run ability selection (so possible to go without seeing at times). Sound effects are a little crunchy. There's a store in Endless Mode.

The translation issues were kind of persistent through the game, often confusing me as to basic mechanics. I think most of the meta upgrades are actually fairly typical of the genre, so the stumbling wasn't too bad, but when it came to the weapon related menus I admit I'm still not entirely sure what the options mean. I wish "drinks" (crafted difficulty modifiers) didn't limit other achievements and could be saved for later if the particular mix of positive and negative changes doesn't appeal for the next session.

I got the DLC for it, not really sure why honestly. I don't feel upset about it but it does feel a little silly in retrospect with a genre that's mostly about unlocking stuff in terms of giving you a reason for another run. Generally all the paid DLC and cosmetics and stuff is what has turned people off from other popular genres and lead them here - but it's worth noting that Vampire Survivors also has DLC now!

One reviewer seemed confused they couldn't "get the nsfw scenes" but I don't think there are supposed to be any haha. I didn't get the impression it's particularly horny. I like the art style but can't help wishing it was a pixel style or at least closer to the cut scene style in game. I hope it gets better localization and more descriptive stats, I'll be checking in to play more.

Free on Android, but with gacha transactions.

Return to Abyss Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

Measured in 60 categories via likert-scale style options -1 to 1 in tenths, how does this game compare to Vampire Survivors. This allows 1200 total "points". It's easier to have a point of comparison and we just picked Vampire Survivors since it's the most popular and commonly referenced game in the subgenre. For detailed methodology read the explainer. For in depth examples at score value, see the scoring guide and for term definitions see the key.

9.2 Similarity Score
96% Diagnosis:
1151/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 1/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 1/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 1/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 1/1
Move Only 1/1
No Dash 0.2/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming 1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
1/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map 1/1
BIG Maps 1/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0.7/1
Enemy Variety 1/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 0.5/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art -0.1/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.5/1
Bumpin Music 0.9/1
Fun Writing 0.8/1
Subtle Humor 0.8/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 1/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.8/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 0.6/1
Technical Check 0.8/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 0.8/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Return to Abyss Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

The review scale is judged from -1 to 1 in 10 categories, with 200 possible "points" earned. Steam review positive percentage is worth another 100 points, and a "ten point" pure vibe review number adds extra subjectivity. Converted into points, that's 400 points total. The points aren't used directly in the ranking, though, which averages the three number scores for the final review score listed in the game line above.

7.4 Final Review
80% Positive Steam Reviews
811 Steam Reviews
7.0 Pure Vibes
7.1 Review Scale
321/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 0.9/1
Not Janky 0.7/1
Good UI 0.2/1
Controller and Deck 0.8/1
Lots of Content 0.8/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.7/1
Fun Feel 0.9/1
Unique Twists 0.2/1
Vibe Check 0.9/1

Return to Abyss Tag Cloud

 - +

More sortable taxonomies and categories associated with the game (genre tags are available in the main game table line!) We've just started adding tags to enable more sorting options, this section will get more filled out as we go!

Release Tags

AndroidSteam DeckWindows PCDLCReleased

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHack and SlashHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCartoonCute

Setting / Story Tags

FantasyHorror ThemedUnderworld

Control Styles

Auto-AimAuto-FireController

Game Mode Tags

Unknown15m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Joychasing Games

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: No
  • Online: No
  • Player Count: 1
  • Leaderboards: ?

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 48
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: No
  • DLC Available: Yes
  • Soundtrack Available: No

Marketing Blurb

 - +

Some description of the game and its features from the creators.

"Return to Abyss is a mowing survival game with Rogue-Lite elements, upgrade your weapons and use your fighting skills to fight through over 10,000 monsters on screen until defeat the culprit who brought chaos!"

"In the abyss, you will face thousands of abominable monsters simultaneously, and they are endless and seemingly endless! There is no need to be afraid, although there is no way to retreat, the artifact in your hand is powerful, and the bullet command room can annihilate a large number of enemies."

"12 basic weapons that can evolve into 72 different artifacts. 25 weapon accessories to choose from. 10 unique props that can be deployed to the battlefield via airdrop boxes. 15 Special Drinks That Change the Rules. 23 upgradeable items."

More info and fan reviews on steam

Control Style Notes

 - +

It can often be played like a single stick shooter, but abilities enable a dash (and possibly other buttons later on? I didn't notice the dash at first.)

Many of the abilities are melee range so it makes sense that they advertise this as a Mowing Game - it forces you to move in different styles depending on your weapon.

Automated Features

Auto-Fire
Auto-Aim

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Full
  • Controller Move Only: No
  • Controller One Handed: ?
  • Mouse Only: ?
  • Keyboard Only: ?
  • Keyboard One Handed: ?

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 15m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Legend of Feather

EA

First impressions: A tight to formula Vampire Survivors clone with a Chinese mythology trapping and pretty cute enemy design. I'm torn on the graphics which are undeniably "cheap" feeling but also nostalgia inducing for their similarity to earlier online games and older downloadable titles. It's translated (mostly) from Chinese which is probably why the depth of the visual design doesn't feel artificial, but it could use localization with more personality. It also locks meta progression to character, which drastically slows down advancement. From my limited gameplay so far it doesn't seem to have as much depth or over the top design to weapons. While it did charm me I'm not sure it will draw me in, though I'll definitely at least give it some more time when it's out of EA.

Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]

Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Horde Survival Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
7.0 Combined Ranking Score
41/72 Ranking Position
1342/1600 Total Points
6.7 Final Review
76% Steam
5.6 Scale
7.0 Vibes
34 Steam Reviews
302/400 Review Points
7.3 Similarity Score
87% Diagnosis:
Similar
1040/1200 Comparison Points
100% Genre 8/8 genre
96% Simple Controls 6.5/7 move
88% Survival Modes 3/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
93% Buildcrafting Depth 4.3/5 build
73% Stage Features 3.2/7 stage
79% Content Breadth 5.3/9 stuff
68% Aesthetics 2.2/6 style
83% Gameplay Vibe Check 6.5/10 vibe vibe

Legend of Feather Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.1

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 11/13/2023

Consider this Early Access first impressions.

This one is a straight up Vampire Survivors clone so highly similar in terms of controls, gameplay, enemy behavior and weapons. That means if you're looking to get more of basically the exact gameplay you'll find that here. It also means you might feel you're getting a lower quality version of the game you love and not much else. I wasn't put off by it, though, the cuteness and eastern themes drew me in, I just didn't have much reason to play more of it yet.

The weapons aren't inspired but the enemies are relatively unique and well animated. (It's the backgrounds that feel off.) It's got relatively small maps, with loot events for chests, etc, that require you standing in one place for a certain amount of time. The enemies come in organic waves that have pretty good formation, generally leaving a satisfying path to wind through that requires enough concentration to keep you engaged. It gets that aspect of the gameplay pretty well, which is nice because many of these games do not (instead thinking that a game like Vampire Survivors is simply an automated twin stick shooter rather than a movement game.)

Graphics feel cheap phone gaming, but they are cute. The reason it gets a 0 in the graphics and sound section of the review score is the sound is also kind of chunky and cheap sounding with pretty but again generic music. But I'm kind of torn because the mid 2000s web game graphics hit a nostalgia spot for me as well.

Controls for the menu are bound weird on the controller (right bumper to select?) and it feels pretty janky. My partner tried playing and quit out feeling it was bugged, only then did I realize I had been resulting to the Steam Deck's right trackpad to select levels (and that was kind of annoying actually).

Has a town hub for level select and to look over unlocked items but it feels a little sparse for the amount of wandering around it requires it doesn't feel like hubs usually add much to me. (That's not a firm rule, though, as Hades is a good example of how it can really help make a game feel complete.) Since this is a pretty arcade style game with no plot that I could determine, I'm not sure I need a walkable menu. At least one weapon has aiming. I do very appreciate the 2x speed option and am considering making a column about those options in the metadata.

The weapons I've unlocked so far are mostly projectile based, which is a little disappointing because I feel it keeps it from being a real garlic-like mowing game. You're avoiding enemies and collecting jewels but not as much of the third common movement focused element.

What's odd is that despite there not being much new or interesting here, the technically subpar graphics and UI, etc, I still kind of like this one. It's charming and while the music isn't bumping or unique it's pretty and relaxing.

What is keeping me from playing it more the most is that it has the incremental meta progression linked to each character, meaning you need to invest in tiny boosts in health, attack speed, etc under each character. This drastically slows down advancement and discourages you mixing things up by trying someone else.

I feel like I can only give "first impressions" without putting in enough time to see anything approaching the endgame myself, but with so many options on the list I have to be honest some games may not get past first impressions. I wish there was a more streamlined meta game, but I'll check back in after Early Access since I genuinely do like the cute pop arcade vibe.

Legend of Feather Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

Measured in 60 categories via likert-scale style options -1 to 1 in tenths, how does this game compare to Vampire Survivors. This allows 1200 total "points". It's easier to have a point of comparison and we just picked Vampire Survivors since it's the most popular and commonly referenced game in the subgenre. For detailed methodology read the explainer. For in depth examples at score value, see the scoring guide and for term definitions see the key.

7.3 Similarity Score
87% Diagnosis:
1040/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 1/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 1/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 1/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.9/1
Move Only 0.9/1
No Dash 1/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming 0.7/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode ?/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
1/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.8/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0.5/1
Explorable Map 0.2/1
BIG Maps -1/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 1/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 0.5/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 0.8/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0/1
Bestiary / Lore 0/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 0/1
Retro / Pixel Art 0.5/1
Damage Numbers 0/1
Lofi Charm 1/1
Bumpin Music 0.2/1
Fun Writing 0.5/1
Subtle Humor 0/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 0.7/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.4/1
Fun Ramp 0.5/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 0.5/1
Controls Check 0.6/1
Fun Check 0.8/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Legend of Feather Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

The review scale is judged from -1 to 1 in 10 categories, with 200 possible "points" earned. Steam review positive percentage is worth another 100 points, and a "ten point" pure vibe review number adds extra subjectivity. Converted into points, that's 400 points total. The points aren't used directly in the ranking, though, which averages the three number scores for the final review score listed in the game line above.

6.7 Final Review
76% Positive Steam Reviews
34 Steam Reviews
7.0 Pure Vibes
5.6 Review Scale
302/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 0.7/1
Not Janky 0.5/1
Good UI 0.6/1
Controller and Deck 0.5/1
Lots of Content 0.4/1
Good Theme 0.6/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.4/1
Fun Feel 0.9/1
Unique Twists 0/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Legend of Feather Tag Cloud

 - +

More sortable taxonomies and categories associated with the game (genre tags are available in the main game table line!) We've just started adding tags to enable more sorting options, this section will get more filled out as we go!

Release Tags

Windows PCEA

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHorde SurvivalRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeBrowser GameCartoonCute

Setting / Story Tags

FantasyMartial ArtsWuxiaXianxia

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Enemy Trap Events15m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Planescape Game Studio

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: No
  • Online: No
  • Player Count: 1
  • Leaderboards: ?

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 85
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: No
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: No

Marketing Blurb

 - +

Some description of the game and its features from the creators.

"Legend of Feather" is a light Rogue and top-down shooting game, you need to survive the tide of enemies and defeat the final boss! In each battle, you need to collect spirit baht to improve your strength, and finally find the lost Golden Crow Nine Feathers to save the world."

"Multiple characters to choose from! You can try to use different characters to get more different experiences! A wide variety of unique Chinese-style Q-version monsters. Simple and refreshing combat system, super easy to use. A variety of weapons and magic weapons can be matched arbitrarily to build different survival methods. Various powerful bosses are waiting for you to challenge!"

More info and fan reviews on steam

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 15m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Assault Android Cactus

Released

Different. This is an older arcade top down shooter. Cactus used to be mentioned more right when VS came out, before the clones. It comes with a campaign mode and "infinity drive" wave survival mode that technically has an end at 49 levels but is "near impossible" to get to. Also a "daily drive" that can give you some of that randomized challenge run feeling. No Rogue-lite elements or builds, but collecting 'volts' to increase weapon power feels very similar to VS XP. It might scratch your itch, it's widely considered to be a great game.

Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]

Dungeon Crawler Story Rich Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter Wave Shooter Wave Survival
7.0 Combined Ranking Score
42/72 Ranking Position
1252/1600 Total Points
9.5 Final Review
94% Steam
9.8 Scale
9.3 Vibes
1207 Steam Reviews
385/400 Review Points
4.5 Similarity Score
72% Diagnosis:
Different
867/1200 Comparison Points
69% Genre 3.1/8 genre
41% Simple Controls -1.2/7 move
90% Survival Modes 3.2/4 modes
53% Power Progression 0.2/4 level
51% Buildcrafting Depth 0.1/5 build
75% Stage Features 3.5/7 stage
97% Content Breadth 8.5/9 stuff
79% Aesthetics 3.5/6 style
81% Gameplay Vibe Check 6.2/10 vibe vibe

Assault Android Cactus Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.3

Every game ranked was played, but also scaled based on research, talking to developers & your feedback. The priority with the scale's initial design was to compare similarity on relatively objective features - so it doesn't claim to include reviews of the depth and clarity you'd get at a games journalism site, nor the intensive time played you might get from player reviews on steam. We try to incorporate and link all of that along with a 'review scale' that checks for bugs. See the heatmap and breakdown! Time played noted so you can take any notes with a big grain of salt! I can't get to high level gameplay in 850+ games so I heavily research every game. Over 80 game creators let me interview or survey them! I Hope to go back and refine. Please argue or submit your own scores and reviews to be incorporated with credit into the notes and score numbers.

Added or last checked on 10/23/2023

This game is part of the precursor genre of twin stick shooters and was a pretty popular suggestion on Reddit when Vampire Survivors came out and before he genre defined itself and steam was flooded with clones. I can see why, it's got a daily challenge that makes it feel a little more run like. But overall, it's a level based twin stick shooter. No metaprogression, no leveling up. A fair amount of similar features though. Collecting "volts" to upgrade your weapon from level 0 to 3 doesn't offer upgrade paths, but does feel like sweeping up XP.

There's health that will knock you down if lost, but really it's got a timer mechanic with battery drain requiring you to keep getting new batteries to avoid running out of time. This feels a little bit like looking for XP on the floor to sweep. "I'm just a little android" song (with vocals!) when you get your ass handed to you is a banger. It's got a story, voice acting, and made the most of the 3D graphics of the time with chibi-robo soldier gals.

It reminds me some of great Housemarque games Super Stardust and Nex Machina. You'll just have to be motivated by high scores and not unlocks.

Assault Android Cactus Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

Measured in 60 categories via likert-scale style options -1 to 1 in tenths, how does this game compare to Vampire Survivors. This allows 1200 total "points". It's easier to have a point of comparison and we just picked Vampire Survivors since it's the most popular and commonly referenced game in the subgenre. For detailed methodology read the explainer. For in depth examples at score value, see the scoring guide and for term definitions see the key.

4.5 Similarity Score
72% Diagnosis:
867/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite -1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle -1/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 0.8/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 0.3/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) -1/1
Move Only -1/1
No Dash 1/1
No Trigger -1/1
No Special Move 0.8/1
No Aiming -1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 0.5/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.7/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 0.2/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 0/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 0/1
Build Crafting 0/1
0/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0/1
Explorable Map 0.5/1
BIG Maps 0/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 0.5/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 1/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art 0/1
Damage Numbers 0/1
Lofi Charm 0.5/1
Bumpin Music 1/1
Fun Writing 1/1
Subtle Humor 1/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.8/1
Over the Top 0.7/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 0.5/1
Difficulty Ramp 0/1
Fun Ramp 0/1
Low Price 0.2/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 0.6/1

Assault Android Cactus Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

The review scale is judged from -1 to 1 in 10 categories, with 200 possible "points" earned. Steam review positive percentage is worth another 100 points, and a "ten point" pure vibe review number adds extra subjectivity. Converted into points, that's 400 points total. The points aren't used directly in the ranking, though, which averages the three number scores for the final review score listed in the game line above.

9.5 Final Review
94% Positive Steam Reviews
1207 Steam Reviews
9.3 Pure Vibes
9.8 Review Scale
385/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 1/1
Good UI 1/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 0.8/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 1/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Metacritic Scores

 - +

This title has metacritic data! The "fuck the man" score is adjusted so each person's review is equally weighted, regardless of critic or fan status.

Critic

8.6 Converted 10 Point Score
11 Number of Critic Reviews

User

8.4 User Review Average
35 Number of User Reviews

Average

8.5 Direct Average
8.4 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

Assault Android Cactus Tag Cloud

 - +

More sortable taxonomies and categories associated with the game (genre tags are available in the main game table line!) We've just started adding tags to enable more sorting options, this section will get more filled out as we go!

Release Tags

LinuxMacPS4Steam DeckSwitchWindows PCXboxReleased

Sorting Categories

DifferentRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Dungeon CrawlerStory RichSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick ShooterWave ShooterWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

3DAnimeCute

Setting / Story Tags

CyborgsRobotsSci-fi

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Unknownn/a

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam LeaderboardsSteam Trading Cards

Dev/Publisher

Witch Beam

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: Co-Op
  • Online: Co-Op
  • Player Count: 4
  • Leaderboards: ?

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 29
  • Steam Leaderboards: Yes
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: Yes

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: No
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: Steam Bandcamp YouTube Spotify Amazon Apple

Marketing Blurb

 - +

Some description of the game and its features from the creators.

"Assault Android Cactus is an intense arcade style twin stick shooter - pick from one of nine unique synthetic heroines and blast your way through overwhelming robots hordes to save the ship from its own workforce. Supports single player and local co-op game modes."

"..blending the gameplay of western styled arena shooters with aspects of Japanese style bullet hell as you charge head first through transforming stages, massive boss battles and an eclectic cast of characters.."

More info and fan reviews on steam

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: n/a

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

Thanks for visiting The Monstergirl Scale!

There are many more games in the database! Use the search/filter to browse them!

I hope The Monstergirl Scale for Ranking Vampire Survivors Similarity has been useful for you! I spent a positively silly amount of time developing the scale, surveys and websites to collect the data. While it's a personal project, it's also ideally a public resource so I've kept detailed update notes and a discord work journal. There's also a public to-do list open for comment. Hover over any randomly placed sprite to see the source game and click them to be taken to the database entry! Big thanks especially to all the devs who sent in assets and helped, above and beyond just the surveys.

You probably have questions. Unlike commercial secret sauce recommendation engines, this one collects no personal data (it does leave a cookie of your sort/display preferences and has basic analytics), seeks no affiliate income and bows to no advertisers. It might not be as personalized as steam, it might only be recommending based on one game... but it gives you control and is transparent. We also have much better data gathered directly from developers and checked over by superfan communities. You can see exactly what is going on as the entire 'algorithm' is broken down into simple public google sheet formulas.

Now you can make your own adult decisions! You can even copy the entire active database right from the google sheet and mix it up however you want - for personal use. Please don't scrape or resell this, it's entirely against the spirit of the project. But you absolutely can use it to make visualizations to learn from or cite it in your research. The sheet is packed with metadata columns and tags to make that easy - it's literally the same sheet imported via csv link to update this site! We came to some conclusions about genre terms and advice for steam's admins and users with regards to tagging. My thanks and citations here.

Maybe you're unfamiliar with some of the gaming terms on the page, so there's a large dictionary of how I use them in the context of this subgenre. Maybe you noticed something in the project is missing (marked with a -, unknown, or ?) or perhaps dead wrong. Please consider contributing by clicking [edit] in any cell or going to edit.survivorslikes.com. The edit link should bring you to the row.

You can right click on the Google sheet and leave a comment anywhere! Submit the score card web form to get a game ranked! The survey is a series of easy drop down and checkbox questions about a game's features, should take 5-10 minutes depending on how much time you'd like to get on the optional text fields. There's an in depth scoring guide partially done. Devs are highly encouraged to do a survey on their own game to get it ranked! Players can also take the survey to help us distinguish features. We also have a review form for players only.

I tried to whip up this site to make the info in the spreadsheet more accessible, but it's never going to be ideal on phone. The bigger screen you have, the more data you'll be able to see. You can also try the compact view. If you can't read the text, try zooming in or out using your browser or our font size [-] [+] controls. They should kinda probably maybe not break the website. The loading text is fake. Many website features are planned but not yet implemented. Feedback greatly appreciated! Drop by the r/survivorslikes subreddit, the discord, or send an email to xoxomonstergirl@gmail.com.

"👀 damn the spreadsheet is 🔥, I don't think I have the patience to collect that much info. XD"

- kemeo

"it's like 6 degrees of kevin bacon"

- vanniall

"I don't like seeing incomplete spreadsheets"

- genki