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welcome to v0.001 of the website!! ty for bearing with us while we optimize the survivors-likes wiki! the main page loads the entire database for pinned browsing atm, so this will take a long time. You can scroll while it loads. try a search/filter query or click a taxonomy tag to see a smaller slice. Survivors-likes List Menu Search Edit 900+ games! Comparing bullet heavens, arena shooters, waves, hordes and more! Research data entered by hand ♡	Taxonomy Archive << Control Mode: Mouse Only ~ 15 found Game and Release Info Search and Filter Results 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] Vampire Survivors DLC Released The game that sparked the debate! Not the first, but the most influential. Detailed review notes are available for each ranked title! The numbers in the similarity column measure similarity to Vampire Survivors, not a review. You can also see review scores! A couple extremely different games are included to test the ranking scale - as more games get fully ranked, these will stay near the bottom. Help us improve the wiki by hitting the edit button and filling out or correcting info. You can also submit info via the dev/player surveys linked in the header. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Content Rich Enemy Hell Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	9.9 Combined Ranking Score 1/72 Ranking Position 1595/1600 Total Points	9.8 Final Review 98% Steam 9.7 Scale 10.0 Vibes 205178 Steam Reviews 395/400 Review Points	10.0 Similarity Score 100% Diagnosis: Similar 1200/1200 Comparison Points	100% Genre 8/8 genre	100% Simple Controls 7/7 move	100% Survival Modes 4/4 modes	100% Power Progression 4/4 level	100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build	100% Stage Features 7/7 stage	100% Content Breadth 9/9 stuff	100% Aesthetics 6/6 style	100% Gameplay Vibe Check 10/10 vibe vibe
Vampire Survivors Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 92.8 Review Disclaimer 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 11/23/2023 The standard to which all other games on this list are held! We recognize that it's not just the basics of gameplay but also the depth of content and collectables that makes it addictive. It's a simple casual game about moving towards some things and away from other things. And it's a complex hardcore build crafting systems game about over the top screen wiping action. It's a very influential game with an auto-fire design that isn't just replicating how weapons work without it, where as one dev on another game put it "every weapon makes you move in a different way." Many followers don't fully understand what it attempted to deconstruct and many attempt to do their own thing. Also I just found out a full symphony orchestra was used for the DLC soundtrack - what the fuck! We're not considering some more recently added features in our main scale, mainly just because they came out after the game had moved to DLC. The multiplayer is free, but the boom happened before it happened so we're just kind of leaving it in metadata for now. The new adventure mode is also linked to DLC. It's totally possible, just annoying, to add more categories to the scale, but for now we're going on 'vanilla' Vampire Survivors circa 2023. It's easy to see which categories we are comparing, anyway, on the scale heatmap! There isn't as in depth review notes here, but if you check out the explainer much of it is about breaking down what made Vampire Survivors so successful and seperated it from other similar games that came before. The scoring guide also will walk through how Vampire Survivors works for every category on the scale. Note on other games: "Many of these games have campaign or dungeon crawling mode, but we're not really scoring that for or against them directly, just if they include the wave survival modes." Longer reviews are sometimes for worse games: "I just write more when there are issues to note. Some are just more complicated. Just don't think a short review means it's bad, often it means there's little to complain about. Enjoy the scale!" - xoxomonstergirl Vampire Survivors 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. 10.0 Similarity Score 100% Diagnosis: 1200/1200 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 1/1 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 1/1 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 1/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 1/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 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 1/1 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 Vampire Survivors 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. 9.8 Final Review 98% Positive Steam Reviews 205178 Steam Reviews 10.0 Pure Vibes 9.7 Review Scale 395/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 0.9/1 Good UI 0.8/1 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 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 8.7 Converted 10 Point Score 29 Number of Critic Reviews User 8.3 User Review Average 332 Number of User Reviews Average 8.5 Direct Average 8.3 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Vampire Survivors 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 AndroidBrowseriOSitch.ioLinuxMacSteam DeckSwitchWindows PCXboxDLCReleased Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenContent RichEnemy HellHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags 2DLofiPixel ArtRetro Setting / Story Tags ComedyFantasyHorror ThemedUndead Control Styles Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Bestiary/LoreBoss EndedCampaign/StoryCo-OpCurrency MetaprogressionDifficulty ModesDifficulty ModifiersEndless ModeEnemy Trap EventsMultiplayerNo TutorialRoulette ProgressionSpeed UpTimed SurvivalUnlockable CharactersWave Survival30m Features and Extras Holiday EventSoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam Trading Cards Dev/Publisher Poncle Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/vampire-survivors Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#vampire-survivors Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 5 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1794680/vampire_survivors Steam Price: 4.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 12/17/2021 Full 10/20/2022 Developer: Poncle Publisher: Poncle Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: Yes Linux: No Steam Deck: Verified Other Platforms Xbox Switch Android iOS Browser (itch.io) Community & Social Links Forum Discord Subreddit Wiki Homepage Twitter Instagram TikTok YouTube YouTube Tag TikTok Tag Twitch Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: Co-Op Online: No Player Count: 4 Leaderboards: No Steam Features Steam Cloud: Yes Steam Achievements: 190 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: Yes Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Yes itch.io DLC Available: Yes Soundtrack Available: Steam SoundCloud YouTube Critic Review Excerpt - + Here's another perspective to evaluate the game. "With its dead-simple graphics and basic map and enemy design, Vampire Survivors seems like it has no business sticking with me as much as it does. And yet, I felt compelled to put over a hundred hours into experimenting with its many weapon and ability upgrade combinations, starting round after round trying to reach the end and unlock all of its characters, evolve all of its weapons, and unlock all of its secrets. The bewitching spell of its appeal can be broken by the duller stretches between when you find a great build or unlock a challenging new mode, but it probably won't be long until you find a new way to challenge yourself to survive just a few seconds longer." By Dan Stapleton, IGN Read More Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you." "Vampire Survivors is a time survival game with minimalistic gameplay and roguelite elements. Hell is empty, the devils are here, and there's no place to run or hide. All you can do is survive as long as you can until death inevitably puts an end to your struggles. Gather gold in each run to buy upgrades and help the next survivor." "The supernatural indie phenomenon that lets you be the bullet hell!" More info and fan reviews on steam Control Style Notes - + Single Stick Shooter: Vampire Survivors has a movement only control scheme, except for selecting upgrades and naivating the menu with one button. Auto-Shooter: Attacks happen on a cool down timer with no player button or trigger available. They also auto-aim in various ways depending on the weapon. Mowing Game: Movement is the primary mechanic, you're always charting a path away from some things and towards others. Automated attacks have distinct shapes so "every weapon forces you to move in a different way" as drowsyau, design lead of Sea of Survivors puts it. This is a distinct feature of the subsubgenre of mowing games. Enemies from maze like patterns. Automated Features Auto-Aim Auto-Fire Default, no option for manual aim or trigger. Supported Controls Controller: Full Controller Move Only: Yes Controller One Handed: Yes Mouse Only: Yes Keyboard Only: Yes Keyboard One Handed: Yes Accessibility & Tutorial - + Accessibility Notes Seizure warning. Game is highly accessible control-wise out of the box due to the large array of support and simple single stick controls. Menu FX Toggles: Flashing VFX and screen shake toggle Legibility/Visibility Toggles: Border Opacity, Pixel Font, Co-Op Outlines, Disable Damage Numbers Option to disable blood. Tutorial Notes Vampire Survivors has no tutorial. On first launch it quickly opens to a menu where you have few options but to simply start a run. Inside a run, you are presented with no prompts, control diagrams or instructions. It works fine, because there is only one control during play: Joystick, mouse click or touch screen press to move. Game Modes - + Timed Survival Endless Survival Campaign / Story (Adventure DLC) Difficulty Modes (Hyper, Hurry, Inverse, Endless) Difficulty Modifiers (Via Meta Unlocks) Multiplayer Co-Op Game Mode Notes Starts with 30m survival and opens up other game modes and difficulty options as you progress. Each difficulty mode has a variety of changes and increased rewards, including: Hyper Mode: Character and enemies move faster, difficulty is increased in a few ways. Hurry Mode: In Hurry mode, there's 2x Clock Speed and increased XP. Inverse Mode: In Inverse mode, the map is flipped upside down (literally) and much difficulty is increased Endless mode: Instead of an unkillable boss spawn at 30m, the enemy waves repeat with increased difficulty Some meta unlocks also increase or modify difficulty and eventually you can banish some upgrade options pre-run for a "deck construction" style gameplay aspect. Quick streamlined menu directs you into the next run with minimal effort. Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 30m Run Time Notes The initial run time is about 30 minutes, later stages are 15 minutes. "Hyper Mode" allows standard stages to take 15m run time. Run is ended by a near impossible to kill boss. Unlockable endless modes and difficulty modifiers. Speed Settings 2x Unlockable "Hyper Mode" Hurry mode increases player and enemy speed, but not clock speed. Player Power Progression - + Detailed notes on progression systems. In Run Progression During the run the player defeats enemies and gathers xp drops to level up. Level dialog pops up automatically on xp gain event. Leveling is done by selecting random options for ability enhancing items or attacking weapons (kind of like cards, but presented horizontally), eventually with the option of rerolling or banishing options. Items can also be collected off the ground when found around a map. They can also gather temporary powerups dropped by enemies and open elite enemy treasure chests for items and weapons. In addition, a later game system of "arcana" drops further allows for modification of the run. Weapons and items can combine when fully leveled for "evolved" forms. When you "run out" of levels in an endless run you can pick gold or health and even set it to auto. The player can hold 6 weapons, but pick up over the limit Meta Progression As the game progresses players unlock more stage and difficulty options by accomplishing timed survival goals and find based goals on each stage. They also unlock the option to purchase characters or purchase upgrades, as well as new weapons/items to find in future runs. Players earn a currency through runs (gold) that can be spent on the in run vendor (eventually unlocked) or saved to get character or upgrades in the menu. Upgrades can be refunded, allowing for some buildcrafting. Content By The Numbers - + 58 Characters (16 secret, 16 DLC) 48 Base Weapons (+7 Counterparts) 38 Evolved Weapons and Unions 10 Special / Temporary Weapons 17 Passive Effect Items (Almost all with upgrade levels) 16 Weapon Stats 19 Pickups (XP, Gold, Food, Powerups) 22 feature unlocking relics to find 22 Run Modifying Arcana Cards 22 Meta Upgrade Powerups 198 Unique Enemies (58 Bosses) 19 Stages 5 Stage Modes 2 DLC available In Game Lore & Extras Collection - Browse weapons, items, relics, arcana Bestiary - Browse Enemies Music - On stage select, can listen jukebox-style 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 Quit Options - "Favorites", Display, Sound, Gameplay, Co-Op, Account Start -> Character Select --> Enter Co-Op -- Max Weapons, Eggs, Meta Stat Sidebar, Map Completion Sidebar --> Stage Select --- Stage Stat Sidebar, Music Selection --- Difficulty Modes (Hyper, Hurry, Arcanas, Limit Break, Inverse, Endless) ---> Start Quick Start Collection (Seal Item) Power Up (Purchase and refund with gold) Unlocks (Option to hide completed) Bestiary Credits Secrets (Checklist, Enter Cheat Code "Cast Spell") Display & Sound Both under "Options" in main menu. Display - Resolution Dropdown - Vsync - Border Transparency Dropdown - Checkboxes: Flashing VFX, Disable Blood, Weapons ScreenShake, Pixel Font, Show Defanged Enemies Sound - Sounds Slider - Music Slider - Option for "Classic" or "Blast Processed" sound effects Track / speed options for music available at level select. Gameplay / Input / Other Options Under "options" in the main menu. Gameplay - Checkboxes: Damage Numbers, Show stage progression, Visually Invert Stages, Touch Screen Control Stick - Option for Legacy or Default Joystick Type Co-Op - Player Colour Dropdowns - Checkboxes: Show Co-OP Indicators, Co-Op Vibration, Tint UI Selection, Sequential Chest Mode Account - Language Selection (Many Options) - Twitch Channel Connect - Data Recovery 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 across full screen width, level number in top left corner. Weapon/Item Slots in top left corner. Timer in middle. Enemy and gold count in top right corner. Mouse pause button in top right corner, low opacity. Player health bar below avatar. Optional touch screen joystick on screen, damage numbers, and arrows on edge of screen for pickups and treasure drops. Pause Menus Stats Sidebar, Map - Options -- Sounds, Music, Touch Screen Control Stick, Flashing VFX, Weapons ScreenShake, Damage Numbers --\| Quit --> Resume - Hide Pickups / Show Pickups - Hide Guide / Show Guides - Open Grimoire - Resume 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 gems. Gold, powerups and health drop from enemies and breakables. Items sit on map. Enemies drop chests. On XP Gain Event - Equipment and Stat Sidebar - 3-4 Level Options in vertical bordered list - Reroll, Skip, Banish If Arcana is Enabled in late game, starts with "Randomazzo" and more can be dropped - pick from 22 tarot style "cards' with major effects. Merchant - when found purchase from unlocked options with gold. Treasure Pickup Event - Display gacha style drop and confirm, no options. End Run Displays Results -> Done Meta Unlock Menus Characters can be purchased from character select, under "Start". Upgrades, called "powerups" are purchased in a simple UI with checkboxes after the option to purchase them has been unlocked through goals. Upgrade Options / Unlocks: Might, Armor, Max Health, Recovery, Cooldown Area, Speed, Duration, Amount, Move Speed, Magnet, Luck, Growth, Greed, Curse, Revival, Omni, Defang, Reroll, Skip, Banish, Seal Meta PowerUps can be Refunded, characters cannot. Meta PowerUps can be individually toggled off after purchase.
	[edit] Halls of Torment EA Free Available An action RPG inspired survivors-like commonly recommended if you like things a little more slower and challenging or just isometric with a Diablo 1 vibe. Feels more like VS when you enable Auto-Aim and Auto-Attack, but you might enjoy more control. The quick toggle option is appreciated. Crazy amount going on for Early Access. Darker vibe may appeal to you. This is one of the most popular and highly regarded titles on the list and I agree with that prestige. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Content Rich Dungeon Crawler Enemy Hell Hack and Slash Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter Wave Shooter Wave Survival	9.3 Combined Ranking Score 2/72 Ranking Position 1526/1600 Total Points	9.6 Final Review 96% Steam 9.8 Scale 9.3 Vibes 16395 Steam Reviews 387/400 Review Points	9.0 Similarity Score 95% Diagnosis: Similar 1139/1200 Comparison Points	98% Genre 7.7/8 genre	94% Simple Controls 6.2/7 move	88% Survival Modes 3/4 modes	100% Power Progression 4/4 level	90% Buildcrafting Depth 4/5 build	93% Stage Features 6/7 stage	94% Content Breadth 8/9 stuff	94% Aesthetics 5.3/6 style	99% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.7/10 vibe vibe
Halls of Torment Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 11.3 Review Disclaimer 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 11/23/2023 An excellent choice to scratch your Vampire Survivors itch. This one is very inspired by oldschool Diablo 1 feel from graphics to enemy types and attacks. Great enemy patterns/AI, kind of beautiful sometimes to watch them move. Has options for Auto Aim and Auto Attack. Quick Toggle available at all times means it still gets high scores in those columns. There is a prelude so you can try it out and see if you like the more downtempo vibe. I can see how some people complain about the graphics, but it's pure nostalgia for me! It's a great game, but I'm personally often looking for something a little more over the top and upbeat in this genre, which explains my lower playtime vs. some others. I should write more on this at some point, it's one of the better games on the list, but I imagine it being up so far and already popular most people already know that. Like a few other games the detail of notes suffers because I played most of my time in it before I was making notes and they are already on my list to play a lot more of. That's generally a good sign, but I intend to revise the notes later. Halls of Torment 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. 9.0 Similarity Score 95% Diagnosis: 1139/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 1/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.9/1 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) 1/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.8/1 Move Only 0.8/1 No Dash 1/1 No Trigger 0.8/1 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 0/1 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" 0/1 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 0/1 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 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 1/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 Bumpin Music 0.5/1 Fun Writing 0.8/1 Subtle Humor 1/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1 Over the Top 0.7/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 1/1 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 Halls of Torment 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. 9.6 Final Review 96% Positive Steam Reviews 16395 Steam Reviews 9.3 Pure Vibes 9.8 Review Scale 387/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 1/1 Good UI 0.9/1 Controller and Deck 1/1 Lots of Content 1/1 Good Theme 1/1 Good Graphics and Sound 1/1 Fun Feel 0.9/1 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 - Converted 10 Point Score - Number of Critic Reviews User 8.4 User Review Average 19 Number of User Reviews Average 8.4 Direct Average 8.4 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Halls of Torment 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 LinuxSteam DeckWindows PCEAFree Available Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenContent RichDungeon CrawlerEnemy HellHack and SlashHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick ShooterWave ShooterWave Survival Aesthetic Tags Pre-rendered SpritesRetroSerious Setting / Story Tags DungeonsFantasyHorrorHorror ThemedUndead Control Styles Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Boss EndedCurrency MetaprogressionDifficulty ModesEndless ModeEnemy Trap EventsHub ZoneInventory ManagementNo TutorialTimed SurvivalUnlockable CharactersWave Survival30m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Cloud Dev/Publisher Chasing Carrots Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/halls-of-torment Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#halls-of-torment Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 6 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/2218750/halls_of_torment Steam Price: 4.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 5/24/2023 Developer: Chasing Carrots Publisher: Chasing Carrots Fully Released? No Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Verified Other Platforms None Community & Social Links Forum Discord Subreddit Wiki Homepage Twitter Instagram YouTube Tag TikTok Tag Twitch Tag Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: No Online: No Player Count: 1 Leaderboards: No Steam Features Steam Cloud: Yes Steam Achievements: 252 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Yes DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: YouTube Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Slay hordes of terrifying monsters in this horde survival roguelite. Descend into the Halls of Torment where the lords of the underworld await you. Treasures, magic trinkets, and a growing cast of heroes will grant you the power to vanquish the horrors from beyond. How long can you survive?" More info and fan reviews on steam Control Style Notes - + Technically a twin stick shooter, but with auto aim and auto fire quickly available to toggle via a controller press without having to enter a menu. It felt, in my playthrough, like auto aim always was valid enough as a strategy and sometimes I would want to manually aim. Pretty comfortable play style. Auto Aim generally targets nearest enemy, with some melee ranged attacks and upgrade paths make it a good mowing game. Enemies form satisfying maze like patterns. Automated Features Auto-Aim Auto-Fire Toggle in menu or via button in play, default's to manual aim. With auto-aim on, you can still press the right stick to aim when needed and simply release to return to auto-aim. Supported Controls Controller: Full Controller Move Only: Yes Controller One Handed: Yes Mouse Only: Yes Keyboard Only: Yes Keyboard One Handed: Yes Accessibility & Tutorial - + Accessibility Notes Very accessible about of the box control-wise due to easy enable of auto-aim and fire, though menus are a little bit more complicated to navigate. Menu FX Toggle: Damage Flash Intensity Visibility Options: Cursor Size, Ability Effect Opacity, Aiming Line, Disable Damage Numbers Tutorial Notes Input hints on start is toggleable in the menu. Shows inputs on screen before fading away at start of run, if toggled. Tooltips help show information about abilities on hover. Game Modes - + Timed / Boss Ended Survival "Agony" Modes (Difficulty Increase) Camp (Main Menu /Hub Zone) Game Mode Notes The game challenges you to survive out a timer and the boss that shows up. Defeating the boss ends the run. After completing a certain point at regular level, a harder mode called "Agony" becomes selectable. The main menu navigation is through a hub zone called "Camp" where you control an avatar directly and interact with other characters to switch to them, and to a couple interactable objects and NPCs to increase your power and pick your equipment. Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 30m Run Time Notes At the end of the round the boss shows up and must be defeated. It's a fairly standard countdown timer. Speed Settings None Player Power Progression - + Detailed notes on progression systems. In Run Progression Much like Vampire survivors, you avoid enemies while picking up XP drops and gold. One difference is you have to find abilities around the map, instead of being able to get them by leveling. Leveling up powers up traits for your current abilities. Equipment is also another difference, see also meta notes. There are a couple powerups and a magnet ability. When you "run out" of traits to pick in a run you can pick health or gold. Meta Progression Through progression players unlock characters and features in the hub zone. Players can find equipment and then purchase it from the wellkeeper NPC hubworld to equip at the stash. Incremental upgrades can be purchased for in game currency between runs. Players can brew potions with the cupbearer NPC allowing temporary options like rerolls in the next run." It's possible to reset and restore backups of progress in player profiles. Content By The Numbers - + 9 Characters ("Heroes") each with 3 Class Traits 16 Abilities each with trait upgrade options. 15 Base Traits 10 Elevated Traits 500+ trait options total that upgrade characters and abilities 22 Visible Player Stats 2 NPCs 4 Stages / "Dhapters" 30+ Unique Monsters 12+ Bosses 2 Difficulty Options (Normal, Agony) 250 Quests (Challenges) Total, split between chapter related and character related. 1 XP pickup item, 4 Healing Drops 1 Gold meta progression currency 4 Temporary Powerups (inc XP magnet) 50+ Equipment Items 18 Meta Upgrades ("Blessings") 6 Potions, brewed with 15 ingredients drops 9 Equippable Buffs ("Marks") In Game Lore & Extras 2 rescuable hub zone NPCs with light voice acted dialog. 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 Initial - Character Select (Left Stick) -> Avatar Control / "Camp" Hub Zone -> Menu (Start, also option during hub world) Camp (Hubzone, Walk, button to interact) - Wellkeeper (Merchant NPC, buy found items) - Item Stash (Equip) - Change Character - Shrine of Blessings (Currency Meta Powerups) --> Register of Halls / Door (Choose Stage) - Quests (Tab through challenges, see unlock rewards) - Cupbearer (Potion Crafting NPC) Menu (LB - RB to tab) - Settings Tab (Display, Input, Audio, Interface) - Profile Tab - Quit Tab (Yes/No Confirmation) Display & Sound On the settings tab of the main menu Display and Window Toggles - Fullscreen, Performance Mode, Pause when Focus Lost Audio Sliders - Master Volume, Music Volume, SFX Volume, Voice Volume Interface -Cursor Select - Sliders: Cursor Size, Damage Flash Intensity, Ability Effect Opacity - Toggles: Aiming Line, Damage Numbers, Show Input Hints on Start Gameplay / Input / Other Options On the settings tab of the main menu Input Method Toggles - Auto Aim, Auto Attack, Mouse Only Mode, Mouse Only On Hold Keyboard Bindings - Move Up, Move Left, Move Down, Move Right, Attack Up, Attack Left, Attack Down, Attack Right, Tab Left, Tab Right, Confirm / Interact 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 Play area is in center with persistent sidebars on left and right. Left Sidebar - Player Level, XP Meter, XP Gained / Required Number, Health/Max, Health Orb. Right Sidebar - Menu/Pause Button, Ability Cooldown Icons, Powerups, Gold Count, Enemies Slain Count, Time Remaining On Run Start (optionally) displays controls in bottom left corner of play area. Optional damage numbers. Arrows on edge direct players to objectives. Pause Menus On "start" or Menu click, both left and right sidebars persist while center is replaced with menu. Tab Menus - Character, Traits and Abilities, Settings, Quit Character - View and equip items, view stats. Traits and Abilities - View Traits and Ability Stats Settings - (Same as Main Menu Settings) Quit - Return to Camp, Quit Game 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 gems. Gold and health drop from enemies and breakables. Items sit on map. Enemies drop chests. Sidebars persist in all views. On XP Gain Event - Pick from 4 "Traits" - 4 Level Options in vertical bordered list - Potions: Reroll, Banish, Memorize, Double On "Scroll of Mastery" pickup - Pick from 3 "Abilities" - Discard for 50% Level XP "Dried Up Well" interactable - Drop found equipment into the well to retrieve it at camp End Run Displays Results - View stats and completed quests -> Return to camp Meta Unlock Menus Various features for the hub world unlock through play. Players can find equipment and then purchase it from the wellkeeper NPC hubworld to equip at the stash. Item Stash: 7 slots, 4 loadouts, sorted tabs. Equip items found for bonuses during the next run. Shrine of Blessings: Purchase upgrades for Health Capacity, Health Regeneration, Defense, Movement Speed, Pickup Range, Damage, Attack Speed, Area / Projectile Size, Attack Range. Can be refunded individually or all at once. Players can brew potions with the cupbearer NPC allowing temporary options like rerolls in the next run.
	[edit] Rogue: Genesia EA Free Available For me personally this is a game that very much scratches the VS itch, but has its own twist on the graphics, gameplay modes, and tons of interesting challenges. Ramps up a little slower. Does have manual dodge / special moves, but can get closer to one handed play either with the mouse or by turning on auto-aim. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter	8.9 Combined Ranking Score 4/72 Ranking Position 1493/1600 Total Points	9.3 Final Review 93% Steam 9.6 Scale 9.0 Vibes 4480 Steam Reviews 379/400 Review Points	8.6 Similarity Score 93% Diagnosis: Similar 1114/1200 Comparison Points	99% Genre 7.8/8 genre	70% Simple Controls 2.8/7 move	98% Survival Modes 3.8/4 modes	100% Power Progression 4/4 level	100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build	87% Stage Features 5.2/7 stage	97% Content Breadth 8.5/9 stuff	91% Aesthetics 4.9/6 style	95% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.9/10 vibe vibe
Rogue: Genesia Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 19.7 Review Disclaimer 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 10/16/2023 This one was put in pretty early so the review will be fleshed out a bit later. Options to play one handed with a mouse or to turn on auto-aim can make this feel more like VS. Contains an Endless Mode, but also "Rog's Mode" which has a map with multiple choices like some other Rogue-likes, with special challenges, bosses and bonuses along the way. A large amount of content, can be a little slow to get going but breaks your computer with overwhelmed screen eventually, like any good VS-like should! There's no limit to amount of items/upgrades you can get, so that's pretty fun. Is a little different in that targeting matters, there is a dodge and some other abilities. One class manually fires. Cool art style with the charm of pixel art and hd 2.5d kind of like Octopath Traveler / Live A Live remaster. I'll be honest, could bump up in my pure vibes rating a fair amount by offering some more gal characters (the Duelist is a femme but I didn't realize until the dev poked me.) You might recognize this one as the game that donated us some high res assets to use as the sub background! Great responsive dev. Rogue: Genesia 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. 8.6 Similarity Score 93% Diagnosis: 1114/1200 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) 0.2/1 Move Only 0.2/1 No Dash 0/1 No Trigger 0.9/1 No Special Move 0/1 No Aiming 0.5/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1 Endless Mode 0.8/1 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 0/1 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 0.7/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 0.8/1 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 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 Bumpin Music 0.7/1 Fun Writing 0.7/1 Subtle Humor 0.5/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1 Over the Top 1/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 1/1 Fun Ramp 0.8/1 Low Price 0.7/1 Technical Check 0.9/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 1/1 Rogue: Genesia 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 93% Positive Steam Reviews 4480 Steam Reviews 9.0 Pure Vibes 9.6 Review Scale 379/400 Review Points Not Buggy 0.9/1 Not Janky 1/1 Good UI 1/1 Controller and Deck 1/1 Lots of Content 1/1 Good Theme 0.9/1 Good Graphics and Sound 1/1 Fun Feel 1/1 Unique Twists 0.8/1 Vibe Check 1/1 Rogue: Genesia 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 LinuxSteam DeckWindows PCEAFree Available Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Auto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick Shooter Aesthetic Tags HD-2DPixel Art Setting / Story Tags Fantasy Control Styles Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerController 1 HandedMouse Only Game Mode Tags Branching PathsCampaignCurrency MetaprogressionDifficulty ModesDifficulty ModifiersEndless ModeGoal Based RoundsNo TutorialRoulette ProgressionSpeed UpTimed SurvivalUnlockable CharactersWave Survival30m Features and Extras Steam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam LeaderboardsSteam Workshop Dev/Publisher Huard OuadiiolaCorp Studio Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/rogue-genesia Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#rogue-genesia Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 8 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/2067920/rogue_genesia Steam Price: 8.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 09/19/2022 Developer: Huard Ouadi Publisher: iolaCorp Studio Fully Released? No Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Yes Other Platforms None Community & Social Links Discord Subreddit Wiki 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: 35 Steam Leaderboards: Yes Steam Workshop: Yes Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Yes DLC Available: Yes Soundtrack Available: No Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Walk upon a new world and slay foes endangering it. Rogue: Genesia is an action rogue-lite game, where you fight relentless hordes consisting of hundreds and thousands of monsters, carve your path through their ranks, defeat the boss and save one of the many worlds." "Make your build from more than 170+ passive upgrades, 56 weapons. 52 + Powerful Artifacts to discover." More info and fan reviews on steam Control Style Notes - + Twin stick shooter with dodge, auto fire and optional auto aim. It's a little different in that targeting matters, there is a dodge and some other abilities. Options to play one handed with a mouse or to turn on auto-aim can make this feel more like VS. Automated Features Auto Fire Auto Aim Optional Auto Aim, always auto fire. Pressing stick in direction takes over until stick is let up Supported Controls Controller: Full Controller Move Only: No Controller One Handed: Yes Mouse Only: Yes Keyboard Only: ? Keyboard One Handed: ? Game Modes - + Rog's Mode (Campaign, Timed Survival, Goal Based Rounds, Branching Paths) Survivor Mode (Goal at Certain Time, Continues to Endless) Difficulty Modifiers (Many Challenges) Difficulty Modes (Corruption Slider) Game Mode Notes Rog's Mode consists of branching paths, with a series of rounds with objectives such as timed survival, killing an amount of enemies or an elite or boss, etc. The game has many specific challenges for both modes, a "corruption" difficulty slider for any run, and 2 profile modes for your account (normal and hero, the later of which only counts your best runs for the purpose of buying stuff from the soul shop) Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 30m Run Time Notes Rog's Mode is essentially a set of branching paths, with each node taking 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds, depending on win condition. Later campaigns have more nodes and take longer. The "survivor" mode is technical endless. The "win" conditions are F rank: 15 minutes, E rank: 30 min, D rank: 45 min, C rank: 40min. Dev: "Once you reach this duration, the timer gets crazy (speeds up and continues to speed-up overtime) this is what we call "red timer". After enemies start spawning with infinite health, you reach what is called "infinity" (this is usually 1 to 3 hours IRL) and the run ends." Speed Settings A player ability can slow down the action. Corruption and challenges can speed up enemies, but there's no menu option to speed up play. "Quick Mode" shortens Rog's Mode run time by having less stages and more enemies, but doesn't change clock time / play speed.
	[edit] Bio Prototype Released This bioengineering themed arena wave survival game might be my favorite of the Brotato-style auto shooters so far. The logic puzzle style chaining of abilities from your "brain" gives me something enjoyable to look forward to on each round end and within the rounds the movement-only wave survival is quite enjoyable. I also dig the ugly-cute aesthetic and overall vibe, making this a title I'm looking forward to putting more time into. I think if you like Brotato and want to really think through strategy between rounds, this is a good choice. If you like "spellcrafting" games this could be considered similar. It even lets you test your build before going to the next wave! Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Brotato-style Bullet Heaven Content Rich Enemy Hell Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Spell Crafting Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	8.5 Combined Ranking Score 13/72 Ranking Position 1436/1600 Total Points	9.3 Final Review 92% Steam 9.9 Scale 8.8 Vibes 2041 Steam Reviews 379/400 Review Points	7.6 Similarity Score 88% Diagnosis: Similar 1057/1200 Comparison Points	100% Genre 8/8 genre	100% Simple Controls 7/7 move	85% Survival Modes 2.8/4 modes	56% Power Progression 0.5/4 level	100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build	54% Stage Features 0.6/7 stage	86% Content Breadth 6.4/9 stuff	100% Aesthetics 6/6 style	98% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.5/10 vibe vibe
Bio Prototype Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 4.1 Review Disclaimer 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 Bio Prototype is an excellent creature creating survivors-like, though more in the Brotato-style since it does all of the upgrading on round ends and the gameplay stays within a small box-like arena. I haven't played or unlocked nearly enough of it, but it's popular enough that I was able to enjoy some nice gameplay videos and other content to help with my first impressions review. The lack of exploration aspects may make it less similar to Vampire Survivors, as does the relatively complex upgrade system, but I found it quite satisfying both in avoiding the enemies and upgrading during my run. The enemy drops don't auto gather so it feels a tiny bit more like VS compared to Brotato. The upgrading is done by selecting from a small amount of options for "organs" to implant and then chaining them up from your "brain." This works like a simple puzzle, well simple in terms of left to right alignment but complicated in terms of the chain of events. You can sell your previous upgrades if needed (we're counting this interface as a vendor as well) and even test your ability layout between rounds. Tweaking this brain linking to get the most heavenly of bullet heavens results in a satisfying gameplay loop that I think will keep many fans busy for a solid set of hours (this is one I intend to come back to after trying out all the games, myself.) It's also helped along by the simple in round movement controls (single stick only!) You avoid mobs and try to gather resources while also lining up your attacks without the distraction of additional controls. The enemy waves are laid out well, as in the best of these games, to make pathing the maze between them satisfying enough to pull you into the zen point (at least until the end of the round.) There are a variety of playable creatures as well as a fair amount of variation in attacks and abilities. It has multiple stages, though as far as I know they're basically all a simple arena. There's an endless mode and a "draft" mode. It's pretty full of content which is mostly hidden at first behind a pretty simple and straight to the action main menu (something I very much appreciate to get me into the next run quickly.) Some organs create temporary health/powerup drops so partial score there. There are a lot of challenges to unlock things, but no currency based meta unlocks as far as I know. This makes it a bit more skill and strategy based for progression than some games on this list that mostly reward time spent grinding. That can make it either more or less appealing to you, to me it's just different and sometimes I'm in the mood for one or the other. But I have to admit more obviously grind-happy games sometimes steal more hours away from me. I think the "round end" upgrade cycle allows it a great complexity in the strategy, but that's not always my personal preference for playing these games (You'll notice I didn't particularly end up enamored with Brotato, kind of king of the round end upgrade auto shooters.) In this case, the game won me over by what I find to be a much more charming aesthetic, relatively unique system for upgrades, and the basic logic/programming puzzle of setting up moves. Bio Prototype 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 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 1/1 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 0/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.8/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event -0.5/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks 0/1 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 0.3/1 Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0.3/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 1/1 Enemy Variety 0.8/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 1/1 Many Challenges 1/1 Multiple Stages 0.6/1 Difficulty Modifiers 1/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 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 0.5/1 Fun Ramp 1/1 Low Price 1/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 0.9/1 Bio Prototype 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 92% Positive Steam Reviews 2041 Steam Reviews 8.8 Pure Vibes 9.9 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 0.9/1 Good Theme 1/1 Good Graphics and Sound 1/1 Fun Feel 1/1 Unique Twists 1/1 Vibe Check 1/1 Bio Prototype 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 LinuxMacSteam DeckSwitchWindows PCReleased Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBrotato-styleBullet HeavenContent RichEnemy HellRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSpell CraftingSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags 2DCartoonCuteLofiPixel ArtUglycute Setting / Story Tags BioengineeringMad ScienceMonster BuildingSci-fi Control Styles Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Daily ChallengesEndless SurvivalInventory ManagementLevel In Between RoundsShort RoundsTest ModeTimed SurvivalWave Survival30m Features and Extras Steam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam LeaderboardsSteam Trading Cards Dev/Publisher BD GamesEmprom Game Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/bio-prototype Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#bio-prototype Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 17 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1498040/bio_prototype Steam Price: 3.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 12/17/2022 Full 04/11/2023 Developer: Emprom Game Publisher: BD Games Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: Yes Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Verified Other Platforms Switch Community & Social Links Discord Subreddit Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: No Online: No Player Count: 1 Leaderboards: Steam Steam Features Steam Cloud: Yes Steam Achievements: 39 Steam Leaderboards: Yes Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: Yes 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. "A wave of irrational experimentation rushes toward you. Hurry up and mutate! evolution! Become scarier monsters than them! Use flesh and blood to bloom a way of survival! 24 characters, more than 80 kinds of organs, and endless build combinations" "Hurry up and mutate! evolution! Become scarier monsters than them! Use flesh and blood to bloom a way of survival! 19 characters, more than 40 kinds of organs, and endless build combinations!" "Link organs to your brain to create exponentially increasing combos" "More than 80 kinds of organs, 40 special designed characters, and infinite combinations" More info and fan reviews on steam Control Style Notes - + The game is a single stick shooter, with no options for manual aim. It's not quite as much of a mowing game, so you mostly avoid enemies while chaining projectile combos. Automated Features Auto-Aim Auto-Fire No Manual options. Supported Controls Controller: Full Controller Move Only: Yes Controller One Handed: Yes Mouse Only: Yes Keyboard Only: Yes Keyboard One Handed: Yes Game Modes - + Timed Survival Endless Survival Daily Challenge Test Mode Game Mode Notes The primary mode is the timed round survival in the menu. When upgrading within a run, there is an option to enter a sort of test mode where you can see how your abilities end up chaining together and test the damage against dummy targets. Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 30m Run Time Notes Runs are separated into 15 small rounds, with upgrades at the end of each round brotato-style. You can test your build between rounds. Disclaimer: Hard to say exact run time from my gameplay, since I spend so much time between rounds fiddling 15 short rounds can take me 45 minutes or even an hour. Part of that is just me being silly and spending too much time in the test mode probably. "Run time "Depends on difficulty. In normal mode you can expect 20-35 minutes. You can clock over an hour in endless mode." via BrziKorak on the forum. Sounds about right. Speed Settings None Player Power Progression - + Detailed notes on progression systems. In Run Progression In between rounds you are awarded a choice of "organs" which are your ability chain and weapon items. You can sell your organs and have access to a store where you can upgrade your capabilities or buy more organ picks. You then must create a programming like chain of attacks from your brain by linking organs, which you can move and rearrange as you wish between rounds. Some organs create temporary powerups which can be picked up off the ground. Meta Progression Achievements unlock new "classes" and new types of organs (the way abilities and attacks chain from your characters brain, or brains rather.)
	[edit] Yet Another Zombie Survivors EA What my partner called "a survivors for the Call of Duty demographic", this zombie slaying take has some of the more complex 3D graphics in this genre, but manages to keep things fast, simple and snappy despite the "realism". While we're a little burnt on zombies and the aesthetic doesn't appeal as much to us and resulted in some quibbles ("taller" and easier to get hit, gems floating so hard to identify position) for some people this likely appeals to you in a way games with pixel graphics simply never will. Could use more content but it's pretty fully developed for Early Access and I'm looking forward to coming back on release. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Horde Survival Party Based Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	8.2 Combined Ranking Score 19/72 Ranking Position 1431/1600 Total Points	8.3 Final Review 90% Steam 7.8 Scale 8.1 Vibes 4499 Steam Reviews 349/400 Review Points	8.0 Similarity Score 90% Diagnosis: Similar 1082/1200 Comparison Points	99% Genre 7.9/8 genre	100% Simple Controls 7/7 move	99% Survival Modes 3.9/4 modes	100% Power Progression 4/4 level	85% Buildcrafting Depth 3.5/5 build	77% Stage Features 3.8/7 stage	84% Content Breadth 6.1/9 stuff	73% Aesthetics 2.8/6 style	97% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.3/10 vibe vibe
Yet Another Zombie Survivors Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 3.0 Review Disclaimer 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 11/5/2023 A zombie themed survivors-like notable for being one of the best with 3D art style. Despite the very 'realistic' 3D graphics (and they're not actually attempting to be, favoring simple style that reminds me of PS3 era shooters), it keeps the arcade vibe, fast pace and almost all of the gameplay style of Vampire Survivors, making you focus on moving away from some things (enemies) and towards others (your leveling resource) as the primary strategy. I think they could have done more complex graphics but decided not to, favoring ability to stack enemy density. It notes in the menu that the optional manual aim and fire were implemented at the request of the community (pretty cool) but the game was not designed around them. That auto-first design and explicit noting, plus that it's enabled by default, gets it full points in those categories despite the presence of other options. Weapons "evolve" but not in the combine two to get something weird way. Technically you control a group of "survivors" (really seems more like a military unit but I guess if you're shooting this many guns that makes sense) but we're going to call it 1 for Direct Control of Single Avatar since you don't individually trigger any of their abilities, for the most part it's just an aesthetic representation of how there could be so many attacks on screen. Due to the engine there's never quite as many enemies or attacks on screen, but it still feels fairly over the top and invincible builds are possible in endless mode. Due to the style of weapons it's not as common for each survivor to cause you to move in different ways, which is something I like about other games I call mowing games. Due to the "realism" it also never quite seems to get as creative, though it does pretty well inside the genre. While it seems obvious in retrospect, the helicopter strike for example felt fresh mechanically and visually. Like the best abilities in these games it changes the way you move, in this case kiting huge crowds in as straight a line as possible. Kind of wish one of the gals was available in the first three characters as the realistic style makes the masculine first three even more apparent (and overall masculine vibe) even though technically the game has a better balance than many on this list. I originally had a longer rant on it but it doesn't feel fair to leave it when many on the list have no girl characters. My partner said they dislike that the gems float so they can't tell exactly where they are and hit enemies more, something I hadn't noticed. In general the more isometric viewpoint and "correct" height characters makes it more easy to hit enemies. Overall this one is pretty solid if you like the presentation and I didn't feel ready to move on when I had to. Yet Another Zombie Survivors 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. 8.0 Similarity Score 90% Diagnosis: 1082/1200 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) 0.9/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 1/1 Move Only 1/1 No Dash 1/1 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) 0.9/1 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" 0.5/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0/1 Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1 Explorable Map 0.3/1 BIG Maps -0.5/1 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 0.4/1 Multiple Stages 0.2/1 Difficulty Modifiers 0.5/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 1/1 Retro / Pixel Art -0.5/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 0.1/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 0.2/1 Subtle Humor 1/1 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 0.7/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 0.9/1 Yet Another Zombie Survivors 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. 8.3 Final Review 90% Positive Steam Reviews 4499 Steam Reviews 8.1 Pure Vibes 7.8 Review Scale 349/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 0.7/1 Good UI 0.6/1 Controller and Deck 1/1 Lots of Content 0.4/1 Good Theme 0.6/1 Good Graphics and Sound 0.9/1 Fun Feel 1/1 Unique Twists 0.7/1 Vibe Check 0.9/1 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 8.0 User Review Average 1 Number of User Reviews Average 8.0 Direct Average 8.0 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Yet Another Zombie Survivors 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 LinuxSteam DeckWindows PCEA Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHorde SurvivalParty BasedRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags 3DRealisticSerious Setting / Story Tags Horror ThemedMilitaryZombies Control Styles ControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Unknown20m Features and Extras Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud Dev/Publisher Awesome Games Studio Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/yet-another-zombie-survivors Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#yet-another-zombie-survivors Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 23 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/2163330/yet_another_zombie_survivors Steam Price: 9.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 07/13/2023 Developer: Awesome Games Studio Publisher: Awesome Games Studio Fully Released? No Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Yes Other Platforms None Community & Social Links Discord 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: 70 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. Same dev, I think, as Yet Another Zombie Defense HD. "The Horde is coming but you're ready to fight it! Assemble your team and decide upon their enhancements to find the most efficient synergies against thousands of the undead. Survive. Then evolve. Then break all the limits in this deceivingly simple but addictive reverse bullet hell." "Forget about things like complicated controls or hour-long cutscenes — jump right into the fray and watch the fireworks! It's a game that everyone will enjoy, no matter their gaming experience, as the characters you command aim and shoot on their own. Just drop onto the couch and bask in your endorphin rising from a survivors-like gameplay loop!" More info and fan reviews on steam Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 20m Run Time Notes ? Speed Settings ?
	[edit] Soulstone Survivors EA Free Available This is a popular survivors-like many seem to prefer to VS, though it's not my personal favorite. It's got a heavy dash reliance and a more "professional" 3D vibe. it would rank way higher except for aesthetics and small maps. Devs said "a spin on the genre taking itself more seriously." I'm not sure that's what I'm looking for. Personally I like meta-progression to not be spread over so many different views. it has a lot to draw people back, but never gets quite as crazy in a run. Much more focused on avoiding red enemy attack circles. You might agree it feels generic or you might love it! Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Action RPG Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Content Rich Enemy Hell Hack and Slash Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Wave Survival	7.8 Combined Ranking Score 27/72 Ranking Position 1389/1600 Total Points	8.1 Final Review 90% Steam 8.2 Scale 7.0 Vibes 13136 Steam Reviews 342/400 Review Points	7.5 Similarity Score 87% Diagnosis: Similar 1047/1200 Comparison Points	98% Genre 7.7/8 genre	81% Simple Controls 4.3/7 move	98% Survival Modes 3.8/4 modes	100% Power Progression 4/4 level	89% Buildcrafting Depth 3.9/5 build	66% Stage Features 2.2/7 stage	92% Content Breadth 7.6/9 stuff	67% Aesthetics 2/6 style	91% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.2/10 vibe vibe
Soulstone Survivors Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 3.4 Review Disclaimer 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 10/22/2023 One of the most popular games in the genre, it feels like a bigger company got ahold of the concept and felt they could do it better and in many ways (on the surface anyway) pulled it off. I admit I'm mostly recommending it because so many other people do. My theory, though, is it simply got out quickly, was polished, and people were hungry for anything good. I don't prefer the 3D art style for these games because the slowly approaching horde almost always looks comically slow at first, making the whole game feel slower. To me 3D graphics is almost worse by default but I'm not dinging it in the review scale. Eventually that changes, but it's hard not to bounce off of when other games feel so immediate. Adds a variety of mechanics. Auto aim is togglable. Very fully crafted presentation, though it loses a bit of lofi charm there. Personally I think the characters have less charm with the stylized blank faces, though they're technically fairly detailed. I like more simple unlock systems with really only one currency, ideally. I don't love having to keep track of so many different tabs and currencies, to me it feels like artificially creating depth through complexity when the run gameplay could be just as fun with less menu fiddling. Which is funny,coming from someone who loves spreadsheets and menu fiddling. In this case, slows down my 'one more run' flow, but it could keep you addicted. Or feel grindy. Soulstone Survivors 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. 7.5 Similarity Score 87% Diagnosis: 1047/1200 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) 1/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.5/1 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) 0.8/1 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" 0/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1 Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0.9/1 Explorable Map 0.3/1 BIG Maps -0.1/1 XP on Ground 1/1 Health on Ground 1/1 Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1 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 0.8/1 Difficulty Modifiers 1/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0.8/1 Retro / Pixel Art 0/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 0/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 0/1 Subtle Humor 0/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1 Over the Top 0.8/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 0.9/1 Difficulty Ramp 1/1 Fun Ramp 0.8/1 Low Price 0.8/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 0.9/1 Feels like VS 1/1 Soulstone Survivors 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. 8.1 Final Review 90% Positive Steam Reviews 13136 Steam Reviews 7.0 Pure Vibes 8.2 Review Scale 342/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 1/1 Good UI 0.7/1 Controller and Deck 1/1 Lots of Content 1/1 Good Theme 0.4/1 Good Graphics and Sound 0.8/1 Fun Feel 0.8/1 Unique Twists 0.7/1 Vibe Check 0.8/1 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 9.0 Converted 10 Point Score 1 Number of Critic Reviews User 5.5 User Review Average 4 Number of User Reviews Average 7.3 Direct Average 6.2 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Soulstone Survivors 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 LinuxMacSteam DeckWindows PCEAFree Available Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Action RPGArena ShooterAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenContent RichEnemy HellHack and SlashHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeWave Survival Aesthetic Tags 3DCell ShadedSerious Setting / Story Tags DungeonsFantasy Control Styles ControllerMouse Only Game Mode Tags Holiday Event20m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Cloud Dev/Publisher Game Smithing Limited Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/soulstone-survivors Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#soulstone-survivors Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 31 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/2066020/soulstone_survivors Steam Price: 9.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 11/7/2022 Developer: Game Smithing Limited Publisher: Game Smithing Limited Fully Released? No Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: Yes Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Playable Other Platforms None Community & Social Links Discord 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: 256 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Yes DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Steam YouTube Bandcamp Spotify Apple Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Face the Lords of the Void and their endless minions, collect their Soulstones and become a god! In this Action Roguelite, unveil secret spells, craft mighty weapons, unlock multiple characters, discover game-breaking synergies and conquer the power of the void." "A spin on the genre taking itself more seriously." "With deep RPG mechanics intertwined with Roguelite elements, Soulstone Survivors offers a condensed, yet deep Action RPG experience." "With the spoils of every match craft weapons, unlock new characters, upgrade your skill tree and equip new runes." More info and fan reviews on steam Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 20m Run Time Notes ? Speed Settings ?
	[edit] Brotato Released A must play for Newgrounds nostalgic arena shooter fans that also seems to alienate some hardcore Vampire Survivors fans. Featuring 1 handed play and on the surface very similar and often suggested, but missing many exploration features and subtle differences (like leveling at end of waves) might make it not hit the zen mark. Lots of people love this one but I admit I personally couldn't get into it. It was a little disappointing after the many recommendations. Great character ability twists and buildcrafting challenges if it clicks for you. Very popular for a reason! Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Brotato-style Bullet Heaven Content Rich Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	7.6 Combined Ranking Score 32/72 Ranking Position 1365/1600 Total Points	8.1 Final Review 96% Steam 7.8 Scale 7.0 Vibes 48003 Steam Reviews 344/400 Review Points	7.0 Similarity Score 85% Diagnosis: Similar 1021/1200 Comparison Points	95% Genre 7.2/8 genre	99% Simple Controls 6.8/7 move	85% Survival Modes 2.8/4 modes	73% Power Progression 1.8/4 level	93% Buildcrafting Depth 4.3/5 build	68% Stage Features 2.5/7 stage	80% Content Breadth 5.4/9 stuff	69% Aesthetics 2.3/6 style	93% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.6/10 vibe vibe
Brotato Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 2.7 Review Disclaimer 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 10/17/2023 Brotato is a common recommendation and many people love it. It does have pretty satisfying one handed gameplay (with optional aim I imagine most people don't use), but personally it doesn't hit the mark. I don't like how the waves are counted off and you level at the end of the round instead of when you get enough XP, nor that every one minute all the gems are swept up - it interrupts the flow for me and removes the gameplay element of trying to gather the drops. Every match is in the same small box instead of a vibe of exploring an interesting map with secrets. I also think the characters are ugly and the gun designs boring. But I can see how people sink a lot of time into it - it has many positive steam reviews. Probably it's popular in a big way because of the excellent variety in character builds and possible run combinations and the challenges created this way. Thread on steam to check back in on later: As fans, do you think brotato-style games are significantly different than survivors-likes?" Brotato 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. 7.0 Similarity Score 85% Diagnosis: 1021/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 1/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.9/1 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) 0.4/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 1/1 Move Only 1/1 No Dash 1/1 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 0/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.8/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event 0/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0.8/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks 0/1 Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1 Build Crafting 1/1 0.8/1 Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.5/1 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 0.7/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 0.8/1 Enemy Variety 0.4/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 1/1 Many Challenges 1/1 Multiple Stages 0/1 Difficulty Modifiers 1/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0/1 Retro / Pixel Art 0.2/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 0.2/1 Bumpin Music 0.5/1 Fun Writing 0/1 Subtle Humor 0.4/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1 Over the Top 0.5/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 0.9/1 Fun Ramp 0.8/1 Low Price 1/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 0.8/1 Brotato 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. 8.1 Final Review 96% Positive Steam Reviews 48003 Steam Reviews 7.0 Pure Vibes 7.8 Review Scale 344/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 1/1 Good UI 0.8/1 Controller and Deck 1/1 Lots of Content 0.8/1 Good Theme 0.4/1 Good Graphics and Sound 0.3/1 Fun Feel 1/1 Unique Twists 1/1 Vibe Check 0.5/1 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 7.6 Converted 10 Point Score 4 Number of Critic Reviews User 8.2 User Review Average 14 Number of User Reviews Average 7.9 Direct Average 8.1 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Brotato 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 AndroidiOSitch.ioSteam DeckSwitchWindows PCReleased Sorting Categories SimilarRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBrotato-styleBullet HeavenContent RichRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags 2DBrowser GameCartoonLofiUglycute Setting / Story Tags ComedyFlying Saucer AliensMeme GameSci-fi Control Styles ControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Advance on Round EndShort RoundsVacuum Collectables at Round End20m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam Workshop Dev/Publisher Blobfish Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/brotato Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#brotato Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 36 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1942280/brotato Steam Price: 4.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 9/27/2022 Full 6/23/2023 Developer: Blobfish Publisher: Blobfish Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: No Steam Deck: Verified Other Platforms Switch iOs Android itch.io Community & Social Links Discord Subreddit 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: 83 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: Yes Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Legacy Demo on itch.io DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: YouTube Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Brotato is a top-down arena shooter roguelite where you play a potato wielding up to 6 weapons at a time to fight off hordes of aliens. Choose from a variety of traits and items to create unique builds and survive until help arrives." "Auto-firing weapons by default with a manual aiming option" "Hundreds of items and weapons to choose from" "Accessibility options: tweak the health, damage and speed of enemies so the difficulty is right for you" More info and fan reviews on steam Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 20m Run Time Notes ? Speed Settings ?
	[edit] Loop Hero Free Available Released Extremely Different. It's hard to have a better pick if you want a rogue-lite auto-battler with really unique map-building non-direct control of the main character. But chances are you didn't know you were looking for that. Included to test the scale but also because it's a great game that might scratch your itch if it's about exploring a new system with great progression and interesting synergies, along with tense action that's not reflex based even if it doesn't have stick movement focus. It's above 5.0 so it might be recommended to appeal to VS fans, but only with major disclaimers about differences. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Auto-Battler Content Rich Deckbuilding Roguelite Story Rich Strategy	6.3 Combined Ranking Score 49/72 Ranking Position 1168/1600 Total Points	9.6 Final Review 93% Steam 9.4 Scale 10.0 Vibes 29569 Steam Reviews 387/400 Review Points	3.0 Similarity Score 65% Diagnosis: Extremely Different 781/1200 Comparison Points	59% Genre 1.5/8 genre	21% Simple Controls -4/7 move	44% Survival Modes -0.5/4 modes	65% Power Progression 1.2/4 level	73% Buildcrafting Depth 2.3/5 build	31% Stage Features -2.6/7 stage	91% Content Breadth 7.3/9 stuff	100% Aesthetics 6/6 style	95% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.9/10 vibe vibe
Loop Hero Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 80.0 Review Disclaimer 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 10/17/2023 A map-making rogue-lite auto battler. You have a character that goes around a loop fighting enemies during your run, but you can only help him by placing map parts and changing gear - no direct control. There's so much to talk about with this one, but it's pretty different from most of the games on our scale. What it shares is really satisfying metaprogression and some autobattle elements. Put in about 44.6 hours on Steam and then another 40+ hours on Switch when it released there. Amazing game, totally unique, interesting to compare to VS in terms of mechanics. The game is a strategy game played in menus and by putting down tiles, but we'll call the real time use of a click button a 'trigger' press. One of the best games ever imho, but it's pretty different so no need to really discuss in detail here. Loop Hero 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. 3.0 Similarity Score 65% Diagnosis: 781/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 1/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.8/1 Real Time 0.6/1 Top Down or Isometric 1/1 Direct Control of Single Avatar -0.7/1 Arcade Style 0.8/1 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 -1/1 No Dash 0/1 No Trigger -1/1 No Special Move 0/1 No Aiming -1/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty -1/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival 0/1 Endless Mode 1/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves -1/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) -0.5/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event 0.2/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) -1/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1 Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1 Build Crafting 1/1 0.2/1 Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.1/1 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 0/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1 Enemy Variety 1/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 0.6/1 Many Challenges 1/1 Multiple Stages 0.7/1 Difficulty Modifiers 0/1 Bestiary / Lore 1/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 1/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 1/1 Subtle Humor 1/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1 Over the Top 0.4/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 1/1 Fun Ramp 1/1 Low Price 0.5/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS -1/1 Loop Hero 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. 9.6 Final Review 93% Positive Steam Reviews 29569 Steam Reviews 10.0 Pure Vibes 9.4 Review Scale 387/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 1/1 Good UI 1/1 Controller and Deck 0.4/1 Lots of Content 1/1 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 8.2 Converted 10 Point Score 63 Number of Critic Reviews User 7.9 User Review Average 194 Number of User Reviews Average 8.1 Direct Average 8.0 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Loop Hero 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 EpicGOGitch.ioLinuxMacSteam DeckSwitchWindows PCXboxFree AvailableReleased Sorting Categories Extremely DifferentRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Auto-BattlerContent RichDeckbuildingRogueliteStory RichStrategy Aesthetic Tags 2DArtyPixel Art Setting / Story Tags Alternate RealityApocalypseFantasyTime Loop Control Styles ControllerMouse Only Game Mode Tags Boss ModeDifficulty ModifiersEndless ModeHub ZoneSpeed UpWave Survival30m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam Trading Cards Dev/Publisher Devolver DigitalFour Quarters Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/loop-hero Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#loop-hero Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 53 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1282730/loop_hero Steam Price: 14.99 (USD) Release Date: Public Alpha 12/2019 Full 3/4/2021 Developer: Four Quarters Publisher: Devolver Digital Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? No Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: Yes Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Playable Other Platforms Switch Xbox Epic GOG itch.io (alpha) Community & Social Links Discord 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: 50 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: Yes Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Alpha on itch.io DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Steam YouTube GOG Devolver Digital (LP) Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos. Wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero." "Infinite Adventure: Select from unlockable character classes and deck cards before setting out on each expedition along a randomly generated loop path." "Strategically place building, terrain, and enemy cards along each loop." More info and fan reviews on steam Game Modes - + Endless Survival / Boss Challenge "Chapter" Difficulty Modifiers and Rewards Game Mode Notes There is only one run type, with metaprogression between runs. There are four "chapters", each with a specific difficulty change, rewards and bosses. Until you beat the earlier chapters, the bosses for later ones will not show up in your run. The first three chapters each have one boss and the 4 requires beating them all. You can select earlier chapters to play again. You can pick what tiles are available to you in the next run. Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 30m Run Time Notes Each run finds the player starting with a blank map and loop of road, which they then place map pieces around as a timer counts towards a boss event. Early runs are guaranteed to be ended by the first boss, and players eventually work towards "endless" runs. There's no time based goal to complete, you simply decide to head back to camp or risk losing the run. The goal is to survive while gathering as much as possible before dying. Average run time is probably more accurately 10m - 60m, but it also depends on the player selected speed / pause usage. Speed Settings The game can be paused or sped up by player toggle. While paused, the player can still manipulate the game field and inventory, then unpause or move to high speed to see how it plays out.
	[edit] Ecstatic Released Very Different. This little arcade style arena wave shooter has excellent style, with a wriggly spider protagonist and some fresh feeling mechanics. The pointer to target and click to move control scheme works best for me on steam deck. There's no metaprogression and it's more bullet hell than bullet heaven, really. I'm not sure it's really very related to Vampire Survivors and probably won't get as long play times out of people, but I'm glad I tried it in the Steam Bullet Heaven Fest. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Arcade Arena Shooter Bullet Hell Wave Survival	5.4 Combined Ranking Score 57/72 Ranking Position 1056/1600 Total Points	9.6 Final Review 100% Steam 9.4 Scale 9.5 Vibes 11 Steam Reviews 389/400 Review Points	1.1 Similarity Score 56% Diagnosis: Very Different 667/1200 Comparison Points	59% Genre 1.5/8 genre	36% Simple Controls -2/7 move	71% Survival Modes 1.7/4 modes	13% Power Progression -3/4 level	47% Buildcrafting Depth -0.3/5 build	36% Stage Features -2/7 stage	59% Content Breadth 1.6/9 stuff	88% Aesthetics 4.5/6 style	81% Gameplay Vibe Check 6.2/10 vibe vibe
Ecstatic Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 3.0 Review Disclaimer 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 11/15/2023 Ecstatic is more of an oldschool arena shooter which had previously come up in my recommendations since I've been getting so many bite sized top down retro style shooters. It's not a survivors-like, with no meta progression, no giant hordes, and no buildcrafting alternate paths or bullet heaven power fantasy. Just one weapon and character. But it is a pretty great little arcade style shooter, I think. Fairly simple in design, but it doesn't pretend to be a huge game and I'm satisfied to have tried it since it was in the Steam Bullet Heaven Fest. I think originally designed as a browser game, the controller support (which isn't officially listed) basically just emulates a mouse and was pretty hard to play with. (Dev confirmed: "The "controller support" is actually just Steam emulating mouse inputs, as the game was indeed designed and developed to be played with the mouse") Playing on Steam Deck, it works quite well with the trackpad as you kind of click to move your little spider around the grid-like arena and hover your target over enemies then click to send missiles their way. One hit will kill you (giving this a -1 on "health on ground") so it feels very much like a bullet hell at first even with the relatively small enemy and projectile count, but a "freeze" mechanic that slows everything down unless you move drastically increases survivability. Power ups are in the classic arcade style, a limited number of them available and a few levels possible in each. It's unlikely you'll be able to get them all in a play, so in that way there are some build choices. You can target the powerups to change them to a different type, helpful when figuring out your play style. It took me a bit to truly adapt to the lock on and then fire mechanic for the missles, I admit. I imagine it's more obvious as a mouse game. Aesthetically excellent, from the pixel spider's independently moving legs to the classic arcade beats and synth voice announcing powerups (another thing I love from games like Super Stardust HD). It's actually priced a tiny bit higher than on average for these games, but before this latest wave most arcade style shooters were around this price range or more (and there were a lot fewer options.) I'm happy with the experience for the price, though I'm not sure I'll really put a ton of hours in. I like these games, but I reach my limit of ability in them at times. It may not be about winning an arcade game, though, I guess, just playing. Ecstatic 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. 1.1 Similarity Score 56% Diagnosis: 667/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite -1/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle -1/1 Real Time 0.9/1 Top Down or Isometric 1/1 Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1 Arcade Style 1/1 Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 0.6/1 Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) -1/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 0/1 Move Only -1/1 No Dash 1/1 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 -0.5/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.2/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event -1/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks -1/1 Goal Based Meta Unlocks -1/1 Build Crafting 0.2/1 0/1 Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0/1 Broken / Invincible Builds Possible -0.5/1 Explorable Map -1/1 BIG Maps -1/1 XP on Ground 0/1 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 0.1/1 Bosses / Elites 0.5/1 Many Interesting Characters 0/1 Many Challenges 0/1 Multiple Stages 0/1 Difficulty Modifiers 0/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 0/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 1/1 Subtle Humor 0.5/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.4/1 Over the Top 0.5/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 0/1 Fun Ramp 0/1 Low Price 1/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 0.8/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS -1/1 Ecstatic 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. 9.6 Final Review 100% Positive Steam Reviews 11 Steam Reviews 9.5 Pure Vibes 9.4 Review Scale 389/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 0.9/1 Good UI 1/1 Controller and Deck 0.5/1 Lots of Content 1/1 Good Theme 1/1 Good Graphics and Sound 1/1 Fun Feel 1/1 Unique Twists 1/1 Vibe Check 1/1 Ecstatic 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.ioWindows PCReleased Sorting Categories Very DifferentRanked Genre and Control Style Tags ArcadeArena ShooterBullet HellWave Survival Aesthetic Tags 2DArtyLofiPixel ArtRaveRetroVivid Setting / Story Tags AbstractInsects Control Styles ControllerMouse Only Game Mode Tags Unknown5m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Cloud Dev/Publisher PUNKCAKE Delicieux Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/ecstatic Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#ecstatic Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 61 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/2330300/ecstatic Steam Price: 5.99 (USD) Release Date: 9/21/2023 Developer: PUNKCAKE Delicieux Publisher: PUNKCAKE Delicieux Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: No Steam Deck: No Other Platforms itch.io Community & Social Links Discord 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: 8 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: No DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Bandcamp Apple Spotify Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Rave spider goes to the bullet-hell ball: shoot rockets out of your butt, dodge and destroy waves upon waves of drones, slow down time whenever you don't move." "Control a disposable spider mech that shoots rockets out of its butt and decimate waves upon waves of drones synced to rave music, while also slowing down time whenever you stop moving. Pick up power-ups strategically and weave your way around enemies to make it to the end of the track!" "The game features 4 different difficulties, a slew of challenges, and includes a level editor that lets you use your own music tracks!" More info and fan reviews on steam Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 5m Run Time Notes ? Speed Settings ?
	[edit] Peglin EA Free Available Very Different. Perhaps you want an entirely different turn based Peggle-type puzzle game that somehow gets recommended to VS fans. Not saying it's a terrible recommendation if you like runs and upgrades and complex games that appeal to casual players. It's absolutely a rogue-lite and a cute game. But in many ways it is extremely different - Included to test the scale. Very different but good games might get around a 5.0. Anything under 5.0 could be thought of as "less recommended" to fans of Vampire Survivors. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Pachinko Peggle-like Puzzle Roguelite	5.2 Combined Ranking Score 59/72 Ranking Position 1079/1600 Total Points	8.3 Final Review 81% Steam 8.9 Scale 8.0 Vibes 8901 Steam Reviews 350/400 Review Points	2.2 Similarity Score 61% Diagnosis: Very Different 729/1200 Comparison Points	38% Genre -2/8 genre	46% Simple Controls -0.5/7 move	25% Survival Modes -2/4 modes	73% Power Progression 1.8/4 level	71% Buildcrafting Depth 2.1/5 build	43% Stage Features -1/7 stage	79% Content Breadth 5.2/9 stuff	94% Aesthetics 5.3/6 style	78% Gameplay Vibe Check 5.5/10 vibe vibe
Peglin Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 2.1 Review Disclaimer 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 10/14/2023 Included here to test/show the scale, since it's been recommended a few times in public threads about VS-likes for some reason. This is a rogue-lite with some unlockable meta advancement, but it's also a turn-based peggle-like puzzle game. Nice little game I suppose but the scale allows for -1 to 1 in order to make room for strongly different features to this extent. Like a few other games on this list I feel it's mostly mentioned to people on sites like reddit since it's also a rogue-lite. It doesn't have much mechanically in common with most games on this list. Cool though. I think if I hadn't mainlined Peggle for several months in 2007 I would be more interested in learning the mechanics. As it is it's hard to play without the Peggle victory music. If someone mods that in, let me know. Peglin 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. 2.2 Similarity Score 61% Diagnosis: 729/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 1/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle -1/1 Real Time -0.8/1 Top Down or Isometric -1/1 Direct Control of Single Avatar 0/1 Arcade Style 0.3/1 Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) -0.5/1 Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 0/1 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 -1/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 0.5/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival -1/1 Endless Mode -1/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves 0/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event 0/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks 0/1 Goal Based Meta Unlocks 0.8/1 Build Crafting 0.6/1 1/1 Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.5/1 Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0/1 Explorable Map -1/1 BIG Maps -1/1 XP on Ground 0/1 Health on Ground 0/1 Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 1/1 Enemy Variety 1/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 0.2/1 Many Challenges 0.5/1 Multiple Stages 1/1 Difficulty Modifiers 0/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0.5/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 0.8/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 1/1 Subtle Humor 0.5/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0/1 Over the Top 0/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 0.5/1 Fun Ramp 0.7/1 Low Price 0/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 0.8/1 Feels like VS -1/1 Peglin 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. 8.3 Final Review 81% Positive Steam Reviews 8901 Steam Reviews 8.0 Pure Vibes 8.9 Review Scale 350/400 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 0.8/1 Fun Feel 0.8/1 Unique Twists 0.5/1 Vibe Check 1/1 Peglin 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 AndroidGOGiOSitch.ioMacSteam DeckWindows PCEAFree Available Sorting Categories Very DifferentRanked Genre and Control Style Tags PachinkoPeggle-likePuzzleRoguelite Aesthetic Tags 2DPixel Art Setting / Story Tags Fantasy Control Styles ControllerController 1 HandedMouse Only Game Mode Tags Unknown50m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam Trading Cards Dev/Publisher IndieArkRed Nexus Games Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/peglin Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#peglin Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 63 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1296610/peglin Steam Price: 19.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 4/25/2022 Developer: Red Nexus Games Publisher: IndieArk Fully Released? No Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: Yes Linux: No Steam Deck: Verified Other Platforms iOS Android GOG itch.io Community & Social Links Discord 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: 28 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: Yes Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Yes DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Steam Bandcamp YouTube Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Peglin is a Pachinko Roguelike - Fight enemies by collecting special orbs and popping pegs to deal damage. Acquire special relics that radically change the game and ensure no two runs are the same. Aim carefully to survive in this unique turn-based RPG!" More info and fan reviews on steam Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 50m Run Time Notes ? Speed Settings ?
	[edit] Osmos Released Very Different. An interesting recommendation with a big genre shift, perhaps if you want a stress/zen combo movement focused arena game with absolutely no shooting or Rogue-lite elements. Extremely different - Included to test the scale but also to demonstrate it's not that far and people should push the boundaries of what these genres mean. It does have procedural generation so gets a partial score there! Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Action Puzzler Arcade Physics-based Puzzle Top Down or Isometric	5.0 Combined Ranking Score 60/72 Ranking Position 1033/1600 Total Points	8.9 Final Review 87% Steam 9.0 Scale 9.0 Vibes 586 Steam Reviews 367/400 Review Points	1.1 Similarity Score 56% Diagnosis: Very Different 666/1200 Comparison Points	69% Genre 3.1/8 genre	86% Simple Controls 5/7 move	28% Survival Modes -1.8/4 modes	0% Power Progression -4/4 level	10% Buildcrafting Depth -4/5 build	36% Stage Features -2/7 stage	64% Content Breadth 2.5/9 stuff	75% Aesthetics 3/6 style	72% Gameplay Vibe Check 4.4/10 vibe vibe
Osmos Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 2.0 Review Disclaimer 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 10/14/2023 Included here to test/show the scale, because it's totally different but it somehow does feel a little similar. It's an nonviolent puzzle game where you click on the opposite side to move and lose some of your bubbly mass to do so, while trying to absorb smaller enemies instead of avoiding touching them. Not a rogue-lite, not a bullet-heaven, but it might give you a top down zen arena vibe that's similar! It has procedural generation available. Also I just like it. Osmos 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. 1.1 Similarity Score 56% Diagnosis: 666/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 0.1/1 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) 0/1 Move Only 1/1 No Dash 1/1 No Trigger 0/1 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) -0.8/1 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 0/1 Explorable Map -1/1 BIG Maps -1/1 XP on Ground 0/1 Health on Ground 0/1 Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1 Enemy Variety 0/1 Bosses / Elites 0/1 Many Interesting Characters -0.5/1 Many Challenges 1/1 Multiple Stages 1/1 Difficulty Modifiers 0/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 0/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 0/1 Subtle Humor 0/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1 Over the Top 0/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 0.3/1 Difficulty Ramp 0/1 Fun Ramp 0/1 Low Price 0.5/1 Technical Check 0.8/1 Controls Check 0.8/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 0.4/1 Osmos 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. 8.9 Final Review 87% Positive Steam Reviews 586 Steam Reviews 9.0 Pure Vibes 9.0 Review Scale 367/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 0.8/1 Good UI 0.7/1 Controller and Deck 0.5/1 Lots of Content 1/1 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 8.0 Converted 10 Point Score 22 Number of Critic Reviews User 7.0 User Review Average 104 Number of User Reviews Average 7.5 Direct Average 7.2 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Osmos 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 AndroidDirectiOSLinuxMacOnLiveSteam DeckWindows PCReleased Sorting Categories Very DifferentRanked Genre and Control Style Tags Action PuzzlerArcadePhysics-basedPuzzleTop Down or Isometric Aesthetic Tags 2D Setting / Story Tags AbstractScience Control Styles ControllerController 1 HandedMouse Only Game Mode Tags Unknown8m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam Achievements Dev/Publisher Hemisphere Games Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/osmos Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#osmos Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 64 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/29180/osmos Steam Price: 9.99 (USD) Release Date: 08/18/2009 Developer: Hemisphere Games Publisher: Hemisphere Games Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? No Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: Yes Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Playable Other Platforms Direct iOS Android OnLive Community & Social Links Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: No Online: No Player Count: 1 Leaderboards: ? Steam Features Steam Cloud: No Steam Achievements: 11 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: No DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: YouTube Dev's Website Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Enter the ambient world of Osmos: elegant, physics-based gameplay, dreamlike visuals, and a minimalist, electronic soundtrack. Your objective is to grow by absorbing other motes. Propel yourself by ejecting matter behind you. But be wise: ejecting matter also shrinks you. Relax - good things come to those who wait." More info and fan reviews on steam Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 8m Run Time Notes ? Speed Settings ?
	[edit] Dwarf Fortress Free Available Released Extremely Different. A titan of gaming history and a personal recommendation to anyone on the planet, but while it is influenced by Rogue and has some surface traits in common it's So different that attempting to score it on these named categories is very hard. A long form rogue-Like where you manage many many characters. An interesting one, Included to test the scale. You may find some similar aspects of this game appealing, though! Don't mind my 378 play hours, that was all just one run so I haven't really seen much of the game. Note: We're scaling the base management mode, not the single character control Adventure. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Basebuilding Colony Sim Content Rich Real Time With Pause Roguelike Story Rich Survival	5.0 Combined Ranking Score 61/72 Ranking Position 1015/1600 Total Points	9.6 Final Review 95% Steam 9.3 Scale 10.0 Vibes 19980 Steam Reviews 388/400 Review Points	0.5 Similarity Score 52% Diagnosis: Extremely Different 627/1200 Comparison Points	38% Genre -1.9/8 genre	14% Simple Controls -5/7 move	53% Survival Modes 0.2/4 modes	5% Power Progression -3.6/4 level	10% Buildcrafting Depth -4/5 build	86% Stage Features 5/7 stage	81% Content Breadth 5.5/9 stuff	92% Aesthetics 5/6 style	68% Gameplay Vibe Check 3.5/10 vibe vibe
Dwarf Fortress Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Personal Hours Played: 378.8 Review Disclaimer 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 Now with a graphics inclusive version on Steam, Dwarf Fortress is inspired by classical Rogue-likes, but your permadeath possible "run" is managing a fortress with many characters instead of just one. Over the years the game has gained a lot of features that bring it more close to contemporary games than Rogue itself. The extreme differences in genre and control and mechanics makes it very hard to rate on our scale (which is designed to tease out subtle differences in very similar games) but it's interesting to test the scale. It is, after all, technically an "endless wave survival" game. Mostly real time, but with a lot of optional pauses. For the movement section, we're counting all the various controls (there are many) for categories like "special moves" but there's no reflex "dodge", etc. DF doesn't have any victory conditions or set challenges, a huge difference. Nor does it let you chose how to level your characters, they progress themselves. Eventually, there are big hordes of enemy invaders, usually. Worth noting the "Adventure" mode not reviewed here has both more in common with original Rogue and modern Rogue-lites. This is an amazing game, but again we're mostly including it here to show how the scale is used and can be used for just about anything. There's more about it in the scoring guide, like many of the ones included to test and then demonstrate the scale. And I guess it's here because I can't resist a chance to talk about Dwarf Fortress. Dwarf Fortress 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. 0.5 Similarity Score 52% Diagnosis: 627/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 0.3/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.2/1 Real Time 0.5/1 Top Down or Isometric 1/1 Direct Control of Single Avatar -1/1 Arcade Style -0.9/1 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 0/1 No Trigger -1/1 No Special Move -1/1 No Aiming -1/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 0/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival -1/1 Endless Mode 1/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves 0/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.2/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event -1/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) -1/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks -0.8/1 Goal Based Meta Unlocks -0.8/1 Build Crafting -1/1 0/1 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 0.5/1 Health on Ground 0/1 Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0.5/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 1/1 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 1/1 Achievements 0/1 Secrets 0.5/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 0/1 Lofi Charm 1/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 1/1 Subtle Humor 1/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.5/1 Over the Top 0/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs -1/1 Difficulty Ramp 0/1 Fun Ramp 0/1 Low Price 0/1 Technical Check 1/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS -1/1 Dwarf Fortress 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. 9.6 Final Review 95% Positive Steam Reviews 19980 Steam Reviews 10.0 Pure Vibes 9.3 Review Scale 388/400 Review Points Not Buggy 1/1 Not Janky 0.9/1 Good UI 0.9/1 Controller and Deck 0.5/1 Lots of Content 1/1 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 9.3 Converted 10 Point Score 12 Number of Critic Reviews User 8.5 User Review Average 242 Number of User Reviews Average 8.9 Direct Average 8.5 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Dwarf Fortress 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 Directitch.ioLinuxSteam DeckWindows PCFree AvailableReleased Sorting Categories Extremely DifferentRanked Genre and Control Style Tags BasebuildingColony SimContent RichReal Time With PauseRoguelikeStory RichSurvival Aesthetic Tags 2DAsciiLofiPixel Art Setting / Story Tags DungeonsFantasy Control Styles Keyboard OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Custom Mode/ScenarioEndless ModeSandboxSurvival CraftTraditional RoguelikeWave Survival∞ Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam Workshop Dev/Publisher Bay 12 GamesKitfox Games Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/dwarf-fortress Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#dwarf-fortress Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 65 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/975370/dwarf_fortress Steam Price: 24.99 (USD) Release Date: Freeware 8/8/2006 Steam 12/6/2022 Developer: Bay 12 Games Publisher: Kitfox Games Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: Yes Steam Deck: Playable (barely) Other Platforms Direct itch.io Community & Social Links Discord Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: No Online: No Player Count: 1 Leaderboards: No Steam Features Steam Cloud: No Steam Achievements: Planned Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: Yes Steam Trading Cards: No Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: Yes DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Steam Bandcamp YouTube Spotify Soundcloud Amazon Apple Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created. The legendary Dwarf Fortress is now on Steam. Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world." "In this complex construction/management/roguelike simulation, every generated world brings a unique challenge, whether it’s dwarves with their own simulated personalities or aquifers." "One of the first video games acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York" "The original inspiration for RimWorld, Prison Architect, Minecraft and more." More info and fan reviews on steam Control Style Notes - + Game is presented as a top down management sim, similar to later games like Rimworld, and not with direct control of a player avatar. Classic DF was entirely keyboard based, but the steam version has mouse support baked in. Experienced players know many hotkeys and ways to navigate many menus quickly. It's now possible to mostly play with mouse for long periods, or just use keyboard to move the camera around. Automated Features To a great degree in DF the action is carried out by orders issued to your population, which sometimes they treat more like suggestions. You can tell them to attack an enemy, but it might be more common to tell them to patrol an area, and so on. There's no way to directly attack an enemy or manipulate anything, you can only give orders and set the priority for them. Supported Controls Controller: No Controller Move Only: No Controller One Handed: No Mouse Only: Yes Keyboard Only: Yes Keyboard One Handed: No Game Modes - + Endless Survival Custom Scenario Sandbox Survival Craft ("Fortress Mode") Traditional Roguelike ("Adventure Mode") Game Mode Notes The primary mode is a roguelike colony sim, with a great deal of procedural generation for your world and maps. There is no win condition, you simply want to build a civilization and survive as long as possible. Default settings will throw increasingly dire waves of invaders and dangerous monsters at you, as well as many emergent challenges. There is an absolutely incredible amount of customization available before generating a world and starting a scenario, customization many times still available in the menus even after you've embarked and started your perhaps hundreds of hours in your "run." It's possible to play completely peacefully, but there will always be risks to your population. Further customization is available with mods and dfhack. Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: ∞ Run Time Notes You can manage a single fortress essentially "forever", except likely at some point your computer and the game won't be able to handle the size and complexity of your save file and current concurrent interactions. Once it dies, you can start another fort in the same world or an adventure playthrough from any saves. Functionally the game is as "endless" as any game, but many people consider the end of a fortress the end of a story, closing the pages on that world in favor of the next epic "run." My longest living fort was 400 hours of person time, many generations of dwarves. (Actually, I'd modded myself a kobold fortress.) Speed Settings Mostly "real time with pause", there is also a great degree of freedom overclock speed. The game works through frames, so limiting your FPS to 1 or 2 frames greatly slows down the time. Of course, my computer could only do 7 FPS max at the end with my fort. This isn't actually the graphical refresh rate, it's the amount of frames the game is generating for you to see. Player Power Progression - + Detailed notes on progression systems. In Run Progression There are no skill trees or level up dialogs for individual members of your fort, but they do increase in skill and opinion of things in many many different ways. Much of the mystery and appeal of Dwarf Fortress is figuring out how to increase the overall prosperity of your Fort and skill of your citizens without much in the way of set goals or information about what would do what next. It's about as complex a system as you could possibly get in a game, but it also doesn't force decisions in a classical sense so it's easy to just end up watching how things hash out and crossing your fingers. While you can spend a long time simply building a lovely fort. Meta Progression Dwarf Fortress in its most "pure" style according to many is a true roguelike, with the history of the world unique and death permanent, all drillable down to a turn based system in "adventure mode". However, DF has many features that may feel similar to metaprogression. When everyone at your fortress dies, you can start another in the same world or even reclaim it with a new set of settlers. You can play adventure mode by importing an old fortress save. There's no way to have 'advancement' that unlocks for a new world, all options are there when generating. But death is perhaps not the end of your story.
Dev Scores Submitted via Score Card (Released) This section includes mostly upcoming games where devs themselves submitted a score card or filled the web form. Tags sugggested by devs. They'll be moved up top after I've checked it all over and adjusted the feature scores to be in line with how other games are scored.
	[edit] Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood Released Note: Feature comparison score and metadata reported based on game designer submitted scorecard Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Arcade Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Horde Survival Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	7.7 Combined Ranking Score -/72 Ranking Position -/1600 Total Points	7.8 Final Review 78% Steam - Scale - Vibes 549 Steam Reviews -/400 Review Points	7.5 Similarity Score 88% Diagnosis: Similar 1050/1200 Comparison Points	94% Genre 7/8 genre	71% Simple Controls 3/7 move	81% Survival Modes 2.5/4 modes	94% Power Progression 3.5/4 level	80% Buildcrafting Depth 3/5 build	75% Stage Features 3.5/7 stage	96% Content Breadth 8.3/9 stuff	98% Aesthetics 5.8/6 style	92% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.4/10 vibe vibe
Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Review Disclaimer 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 12/19/2023 Scale scoring from scorecard submitted by the publisher. Once evaluated after a couple hours play and some research, will be adjusted and moved up into the ranking proper. Designer note: "It's a lighter Vampire Survivors Game w/ tuned up pixel graphics. If you're looking for an affordable game with a survivors-like feel, then Renfield is one of many options you can pick up on Steam." Help us rank this game! [Submit Review] Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood 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. 7.5 Similarity Score 88% Diagnosis: 1050/1200 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) 0/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.5/1 Move Only 0/1 No Dash 1/1 No Trigger 1/1 No Special Move -1/1 No Aiming 0.5/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1 Endless Mode 1/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves 0/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.5/1 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 0.5/1 Build Crafting 0.5/1 0/1 Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 1/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.5/1 Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1 Explorable Map 0/1 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 0.5/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1 Enemy Variety 1/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 0.8/1 Many Challenges 1/1 Multiple Stages 1/1 Difficulty Modifiers 1/1 Bestiary / Lore 1/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0.5/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 0.8/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 1/1 Subtle Humor 1/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.3/1 Over the Top 1/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 0.8/1 Fun Ramp 0.5/1 Low Price 1/1 Technical Check 0.8/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 1/1 Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood 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. 7.8 Final Review 78% Positive Steam Reviews 549 Steam Reviews - Pure Vibes - Review Scale -/400 Review Points Not Buggy -/1 Not Janky -/1 Good UI -/1 Controller and Deck -/1 Lots of Content -/1 Good Theme -/1 Good Graphics and Sound -/1 Fun Feel -/1 Unique Twists -/1 Vibe Check -/1 Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood 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 PCReleased Sorting Categories SimilarDev Scored (Released) Genre and Control Style Tags ArcadeAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenHorde SurvivalRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags Unknown Setting / Story Tags Unknown Control Styles Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard OnlyMouse Only Game Mode Tags Auto-AimAuto-FireBoss EndedCustom ModeEndless SurvivalLevel BasedUnintrusive Tutorial25m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam CloudSteam LeaderboardsSteam Trading Cards Dev/Publisher Mega Cat Studios Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/renfield-bring-your-own-blood Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#renfield-bring-your-own-blood Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 87 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/2354600/renfield_bring_your_own_blood Steam Price: 4.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 04/12/2023 Full 09/20/2023 Developer: Mega Cat Studios Publisher: Mega Cat Studios Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: No Steam Deck: ? Other Platforms No Community & Social Links Discord Publisher Website Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: No Online: No Player Count: 1 Leaderboards: Yes Steam Features Steam Cloud: Yes Steam Achievements: 93 Steam Leaderboards: Yes Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: Yes Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: No DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Steam Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Slash and survive a typical workday as Dracula's overworked and underappreciated servant! You'll have a bloody good time as you rampage through New Orleans to find fresh victims for your narcissistic boss." More info and fan reviews on steam Control Style Notes - + "It's currently a movement only game." Automated Features Auto-Aim Auto-Fire People can toggle manual aim in the menu. Supported Controls Controller: Full Controller Move Only: Yes Controller One Handed: Yes Mouse Only: Yes Keyboard Only: Yes Keyboard One Handed: Yes Accessibility & Tutorial - + Accessibility Notes Colorblind mode in options Tutorial Notes Skippable in game popup during first run "They plan to add a Tutorial Menu in the game soon." Game Modes - + Boss Ended Survival Endless Survival Level Based Custom Mode Game Mode Notes Designer: "Nightmare Mode is our Custom Mode where players can add difficulty modifiers during their run. The New Orleans Apartment is our stage for the Endless Mode where players can go through waves of enemies and aim to survive." Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 25m Run Time Notes Designer: "Every level has around 13-15 stages except for the "Endless Mode". It may take around 3-5 minutes to accomplish per stage unless you enter a Challenge Room which makes it around 5 minutes - 7 minutes to accomplish but with better rewards." Speed Settings No Player Power Progression - + Detailed notes on progression systems. In Run Progression Designer: "They need to gather an xp resource and then level-up. They only have 3 randomized options and those options are either a weapon or a talent. You can only have a set number of weapons and talents, so players must choose carefully. There is an unlockable re-roll and Banish feature to allow players more chances to get the weapon/talent they want." Meta Progression Designer: "You can buy more stages in the 'store' along with features and stats. You can also buy weapons and talents in the in-game store. These need to be first unlocked by fulfilling a condition then buying using the in-game currency." 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 Designer Note: "When you enter Renfield, the Main Menu houses most of what you need. You can access the Store, Settings, Compendium, and the Stages. Before you start with a stage, you select a character first. After that, you are flung into the first room of the stage and start your run." Display & Sound ? Gameplay / Input / Other Options ?
	[edit] Soundodger 2 Released A movement focused game but about dodging sound synced bullet hells. There aren't a lot of single stick shooters out there and the dodge em up subgenre is an interesting one. Worth exploring if you are looking for other movement focused shooter inspired games. Note: Feature comparison score and metadata reported based on dev submitted scorecard (Currently adjusting.) Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Arena Shooter Bullet Hell Dodge Em Up Music Game Single Stick Shooter Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	5.8 Combined Ranking Score -/72 Ranking Position -/1600 Total Points	9.7 Final Review 97% Steam - Scale - Vibes 122 Steam Reviews -/400 Review Points	1.9 Similarity Score 60% Diagnosis: Similar 715/1200 Comparison Points	49% Genre -0.1/8 genre	76% Simple Controls 3.6/7 move	61% Survival Modes 0.9/4 modes	60% Power Progression 0.8/4 level	40% Buildcrafting Depth -1/5 build	36% Stage Features -1.9/7 stage	64% Content Breadth 2.5/9 stuff	58% Aesthetics 1/6 style	83% Gameplay Vibe Check 6.6/10 vibe vibe
Soundodger 2 Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Review Disclaimer 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 11/3/2023 Scale scoring from scorecard submitted by Developer. Once evaluated after a couple hours play and some research, will be adjusted and moved up into the ranking proper. Like Soundodger+, this one I solicited a dev scorecard on because I was very curious to have more movement focused and especially pacifist games on here. I look forward to doing a whole review soon. Help us rank this game! [Submit Review] Soundodger 2 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. 1.9 Similarity Score 60% Diagnosis: 715/1200 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 0.9/1 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 0.9/1 No Dash 0.8/1 No Trigger 0/1 No Special Move 0.9/1 No Aiming 0/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 0/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival 0/1 Endless Mode 0/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves 0/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.9/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event 0/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0/1 Currency Based Meta Unlocks 0.5/1 Goal Based Meta Unlocks 0.3/1 Build Crafting -1/1 0/1 Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1 Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0/1 Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0/1 Explorable Map -1/1 BIG Maps -0.9/1 XP on Ground 0/1 Health on Ground 0/1 Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0/1 Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1 Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1 Enemy Variety 0.9/1 Bosses / Elites ?/1 Many Interesting Characters -1/1 Many Challenges ?/1 Multiple Stages 1/1 Difficulty Modifiers 0.6/1 Bestiary / Lore 0/1 Achievements 1/1 Secrets 0/1 Retro / Pixel Art ?/1 Damage Numbers 0/1 Lofi Charm 0/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 0/1 Subtle Humor 0/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.5/1 Over the Top 0.9/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 0.9/1 Difficulty Ramp 0.9/1 Fun Ramp 0.6/1 Low Price 0/1 Technical Check 0.9/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 0.9/1 Feels like VS -0.9/1 Soundodger 2 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. 9.7 Final Review 97% Positive Steam Reviews 122 Steam Reviews - Pure Vibes - Review Scale -/400 Review Points Not Buggy -/1 Not Janky -/1 Good UI -/1 Controller and Deck -/1 Lots of Content -/1 Good Theme -/1 Good Graphics and Sound -/1 Fun Feel -/1 Unique Twists -/1 Vibe Check -/1 Soundodger 2 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 SimilarDev Scored (Released) Genre and Control Style Tags Arena ShooterBullet HellDodge Em UpMusic GameSingle Stick ShooterTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags Unknown Setting / Story Tags Unknown Control Styles ControllerMouse Only Game Mode Tags Custom Mode/ScenarioLevel BasedSpeed Up4m Features and Extras SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Trading Cards Dev/Publisher Studio Bean Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/soundodger-2 Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#soundodger-2 Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 100 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1400910/soundodger_2 Steam Price: 19.99 (USD) Release Date: 4/10/2023 Developer: Studio Bean Publisher: Studio Bean Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: No Steam Deck: Yes Other Platforms None Community & Social Links Discord 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: 27 Steam Leaderboards: No Steam Workshop: No Steam Trading Cards: Yes Extras, Etc. NSFW: No Demo Available: No DLC Available: No Soundtrack Available: Steam Spotify Itch.io Marketing Blurb - + Some description of the game and its features from the creators. "Dodge the music and weave through an endless ballet of bullets in an all-new collection of hand-crafted levels set to the music of an award-winning cast of international musicians. Turn any song into an amazing experience with the robust Level Editor and never run out of things to dodge." More info and fan reviews on steam Game Modes - + Dev: "There are full levels, challenge levels, main content, and user content, but there is only 1 mode for the game: dodge the bullets." Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 4m Run Time Notes Dev: "Each level is usually the length of a full song, ~3-6m in the main game. However, challenge levels are subsections of a song and are ~25-90sec long." Speed Settings Dev: "Using in-game "mods" doesn't save your score, so they're purely for fun. A game speed mod allows changing the level/song between 0.10x to 2.00x speed.
Games Currently Being Evaluated (Ranking in Progress) This section includes games with fan scores submitted via score card or web form or I'm currently playing or researching or discussing with devs. They'll be moved up top after I've checked it all over and adjusted the feature scores to be in line with how other games are scored.
	[edit] Ember Knights Released Note: Feature comparison score reported based on reviewer submitted scorecard by zza675 on Discord. Tweaking in progress. Dev? Experienced player? Help us rank this game! [Submit Feature Survey] [Submit Review]	Dungeon Crawler Roguelite Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival	7.3 Combined Ranking Score -/72 Ranking Position -/1600 Total Points	9.4 Final Review 94% Steam - Scale - Vibes 3250 Steam Reviews -/400 Review Points	5.3 Similarity Score 76% Diagnosis: Similar 917/1200 Comparison Points	66% Genre 2.6/8 genre	30% Simple Controls -2.8/7 move	94% Survival Modes 3.5/4 modes	66% Power Progression 1.3/4 level	99% Buildcrafting Depth 4.9/5 build	82% Stage Features 4.5/7 stage	91% Content Breadth 7.4/9 stuff	88% Aesthetics 4.6/6 style	82% Gameplay Vibe Check 6.3/10 vibe vibe
Ember Knights Ranking Notes - + Scaling and Review Notes Review Disclaimer 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 11/20/2023 Scale scoring from scorecard submitted by player reviewer. Once evaluated after a couple hours play and some research, will be adjusted and moved up into the ranking proper. zza675's scorecard notes: "I would say it's fairly different from VS it as its more focused on exploring a linier dungeon with rooms instead of an open one." Help us rank this game! [Submit Review] Ember Knights 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. 5.3 Similarity Score 76% Diagnosis: 917/1200 Comparison Points Rogue-lite 0.7/1 Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle -1/1 Real Time 0/1 Top Down or Isometric 0.8/1 Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1 Arcade Style 0.3/1 Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 0.6/1 Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 0.2/1 One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.5/1 Move Only 0.3/1 No Dash -1/1 No Trigger 0/1 No Special Move -1/1 No Aiming -1/1 No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty -0.6/1 Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1 Endless Mode 1/1 Organic / Unannounced Waves 0.5/1 High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1 Level Up on XP Gain Event -1/1 Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0.3/1 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 0.9/1 Explorable Map 0.2/1 BIG Maps 0.3/1 XP on Ground 0/1 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 0.7/1 Bosses / Elites 1/1 Many Interesting Characters 0.5/1 Many Challenges 1/1 Multiple Stages 1/1 Difficulty Modifiers 1/1 Bestiary / Lore 1/1 Achievements 0.7/1 Secrets 0.5/1 Retro / Pixel Art 1/1 Damage Numbers 1/1 Lofi Charm 0/1 Bumpin Music 1/1 Fun Writing 1/1 Subtle Humor 0.6/1 Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0/1 Over the Top 0/1 "One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1 Difficulty Ramp 1/1 Fun Ramp 0.5/1 Low Price 0.7/1 Technical Check 0.5/1 Controls Check 1/1 Fun Check 1/1 Feels like VS 0/1 Ember Knights 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. 9.4 Final Review 94% Positive Steam Reviews 3250 Steam Reviews - Pure Vibes - Review Scale -/400 Review Points Not Buggy -/1 Not Janky -/1 Good UI -/1 Controller and Deck -/1 Lots of Content -/1 Good Theme -/1 Good Graphics and Sound -/1 Fun Feel -/1 Unique Twists -/1 Vibe Check -/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 8.5 Converted 10 Point Score 1 Number of Critic Reviews User - User Review Average - Number of User Reviews Average 8.5 Direct Average 8.5 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean Ember Knights 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 DeckSwitchWindows PCReleased Sorting Categories SimilarRanking in Progress Genre and Control Style Tags Dungeon CrawlerRogueliteTop Down or IsometricWave Survival Aesthetic Tags Unknown Setting / Story Tags Unknown Control Styles ControllerMouse Only Game Mode Tags Branching PathsCustom Mode/ScenarioDifficulty ModesDungeon CrawlHardcore Mode (Optional Permadeath)New Game +20m Features and Extras Dev/Publisher Doom TurtleTwin Sails Interactive Release Info & Community Links - + Direct Permalink: survivorslikes.com/videogame/ember-knights Contextual Table Link: survivorslikes.com/#ember-knights Google Sheet Edit Link: edit.survivorslikes.com row 149 Steam Link: steampowered.com/app/1135230/ember_knights Steam Price: 19.99 (USD) Release Date: Early Access 04/20/2022 Full 07/18/2023 Developer: Doom Turtle Publisher: Twin Sails Interactive Fully Released? Yes Recent Updates? Yes Steam Compatibility Windows: Yes Mac: No Linux: No Steam Deck: Yes Other Platforms Switch Community & Social Links Discord Game Features - + Listing various features we've got info on. Multiplayer Local: Co-Op Online: Co-Op Player Count: 14 Leaderboards: ? Steam Features Steam Cloud: No Steam Achievements: 45 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. "Ember Knights is an action rogue-lite for 1-4 players where you play as legendary knights, the last spark of hope against the mad sorcerer Praxis and his hordes of unwavering fiends. Wield weapons & skills, build synergies with game-changing relics and free the universe of Praxis’ corruption." More info and fan reviews on steam Game Modes - + Dungeon Crawl, Branching Paths, New Game +, Hardcore Mode / Optional Permadeath, Difficulty Modes, Custom Mode Run Times & Speedups - + Average Run Time: 20m Run Time Notes "For a speedrun 10 mins or less, for a casual play anywhere from 30-45 typically. For "doom" 90m and for "demons" anywhere from 2 seconds to 5 hours." Speed Settings No player speed options. "There are difficulty modifiers that buff the speed of enemies and their attack speed."

Thanks for visiting The Monstergirl Scale!

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

Taxonomy Archive

<< Control Mode: Mouse Only ~ 15 found

Game and Release Info

Search and Filter Results

Genre/Control

Ranking

Review

Similarity

Similarity Scale

Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors Ranking Notes

Scaling and Review Notes

Vampire Survivors Similarity Scale Heatmap

Vampire Survivors Review Scale Heatmap

Metacritic Scores

Critic

User

Average

Vampire Survivors Tag Cloud

Release Tags

Sorting Categories

Genre and Control Style Tags

Aesthetic Tags

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Critic Review Excerpt

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Accessibility & Tutorial

Accessibility Notes

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Game Mode Notes

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Average Run Time: 30m

Run Time Notes

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Main Menu

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UI Walkthrough: Player HUD & Pause

Player HUD / Gameplay UI

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

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Halls of Torment

Halls of Torment Ranking Notes