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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

929 Search Results

Sort Order: _sfm_combined_ranking_score desc numPosts Per Page: 10

[edit]

Elemental Survivors

EA Free Available

A "party based" jrpg styled survivors-like with togglable auto-aim. Some have noted this is a more chill survivors-like in Steam reviews, and it does seem less horror themed at least. My concern is it might be too easy at the start and I'm rarely forced to make a wacky useless build. I don't prefer an easy early game in this genre, but some on steam specifically say they like it because it's "more forgiving". If you find VS a little too stressful, this might be a great pick for you. Looking forward to checking back in on it during EA. Meta notes via dev!

Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Hack and Slash Horde Survival JRPG Mowing Game Party Based Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter Wave Survival
8.7 Combined Ranking Score
8/72 Ranking Position
1484/1600 Total Points
8.6 Final Review
89% Steam
9.1 Scale
7.7 Vibes
53 Steam Reviews
357/400 Review Points
8.8 Similarity Score
94% Diagnosis:
Similar
1127/1200 Comparison Points
99% Genre 7.9/8 genre
95% Simple Controls 6.3/7 move
84% Survival Modes 2.7/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
86% Buildcrafting Depth 3.6/5 build
96% Stage Features 6.5/7 stage
88% Content Breadth 6.9/9 stuff
95% Aesthetics 5.4/6 style
96% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.2/10 vibe vibe

Elemental Survivors Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.6

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

This is a survivors-like with a very cute SNES era RPG inspired vibe, complete with Nintendo Power themed menu and 4:3 ratio gameplay area. It's both more contemporary and more simplified in art style, but that's not a nitpick just an observation from a huge fan of the genre. It's overall very fun.

It's a nice find, very familiar to VS in the relaxing ways and just a little different thematically, enough that it feels new and worth exploring. In fact the little world map style exploring is a fun part of it, though minimalistic. Technically waves are announced in a scrolling box on the right sidebar but it's easy to not notice and still feels organic. The visual theme fits since it's little twist is you hire a "party" not just picking weapons or abilities. It's got aim enabled by default but can be turned off in the menu quickly, so we're giving it high partial points in movement only. Some characters have "on stop moving" abilities hence a tenth off in "no on attack movement penalty."

I have mixed feelings about "stats", sometimes preferring the more arcade style games, but I know many Brotato and RPG fans will appreciate more overt numbers on the screen. I think I do agree with the steam reviewer who prefers to not have borders on the screen, this also causes burn in on my OLED not just less immersion. I like a lot about the music but also it could relax just a little bit. I wish there were more lofi/relaxed options on start anyway. You can switch it at any time and for a bit I didn't realize I had it on shuffle, which was frustrating, using the trigger locks it to the track it's on.

But I do have a concern it may be too easy. Or at least too tilted towards the player in a way that makes the ramp odd. My first run in I got all the way until the end of run boss without much effort,then got stomped. I would have rather had a series of shorter runs feeling like I earned it and then a chance at winning with more upgrades. Also, it tells me to pick STR abilities for a STR character, then hands me all and only level ups with the ones I pick.

There's no way to make a badly optimized build or be forced to deal with a "bad draw". I imagine that comes later outside of my limited first look, but usually I encounter some of it quickly (that difficulty dropping down quick that rogue-inspired games are known for.) That challenge of high risk high reward is what draws me and makes me want to learn the new system. My hope is that I'll find more if it when I check back in on this early access title.

The data for this one is based on a dev submitted scorecard, my personal review and another review submitted by Silver721 earlier. Here's Silver's review note:

"Elemental Survivors wear's Vampire Survivors' inspiration on its sleeve, but distinguishes itself by incorporating Dungeons & Dragons and RPG elements to it. It features a party of characters with one main character, and each character has an array of stats like you would see in D&D. These stats influence which weapons are stronger with certain characters and allow for a wide variety of builds."

Elemental 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.

8.8 Similarity Score
94% Diagnosis:
1127/1200 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) 0.8/1
Move Only 0.8/1
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 0.9/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 0/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 0.7/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 0.8/1
0.8/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.8/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.5/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0.7/1
Explorable Map 0.8/1
BIG Maps 0.7/1
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 0.8/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 0.9/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 0/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 0.2/1
Retro / Pixel Art 1/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.8/1
Bumpin Music 1/1
Fun Writing 0.8/1
Subtle Humor 0.8/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 0.8/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.8/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Elemental 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.

8.6 Final Review
89% Positive Steam Reviews
53 Steam Reviews
7.7 Pure Vibes
9.1 Review Scale
357/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 0.9/1
Good UI 0.9/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 1/1
Good Theme 0.9/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.9/1
Fun Feel 0.8/1
Unique Twists 0.7/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Elemental 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

Steam DeckWindows PCEAFree Available

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

Bullet HeavenEnemy HellHack and SlashHorde SurvivalJRPGMowing GameParty BasedRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick ShooterWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DCuteJRPGPixel ArtRetro

Setting / Story Tags

Fantasy

Control Styles

Auto-AimControllerController 1 HandedController Move Only

Game Mode Tags

Goal Based RoundsNo TutorialTimed SurvivalWave Survival20m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Samobee Games

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: 94
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

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

Marketing Blurb

- +

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

"Grind, die, upgrade, repeat in this auto-attacking roguelite/RPG! Transform into an enemy-blender with your fave attacks made devastating with equipment, party members, and elemental evolutions. Survive to earn gems to unlock areas, permanent upgrades, characters, and god-like summons."

"A wide variety of attacks to level as you destroy your enemies. Varied randomly-generated areas to explore and unlock. Upgradeable equipment to aid you or powerup your attacks. Party members who increase your stats or skills, and who have their own specific attacks to make your party a powerhouse!

Control Style Notes

- +

Mostly movement focused, it's has manual aim enabled by default but can be toggled in the menu.

Automated Features

Auto Aim

Toggle in menu, defaults to off.

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Yes
  • Controller Move Only: Yes
  • Controller One Handed: Yes
  • Mouse Only: ?
  • Keyboard Only: ?
  • Keyboard One Handed: ?

Game Modes

- +

Quest Mode
(Goal Based Mamp)

Journey Mode
(Timed Survival)

Game Mode Notes

Quest Mode: "Enter a specific unlocked area and defeat bosses to complete quests and earn gems. Defeat the area boss to complete the area."

Journey Mode: "Drops you into escalating areas for 1 minute chunks until final boss at minute 20. There are leaderboards for this mode (both overall and per character)"

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

"Area boss spawns at 20 minute mark and gameplay ends when the player is defeated or defeats the area boss."

"Journey mode is played in escalating difficulty chunks of 1 minute each."

Speed Settings

None

[edit]

Keeper's Toll

EA

A solid choice if you want a game that feels like a Vampire Survivors visual remaster that focuses on individual class skill trees instead of combo synergies. EA, not a ton of content yet, but responsive devs. The closest in terms of movement controls on this list so far! Edit: seems it's adding a dodge, but nothing has changed about enemy patterns so it's hard to complain too much about it. Though I did lol to the ear of a very receptive dev.

Action RPG Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Dungeon Crawler Enemy Hell Hack and Slash Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Summoning Game Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
8.6 Combined Ranking Score
9/72 Ranking Position
1471/1600 Total Points
8.6 Final Review
88% Steam
8.6 Scale
8.3 Vibes
105 Steam Reviews
357/400 Review Points
8.6 Similarity Score
93% Diagnosis:
Similar
1114/1200 Comparison Points
100% Genre 8/8 genre
88% Simple Controls 5.3/7 move
100% Survival Modes 4/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
70% Buildcrafting Depth 2/5 build
100% Stage Features 7/7 stage
84% Content Breadth 6.2/9 stuff
97% Aesthetics 5.6/6 style
97% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.3/10 vibe vibe

Keeper's Toll Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 4.4

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

Added or last checked on 10/16/2023

necromancer-from_keepers-toll.gifPreviously called "Soul Survivors"

A so-far solid single stick shooter in Early Access. VERY close in aesthetic style and design and actually keeps 1 handed movement focused play. Edit: Seems they are adding a dodge, so this will need to be re-examined.

Also very Dark Souls inspired visually with some fun subtle jokes for fans. Bumpin' music. Graphics an upgrade - especially on elite/boss animations - while still feeling pretty lofi.

Necro earns this a summoning game tag from me.

spore-king-from_keepers-toll.gifClassic inspired classes have their own unique weapon and move set, with some interesting twists like fighting style movement combo to activate a move for the monk. They also have their own money pile and upgrade tiers. Not a ton of maps, but a decent range of characters considering their depth - unfortunately no crazy crossover evolutions it seems.

It's still early access so I intend to check back in later for a real review. First impressions are pretty positive.

Includes a necromancer summoning class In Early Access so we'll see how much of a summoning game it is - very responsive developer!

Keeper's Toll 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 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) 0.6/1
Move Only 0.7/1
No Dash 0/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming 1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 0.5/1
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 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 0.8/1
Many Challenges 0.7/1
Multiple Stages 0.7/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0/1
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 1/1
Fun Writing 0.6/1
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 0.8/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 0.9/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Keeper's Toll 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.

8.6 Final Review
88% Positive Steam Reviews
105 Steam Reviews
8.3 Pure Vibes
8.6 Review Scale
357/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 1/1
Good UI 1/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 0.5/1
Good Theme 0.6/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 0.5/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Keeper's Toll 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

LinuxMacPS5Steam DeckSwitchWindows PCXboxEA

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

Action RPGAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenDungeon CrawlerEnemy HellHack and SlashHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSummoning GameSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DPixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

Dark FantasyDungeonsFantasyHorror ThemedMartial ArtsNecromancyUndead

Control Styles

ControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard Only

Game Mode Tags

Endless ModeIgnorable TutorialTimed SurvivalWave Survival20m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Stingbot Games

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: 29
  • 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.

"Keeper’s Toll is an action-packed arcade roguelite set within a dark fantasy world. Keeper’s Toll places a heavy focus on slow-paced, skill-based gameplay and intricate boss battles as you survive an onslaught of relentless fell hordes."

"The game controls like a top down beat-em-up with auto attacks that primarily go off in the direction your character is facing" "No twin stick controls or mouse aiming."

Dev notes: "A typical run to reach the final boss is roughly 20 mins. However, runs go into an endless mode each time called cursed mode where a new curse stacks every minute you survive. So essentially runs can last as long as you are capable of surviving."

Control Style Notes

- +

Dev: "Controls like VS with the exception that the player can perform an evasive move. you can press Left Shift or B on the game controller to perform a dodge roll. Dodge is tied to your stamina bar."

"Each class plays entirely different with their own set of unique actives and passives. Nothing is shared, including auto aim."

"The Shadow Monk has auto aim with his Fury Active attack (his base attack). None of the other existing character have auto aim except for the Ranger's homing shot, but it's not constant like Fury is for the Shadow Monk. Other future characters may have some auto aim abilities. there is no default auto aim though. That's not how the game plays by default. It's not a "setting""

Automated Features

There is no right stick aiming, but attacks aren't all directed towards enemies.

Accuracy of aimed attacks is character dependent.

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Full
  • Controller Move Only: Yes
  • Controller One Handed: Mapping planned Dev: "You can play with one hand, but if you want to perform a dodge roll, as of right now you would need to press B on the right side. It's not required to perform a dodge, but it is a feature nonetheless. it will be added in the next update that goes live."
  • Mouse Only: Planned
  • Keyboard Only: Yes
  • Keyboard One Handed: Yes

Game Modes

- +

Timed Survival

Endless Survival

Game Mode Notes

Default mode is timed survival.

Dev: "As of current: just level runs. Each level has an endless mode that activates when the final stage boss is defeated. Will split to be optional and include other game modes later in Early Access"

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

Dev: "Endless mode activates after the final stage boss is defeated. Curses stack every minute thereafter and the goal is to survive as many curses as possible."

Speed Settings

None

Player Power Progression

- +

Detailed notes on progression systems.

In Run Progression

Dev: "Enemies drop souls. Elites drop higher level souls. Bosses drop instant level ups. Enhancements to XP can be bought from the Merchant and/or obtained from challenge events and altars"

Souls are used on level gain event to pick from streamlined options, but each character has their own set of moves and options. XP is used in the meta.

Meta Progression

Players can spend gold collected in run at a meta Merchant, and can develop class trees by earning "XP"

Dev: "XP is earned from completing a run. XP is earned from a variety of factors including time survived, elites killed, bosses killed, curses survived, challenges completed as the most notable ways to earn XP."

Play to unlock endless mode.

"Endless mode activates after the final stage boss is defeated. Curses stack every minute thereafter and the goal is to survive as many curses as possible. Achievements and Meta Progression is tied into this mode as well as XP bonuses can be earned the longer you survive."

[edit]

Chess Survivors

Released

Possibly the best of three directly Chess related games on this list (in a genre highly related to "auto chess), try this one if you'd like to add a huge degree of strategy and puzzlement to your VS-formula. Super interesting. More classical rogue-like movement but physics based bullet heaven attacks. A solo dev project seemingly held together with duct tape, but packed with charm, this is a VS-formula twist not ot be missed. It's criminal it has so few players. No buyable meta progression besides goal based unlocks. Responsive Dev!

Bullet Heaven Chess Enemy Hell Grid-Based Movement Roguelite Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Turn Based Hybrid
8.6 Combined Ranking Score
10/72 Ranking Position
1453/1600 Total Points
9.1 Final Review
97% Steam
8.3 Scale
9.3 Vibes
81 Steam Reviews
373/400 Review Points
8.0 Similarity Score
90% Diagnosis:
Similar
1080/1200 Comparison Points
96% Genre 7.3/8 genre
90% Simple Controls 5.6/7 move
86% Survival Modes 2.9/4 modes
88% Power Progression 3/4 level
87% Buildcrafting Depth 3.7/5 build
79% Stage Features 4/7 stage
87% Content Breadth 6.6/9 stuff
98% Aesthetics 5.8/6 style
96% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.1/10 vibe vibe

Chess Survivors Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.5

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

There are three Chess inspired VS-likes on this list but this is indisputably the King. It actually fully incorporates the basics of chess and then builds on it with a fun toy theme for VS-style attacks. Mobs move like you'd expect based on their Chess pieces. An interesting mix of real time bullets and "Speed Chess" timed moves reminiscent of classic turn based rogue-likes. It's got more basic graphics and sometimes seems to be held together with duct tape, but it all doesn't matter because the gameplay feels like it actually melds Chess and Vampire Survivors in a way that teases your brain while also demanding "One More Run".

Just unlocking the second character's move style was a revelation and I can't wait to play more. I only wish it had Steam Cloud support so I could share progress to my Steam Deck. Not exactly aiming, can be played one handed with default controls but kind of more comfortable to use both - loses half a point for movement requiring confirmation.

Once saw the dev suggested a feature (pure turn based with no turn timer) and they implemented and rolled out the feature in Beta the same day, which I have literally never seen before with anything ever. Does lack exploration aspects. This one helped supply some useful example scores for the review scale scoring guide.

Chess 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:
1080/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.8/1
Real Time 0.5/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 1/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 1/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 0.9/1
Move Only 1/1
No Dash 1/1
No Trigger 0/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming 0.7/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 0/1
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 0/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 0.7/1
1/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
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 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 0.8/1
Bosses / Elites 0.8/1
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 0/1
Retro / Pixel Art 1/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 1/1
Bumpin Music 0.8/1
Fun Writing 1/1
Subtle Humor 1/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.8/1
Over the Top 1/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.7/1
Fun Ramp 1/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 0.7/1
Controls Check 0.9/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Chess 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.

9.1 Final Review
97% Positive Steam Reviews
81 Steam Reviews
9.3 Pure Vibes
8.3 Review Scale
373/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 0.8/1
Good UI 0.4/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 1/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.3/1
Fun Feel 0.9/1
Unique Twists 1/1
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

7.5 Converted 10 Point Score
1 Number of Critic Reviews

User

- User Review Average
- Number of User Reviews

Average

7.5 Direct Average
7.5 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

Chess 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 PCReleased

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

Bullet HeavenChessEnemy HellGrid-Based MovementRogueliteSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTurn Based Hybrid

Aesthetic Tags

2DLofiPixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

Board GameChess

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Unknown10m

Features and Extras

Steam Achievements

Dev/Publisher

Aarimous

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: 35
  • 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.

"Chess Survivors is a grid based, quick-turn, roguelike where you outmaneuver and destroy an ever growing horde of chess based enemies. Combine abilities, upgrades, and relics to create game-breaking builds. Think fast, die, learn, repeat!"

"Chess based enemies and player movement" "Casual quick 10-21 minute play sessions, for busy gamers"

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 10m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Sea of Survivors

EA

An innovative seafaring survivors-like with a constantly moving sailing mechanic breathing fresh air into the genre. Simple controls, big challenge! Just came out into Early Access but had an earlier demo people enjoyed. I'm not sure yet how over the top it gets, help me figure it out and send in adjustments to the score! Currently placed a little lower due to lack of content in the 'breadth' section, but movement focus wise this is one of the closer ones and the only one so far with its own unique twist on movement-only!

Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Horde Survival Naval Combat Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
8.5 Combined Ranking Score
11/72 Ranking Position
1464/1600 Total Points
8.7 Final Review
82% Steam
8.7 Scale
9.2 Vibes
97 Steam Reviews
361/400 Review Points
8.4 Similarity Score
92% Diagnosis:
Similar
1103/1200 Comparison Points
100% Genre 8/8 genre
100% Simple Controls 7/7 move
85% Survival Modes 2.8/4 modes
96% Power Progression 3.7/4 level
80% Buildcrafting Depth 3/5 build
93% Stage Features 6/7 stage
76% Content Breadth 4.7/9 stuff
100% Aesthetics 6/6 style
96% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.1/10 vibe vibe

Sea of Survivors Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.0

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 10/24/2023

Great twist on the movement mechanic by having a sailing vessel that you steer. It adds more challenge and feels unique without losing much of the 'zone out' appeal. Interesting ship weapon-chaining mechanics. Keeps meta unlocks simple, one currency and then goal-based (perfect!) While the gathering mechanic is satisfyingly there with the gold drops, I think you get your XP automatically when killing.

Seatime music may be hit or miss for you, but it's a well crafted original soundtrack. Runs are 20 minutes. There are ship crew but kind of feel more like equipable upgrades than "interesting characters" since that means interesting builds.

Just came out of free demo into paid Early Access, with a lot of praise so far. Controller navigation is a little buggy in the kind of confusing menus, but it's not a big deal. Still kind of low on content - one map, not a lot of difficulty modifiers, etc. One to watch!

Sea of 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.

8.4 Similarity Score
92% Diagnosis:
1103/1200 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 0/1
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) 0.7/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
0.5/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.5/1
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 0.5/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 0/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0.2/1
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 0.5/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 1/1
Fun Ramp 1/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 0.6/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Sea of 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.

8.7 Final Review
82% Positive Steam Reviews
97 Steam Reviews
9.2 Pure Vibes
8.7 Review Scale
361/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 0.8/1
Good UI 0.7/1
Controller and Deck 0.7/1
Lots of Content 0.6/1
Good Theme 0.9/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 1/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Sea of 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

Steam DeckWindows PCEA

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

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

Aesthetic Tags

2DCuteLofiPixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

Nautical

Control Styles

ControllerController Move Only

Game Mode Tags

Unending Movement20m

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam Achievements

Dev/Publisher

Nah Yeah Games

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: 39
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

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.

"In Sea of Survivors, you can sail your ship in any direction but you can never stop moving. Evade and destroy hordes of pirates and sea monsters to gain experience, level up and choose upgrades for your ship. Discover mysterious curses, unlock unique treasures and fight for survival."

"Control your direction, but you can't stop moving" "Action-packed 20-minute runs with epic bosses to defeat"

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Spellbook Demonslayers

EA

The vibe of this one is great, from the complex system of interactions to the metal soundtrack. Has a dodge button, though, and aiming, which is useful early on but a quick toggle allows you to switch to automatic. It's a smaller arena based shooter, I think my biggest simple desire for it would be more exploration aspects and some characters/ skins to mix it up.

Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Female Protagonist Horde Survival LGBTQ Mowing Game Roguelite Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Twin Stick Shooter Wave Survival
8.5 Combined Ranking Score
12/72 Ranking Position
1460/1600 Total Points
8.7 Final Review
84% Steam
9.2 Scale
8.4 Vibes
1014 Steam Reviews
360/400 Review Points
8.3 Similarity Score
92% Diagnosis:
Similar
1100/1200 Comparison Points
99% Genre 7.8/8 genre
83% Simple Controls 4.6/7 move
99% Survival Modes 3.9/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
98% Buildcrafting Depth 4.8/5 build
71% Stage Features 2.9/7 stage
84% Content Breadth 6.1/9 stuff
100% Aesthetics 6/6 style
100% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.9/10 vibe vibe

Spellbook Demonslayers Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 6.8

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 10/19/2023

ashe-from_spellbook-demonslayers.gifWaves are kind of unannounced but enemy spawns do have a red X before they show up, hence the tiny ding. Funny trivia but if you turn off enemy outlines the ones currently spawned will keep them until you kill them, while the new spawns show up without them. Don't really feel like it's a bug because it's fun. Appreciate when these games give you the option to make a run endless at the end, which this one does. Adds shrines to the mix.

eye-from_spellbook-demonslayers.gifI really love this one, but I would like to see it have more characters even if they're reskins only of the main character. I know the books are kind of characters, but both the books and the demons just feel like items to equip and my runs generally 'look' the same to me with her in the middle. I do like her a lot, don't get me wrong, but I enjoy making a new build with a different colored dot in the middle sometimes. Like maybe I can change her clothes and dye her hair or something, normal people do that. I'm not saying that has to be an actual gameplay mechanic, the hair dying.

Maybe has secrets? I wasn't able to find any info.

Spellbook Demonslayers 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.

8.3 Similarity Score
92% Diagnosis:
1100/1200 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) 0.8/1
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 0.9/1
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" 0.8/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map -0.1/1
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 0.8/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 0/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 0.9/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 0.4/1
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 1/1
Fun Ramp 1/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 0.9/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Spellbook Demonslayers 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.

8.7 Final Review
84% Positive Steam Reviews
1014 Steam Reviews
8.4 Pure Vibes
9.2 Review Scale
360/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 0.9/1
Good UI 0.9/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 0.7/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.9/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 0.8/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Spellbook Demonslayers 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 PCEA

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellFemale ProtagonistHorde SurvivalLGBTQMowing GameRogueliteSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricTwin Stick ShooterWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DCartoonLofiMetalPixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

DemonsFantasyMagicUnderworld

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Unknown13m

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

ErabitXendra

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: 100
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

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

Marketing Blurb

- +

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

"Spellbook Demonslayers is a fast-paced roguelite bullet heaven game inspired by my favorite parts of Vampire Survivors and Path of Exile! Customize your playstyle with magic, charms, abilities, and demon summoning to become the most overpowered slayer the Library has ever seen! Do you have what it takes to destroy the demonic horde, or will the Cosmic Library be lost forever?"

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 13m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[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!

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

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

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"

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]

Fantasy Survivors

EA

Note: Feature comparison score and metadata reported based on dev submitted scorecard. All other meta / additional notes via Daemonbound from Discord.

Bullet Heaven Roguelite Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric
8.4 Combined Ranking Score
-/72 Ranking Position
-/1600 Total Points
9.3 Final Review
93% Steam
- Scale
- Vibes
46 Steam Reviews
-/400 Review Points
7.5 Similarity Score
87% Diagnosis:
Similar
1048/1200 Comparison Points
95% Genre 7.2/8 genre
99% Simple Controls 6.8/7 move
88% Survival Modes 3/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
71% Buildcrafting Depth 2.1/5 build
87% Stage Features 5.2/7 stage
83% Content Breadth 6/9 stuff
73% Aesthetics 2.7/6 style
89% Gameplay Vibe Check 7.8/10 vibe vibe

Fantasy Survivors Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

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 12/6/2023

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.

Full metaprogression notes by Daemonbound, possible spoiler warnings: "The player's goals is ever changing as there are numerous things to work towards that will increase the player's options and overall power. To start off the player will initially work towards finding chests on the map to unlock new armor sets, artifacts, weapons and characters."

"They will also be looking for means of getting gold, which is used to purchase unlocked items and to upgrade their stats, via the upgrades menu. Player's goals might shift then to finding the exit on a map to unlock the next one, so they can further increase their arsenal and selection of characters."

"Each character has their own unlockable main weapon and secondary weapon, which can be unlocked by finding a gold chest on any map. Furthermore, these characters all have a primary and secondary stat bonus, which can be increased by reaching higher levels in a run past level 100. Players can later through the collection of marbles, increase the base damage of weapons in their stash to further increase their power too."

"As the player collects more achievements, their Survivor rank increases too, which unlocks numerous other hidden features, such as a new tier of upgrades, the workshop, where some of your unlocked characters offer their services as artisans, that can craft weapons and offer many other services. There is also the tavern, where adventurers you have found and saved on maps, can be hired to aid you with their skills. Lastly there is also the Auras feature, where the player's characters now can have unique auras to further enhance their and other player's stats."

Dev Scorecard Notes: "The game has elements of Diablo 2. Over 100 updates released since the game's launch."

Fantasy 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:
1048/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.5/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 0.9/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 0.9/1
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 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 0.8/1
0.8/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0.4/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0/1
Explorable Map 1/1
BIG Maps 0.8/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 0.8/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0.8/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0.8/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 0.8/1
Bosses / Elites 0.6/1
Many Interesting Characters 0.9/1
Many Challenges 0.7/1
Multiple Stages 0.3/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0.5/1
Bestiary / Lore 1/1
Achievements 0.9/1
Secrets 0.3/1
Retro / Pixel Art 0.8/1
Damage Numbers 0/1
Lofi Charm 0.5/1
Bumpin Music 0/1
Fun Writing 0.7/1
Subtle Humor 0.7/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 0.7/1
Over the Top 0.7/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 0.8/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.8/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 0.7/1
Technical Check 0.9/1
Controls Check 0.9/1
Fun Check 0.8/1
Feels like VS 0.7/1

Fantasy 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.

9.3 Final Review
93% Positive Steam Reviews
46 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

Fantasy 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

Steam DeckWindows PCEA

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

Bullet HeavenRogueliteSurvivors-likeTop Down or Isometric

Aesthetic Tags

Unknown

Setting / Story Tags

Unknown

Control Styles

Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard Only

Game Mode Tags

Difficulty ModesTimed SurvivalWave Survival30m

Features and Extras

Steam Achievements

Dev/Publisher

ButtonSoft

Game Features

- +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

  • Local: No
  • Online: Co-Op
  • Player Count: 4
  • Leaderboards: No

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: No
  • Steam Achievements: 100
  • 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.

"A rogue-lite where you fight hundreds of creatures to unlock more characters, weapons, artifacts and armor to challenge deeper levels. Team up with friends or go solo; all drops are instanced so you don't have to share. Casual gameplay combined with smart choices makes "one more run" a no-brainer."

Control Style Notes

- +

Single Stick Shooter

The game is single stick, you only use direction inputs and occasionally either button press or mouse for choice selection or other inputs you can bind.

Automated Features

Auto-Aim
Auto-Fire

"Most attacks are auto aim, some are direction you are facing. All attacks are auto-fire."

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Yes
  • Controller Move Only: Yes
  • Controller One Handed: Yes
  • Mouse Only: No
  • Keyboard Only: Yes (outside of menu)
  • Keyboard One Handed: Yes

Game Modes

- +

Timed Survival

Difficulty Modes
(Rush Mode, Runners,
Blood Moon, Grim Reaper)

Game Mode Notes

There are currently 4 game modes.

Rush mode - Reduces the overall game time by making waves come sooner.
Runners - Which doubles all enemy movement speed, except for bosses
Blood Moon - Which doubles the enemy spawn rate and slightly increases their movement speed.
Grim Reaper - Mini-bosses are replaced by a slow moving Reaper that progressively gets faster and harder to kill as the player levels.

Game modes are available for all maps. The feature however must first be unlocked for that map, by unlocking everything that map has to offer.

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 30m

Run Time Notes

The runtime is determined by the selected game mode. All modes take up a little over 30 minutes except for Rush mode, which takes up to 20 minutes.

There are no rounds and there is a constant shift between the spawn rate of groups of mobs and mini-bosses as time progresses. There is always a guardian spawn at the 30 minute mark. When all of them are defeated the spawn stops and the map is empty. The run technically continues indefinitely, until the player either leaves via a exit or uses the portal, but is functionally complete at this point.

Speed Settings

You cannot set clock speed. But the Rush game mode affects the time at which mobs spawn and when guardians show up, which allows quicker completion of the map, around 20m instead of 30m.

Player Power Progression

- +

Detailed notes on progression systems.

In Run Progression

Players start with one weapon, defeat enemies, pick up xp gems and level on xp gain event. Streamlined level options (3 random choices) are determined by available slots and loadout.

Each map offers unique weapons. Lastly players can also increase their power through the act of "armor fusion", which is to have a full armor set equipped and the corresponding artifact for that set, fully upgraded. This moves the artifact over to the armor slots, leaving a new slot available and also further increasing their overall damage reduction stat.

Meta Progression

There are both currency and find/goal based unlocks. Found chests on each stage unlock new armor sets, artifacts, weapons and characters. Map "exits" unlock the next map once found.

Currency gathered, gold, is used to purchase unlocked items and upgrade their stats. A later game currency, marbles, can increase base damage of weapons.

Reaching high level in run with a character earns permanent bonuses. Achievements unlock numerous other hidden features and upgrade mechanics - for full spoiler details see the review notes.

[edit]

Time Wasters

Released

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

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

Time Wasters Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 17.1

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

Added or last checked on 10/13/2023

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

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

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

Time Wasters Similarity Scale Heatmap

- +

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

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

Time Wasters Review Scale Heatmap

- +

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

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

Metacritic Scores

- +

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

Critic

- Converted 10 Point Score
- Number of Critic Reviews

User

9.0 User Review Average
1 Number of User Reviews

Average

9.0 Direct Average
9.0 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

Time Wasters Tag Cloud

- +

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

Release Tags

Steam DeckWindows PCReleased

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

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

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCartoonCute

Setting / Story Tags

Sci-fiShip (Air/Space)Space

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Enemy Trap Events20m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Proton Studio

Game Features

- +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

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

Steam Features

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

Extras, Etc.

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

Marketing Blurb

- +

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

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

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

Run Times & Speedups

- +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Return to Abyss

DLC Released

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

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

Return to Abyss Ranking Notes

- +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 3.4

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

Added or last checked on 11/16/2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

Free on Android, but with gacha transactions.

Return to Abyss Similarity Scale Heatmap

- +

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

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

Return to Abyss Review Scale Heatmap

- +

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

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

Return to Abyss Tag Cloud

- +

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

Release Tags

AndroidSteam DeckWindows PCDLCReleased

Sorting Categories

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

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

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCartoonCute

Setting / Story Tags

FantasyHorror ThemedUnderworld

Control Styles

Auto-AimAuto-FireController

Game Mode Tags

Unknown15m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Joychasing Games

Game Features

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Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

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

Steam Features

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

Extras, Etc.

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

Marketing Blurb

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

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

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

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

Control Style Notes

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

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

Automated Features

Auto-Fire
Auto-Aim

Supported Controls

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

Run Times & Speedups

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Average Run Time: 15m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Nomad Survival

Released

One of the earlier survivors-likes on the market and one of the most directly inspired, with full scores on move-only controls (except for one class). It has some twists on build crafting and deep stats. Put together and functional, would be plenty of fun for a couple dozen hours. Problem is it doesn't stand out much now. I don't see it recommended as much this year, but I do love the no-downside 3x speed option to bust through unlocks.

Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Bullet Heaven Enemy Hell Horde Survival Mowing Game Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
8.3 Combined Ranking Score
16/72 Ranking Position
1462/1600 Total Points
7.9 Final Review
89% Steam
7.2 Scale
7.7 Vibes
1440 Steam Reviews
338/400 Review Points
8.7 Similarity Score
94% Diagnosis:
Similar
1124/1200 Comparison Points
100% Genre 8/8 genre
100% Simple Controls 7/7 move
88% Survival Modes 3/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
100% Buildcrafting Depth 5/5 build
81% Stage Features 4.3/7 stage
89% Content Breadth 7/9 stuff
87% Aesthetics 4.4/6 style
95% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.9/10 vibe vibe

Nomad Survival Ranking Notes

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Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.1

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

Added or last checked on 10/24/2023

One of the earlier survivors-likes on the market, it's gotten a lot better since I first played it, though it still feels a bit generic. I gotta say, after playing a ton of these and starting off slow again every time, I appreciate the option to play at 3x speed without it reducing awards or changing any other gameplay!

Overall it's kind of what you'd predict, not particularly bad but not particularly creative. Pixel graphics are serviceable, though I don't love the first few characters. Solid music. Often confusing UI, feels cluttered. Three currencies - souls, gold, gems. In general I feel like I just need one in run currency and one metaprogression currency, I'm not sure why all these games complicate it, but I guess it's for the feeling of "rare drops".

In any case, the menus aren't very pretty but good range of difficulty mods, if not as fun challenges. It seems the devs are done with updating it and on to their next game, but it has an OK amount of content. The problem is it doesn't do a lot to differentiate itself. Dev said "endless mode wouldn't be fun" which.. well, you know.

Nomad Survival Similarity Scale Heatmap

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

8.7 Similarity Score
94% Diagnosis:
1124/1200 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 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" 1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map 0.1/1
BIG Maps 0.2/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 1/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 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 0.2/1
Subtle Humor 0.2/1
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 0.8/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 0.9/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Nomad Survival Review Scale Heatmap

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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.

7.9 Final Review
89% Positive Steam Reviews
1440 Steam Reviews
7.7 Pure Vibes
7.2 Review Scale
338/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 0.7/1
Good UI 0.6/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 1/1
Good Theme 0.3/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.7/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 0.3/1
Vibe Check 0.6/1

Nomad Survival 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

Similar

Genre and Control Style Tags

Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBullet HeavenEnemy HellHorde SurvivalMowing GameRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DPixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

DungeonsFantasy

Control Styles

ControllerController Move Only

Game Mode Tags

Unknown35m

Features and Extras

Soundtrack

Dev/Publisher

The Fox Knocks

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: No
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

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.

"Battle against hordes of enemies, conquer Boss encounters, and explore various character and skill combinations in this time-based auto-attacking Roguelite in your quest to become stronger and defeat the most menacing of creatures that lay in wait at the end of each run."

"You can have as many abilities as you want" "Each Character boasts a different style of play through Weapon Skills"

Run Times & Speedups

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Average Run Time: 35m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?