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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
[edit]

HoloCure - Save the Fans!

Free Available Released

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

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

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

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 6.2

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

Added or last checked on 11/21/2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

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

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

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

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

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

Metacritic Scores

 - +

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

Critic

8.0 Converted 10 Point Score
1 Number of Critic Reviews

User

8.7 User Review Average
21 Number of User Reviews

Average

8.4 Direct Average
8.7 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

HoloCure - Save the Fans! Tag Cloud

 - +

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

Release Tags

itch.ioSteam DeckWindows PCFree AvailableReleased

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

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

Aesthetic Tags

2DAnimeCutePixel Art

Setting / Story Tags

ComedyContemporaryMeme Game

Control Styles

Auto-FireControllerKeyboard Only

Game Mode Tags

Boss EndedCookingDifficulty ModifiersEndless ModeFishingHub ZoneIgnorable TutorialMinigame MetaprogressionMinigamesRoulette ProgressionTimed SurvivalUnlockable CharactersWave Survival20m

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

KayAnimate

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

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

Steam Features

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

Extras, Etc.

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

Marketing Blurb

 - +

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

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

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

More info and fan reviews on steam

Control Style Notes

 - +

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

Automated Features

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

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

Supported Controls

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

Accessibility & Tutorial

 - +

Accessibility Notes

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

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

Tutorial Notes

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

Game Modes

 - +

Stage Mode
(Timed Survival)

Endless Mode
(Endless Survival)

Time Mode
(Speedrun Mode)

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

Difficulty Modifiers
(via Meta Unlocks /
HoloHouse)

Game Mode Notes

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

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

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

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

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

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

Speed Settings

None

Player Power Progression

 - +

Detailed notes on progression systems.

In Run Progression

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

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

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

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

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

Meta Progression

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

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

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

Content By The Numbers

 - +

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

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

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

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

Multiple additional Features dependant on character skills

In Game Lore & Extras

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

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

UI Walkthrough: Main Menus

 - +

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

Main Menu

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

Display & Sound

Available on the main menu or the pause menu

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

Sound
- Music Volume Slider
- Sound Volume Slider

Gameplay / Input / Other Options

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

UI Walkthrough: Player HUD & Pause

 - +

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

Player HUD / Gameplay UI

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

Character Portrait (Size can be selected in settings)

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

Character Skill icon and charging bar below character portrait.

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

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

Pause Menus

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

UI Walkthrough: Leveling & Progression

 - +

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meta Unlock Menus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[edit]

Time Survivors

Free Available Upcoming

Full game not out yet, but this is a fairly tight to formula survivors-like, with just a special move button you don't need to often use. Some fun powerups and a pixel inspired 3d art style that feels relatively unique so far on this list, uninspired weapon names but some interesting twists. I'll be watching it, scores subject to change! Meta notes via dev! Review score via Chapter 0

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

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
17/72 Ranking Position
-/1600 Total Points
8.0 Final Review
-% Steam
7.7 Scale
8.0 Vibes
31 Steam Reviews
257/400 Review Points
8.5 Similarity Score
93% Diagnosis:
Similar
1110/1200 Comparison Points
99% Genre 7.8/8 genre
84% Simple Controls 4.8/7 move
88% Survival Modes 3/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
82% Buildcrafting Depth 3.2/5 build
93% Stage Features 6/7 stage
94% Content Breadth 8/9 stuff
94% Aesthetics 5.3/6 style
95% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.9/10 vibe vibe

Time Survivors 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 12/9/2023

abe-lincoln-from_time-survivors.gifEarlier on Steam there were 3 different free versions, released in the order Prologue > Chapter 0 > Demo. Prologue and demo are no longer available, so Chapter 0 is the current free version. Achievements will be available in 1.0 on Jan 15th, 2024

Played for a bit in each version. Personally I don't love when the upgrades are character specific or spread out on a map (I just want to get into the next run as soon as possible), but it looks like there may be some depth here.

claire-from_time-survivors.gifProblem is the way the upgrades are laid out slows me down a lot. I would rather have there be less depth if I could get into a run quicker! Right now the weapon names and too incremental upgrades feel a little plain. Has a sidescroller stage which is interesting. Weird choice to lead with no-name in a time travel cameo game, but I think she's interestingly creepy. I dig the art style - feels like pixel crusted retro pre-rendered 3d art but is actually 3d, I think.

mummy-from_time-survivors.gifSandbox mode to test your builds is a nice addition. Really takes the map/exploration aspect seriously, which I appreciate. Really enjoyed some stuff like the powerups, which are often boring in games but the mushroom one is super fun. Serious UI issues with controller / steam deck and bugs in the menues bringing down review scale store. I'll revisit on full release!

Time 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.

8.5 Similarity Score
93% Diagnosis:
1110/1200 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 1/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 0/1
No Aiming 1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 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
0.7/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.2/1
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 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 1/1
Achievements Planned/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art 1/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.8/1
Bumpin Music 0.5/1
Fun Writing 1/1
Subtle Humor 1/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 0.7/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 1/1
Fun Ramp 0.7/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 0.8/1
Controls Check 0.9/1
Fun Check 0.8/1
Feels like VS 1/1

Time 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.

8.0 Final Review
-% Positive Steam Reviews
31 Steam Reviews
8.0 Pure Vibes
7.7 Review Scale
257/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 0.8/1
Not Janky 0.7/1
Good UI 0.5/1
Controller and Deck 0.7/1
Lots of Content 0.8/1
Good Theme 0.7/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 0.7/1
Vibe Check 0.8/1

Time 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

Windows PCFree AvailableUpcoming

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

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

Aesthetic Tags

Pre-rendered SpritesRetro

Setting / Story Tags

Meme GameTime Travel

Control Styles

Auto-AimAuto-FireControllerKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard Only

Game Mode Tags

Difficulty ModesTimed Survival20m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Lunar Chill

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

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: "Chapter 0"
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: No

Marketing Blurb

 - +

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

"The Most Historically Inaccurate Roguelike Ever Made. Slay hordes of minions as Lincoln, Tesla, Cleopatra and other historic heroes with new unique abilities! Fight through various historical eras, collect resources, unlock and enhance gameplay through our skill-tree metaprogression."

"Hundreds of different weapons, buffs, Cursed Relics, Powerups, and unlockables to choose from for a unique experience every run."

More info and fan reviews on steam

Control Style Notes

 - +

Single stick auto shooter with one active ability specific for each character

Automated Features

Auto-Aim
Auto-Fire

Supported Controls

  • Controller: Partial
  • Controller Move Only: No
  • Controller One Handed: ?
  • Mouse Only: No
  • Keyboard Only: Yes
  • Keyboard One Handed: Yes

Game Modes

 - +

Timed Survival

Difficulty Modes
(Ghost Mode, Night Mode, Turbo Mode)

Endless Mode (Planned)

Game Mode Notes

Ghost Mode: All enemies will be barely visible ghosts

Night Mode: the level is dark! Only a small light around the player is given and weapons that emit light will be extremely valuable.

Turbo Mode: The player and all enemies move 150% faster

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

"Most levels (stages) are designed to last 20m. After 18m the final boss will appear and the purple fog will move the battle towards the exit portal. At 20m the portal becomes active. The player can chose to complete the level without killing the boss or keep fighting."

Speed Settings

No clock speed changes, but in Turbo Mode the player and all enemies move 150% faster.

Player Power Progression

 - +

Detailed notes on progression systems.

In Run Progression

"There are 3 ways to progress during the run:

1) Grab experience and level up. Allows you to pick/upgrade weapons and passive items

2) Find a Relic shrine, choose one of the challenges offered and defeat the curse. You will get a Relic that gives you special powers. You have 2 or 3 slots (depending on character/metaprogression)

3) at 5, 10 and 15 minutes you will be able to upgrade the character innate ability. You must choose between two options and you will not be offered the option you discard again."

Meta Progression

"The Time Map is presented to the player before and after every run. It's a skill tree where every node is a character/weapon/level/item that the player unlocked.

The map unlocks over time with specific challenges and goals. Additionally, each character/weapon/level has multiple upgrades that make it more powerful during runs.

The player can buy upgrades using the in-game currencies harvested during runs (gold, damascus, guardian hears and time crystals)."

[edit]

Bing in Wonderland

Free Available Released

Pretty Different. A side perspective rogue-lite hack and slash arena bullet heaven. This one from Wanba Studio in Beijing is among the more notable titles on the list. It takes the best features from many different games while confidently (and at time absurdly) doing its own thing. A vibe like if Binding of Isaac was made by classical Chinese ink wash painters, just impeccable low/high brow ugly/cute vibes throughout. Good music, packed with charm (and content too.) Action focused controls but full auto-aim and button mash friendly design makes it still relatively accessible compared to other sidescrolling rogue-lites. My partner and I both dig this one very much, which is good because I need to rest my hands after a run.

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

Arena Shooter Brotato-style Bullet Heaven Content Rich Dungeon Crawler Hack and Slash Roguelite Sidescroller Wave Survival
8.2 Combined Ranking Score
20/72 Ranking Position
1394/1600 Total Points
9.7 Final Review
97% Steam
9.7 Scale
9.8 Vibes
1479 Steam Reviews
392/400 Review Points
6.7 Similarity Score
84% Diagnosis:
Pretty Different
1002/1200 Comparison Points
87% Genre 5.9/8 genre
38% Simple Controls -1.7/7 move
69% Survival Modes 1.5/4 modes
85% Power Progression 2.8/4 level
95% Buildcrafting Depth 4.5/5 build
71% Stage Features 3/7 stage
100% Content Breadth 9/9 stuff
98% Aesthetics 5.8/6 style
100% Gameplay Vibe Check 9.9/10 vibe vibe

Bing in Wonderland Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 5.6

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 11/9/2023

Bing is in Wonderland and you can be too! Fairly unique title on the list and has features that may appeal to a wide range of players.

Picked this one up from my Steam Queue unsure about what it exactly was and I've never been happier. First of all, I just want to say that it's incredibly refreshing to have fun silly games based on mythology not as overdone as Norse, Greek, Celtic, etc and Beijing based Wanba Studio really delivers. And in an incredibly silly lofi refreshing way. The localization team deserves a nobel peace prize.

It's a "sidescroller" but really only in small arena style stages linked together in the now classic branching paths rogue-lite fashion. You don't see all your paths on a map, but you can pick a stage with a certain kind of power progression. New skill, stat increase, vendor, etc. It's somewhere near Hades but also feels a little brotato style with wave design.

So in that way it's perhaps more similar to other dungeon crawlers, but they say "without exploration elements". With the picking up resources off the ground, over the top upgrades, and general streamlined presentation it fits in well with what a lot of survivors-likes fans are looking for.

Tons more build depth, weapon variety, etc than you'd expect from it at first. Just packed with content. Maps, characters, bestiary, you name it. Sometimes the UI organization is rough but it can also be really creative so hard to ding it too much.

Besides the change in perspective, the biggest difference is with the complexity of controls. It's an action heavy game, though not really a tactical or challenging one. It lends itself very well to button mashing so I quite enjoy it, but the amount of different buttons involved can make it less accessible (I have to play in rounds with my partner for runs, since my hands tire easily.)

I very much appreciate that it has only auto aim, no manual aim, so at least that part you don't need to worry about. Which is good because this most definitely is a bullet heaven, even if the dungeon crawling nature of it makes it perhaps not a survivors-like. There is auto-fire, but it's a mid game unlockable hence partial score.

More scoring modes: We're judging the area selects as "maps/stages" in the VS sense, since they function very similarly. Has both jump and dodge but can't go past -1 in that column anyway. Early runs to clear the first few stages were maybe 8-10 minutes. Probably can go down if you're better and go up on later levels.

But speaking of that, the button mash friendly action focus and streamlined nature also makes this a game that appeals highly to my partner as well as me (while my partner sometimes bounces off buildcrafting and I bounce off games too reliant on tactical button presses). It reminds me a bit of Hades, which I was able to complete runs of, in that when it's going well you're constantly dashing around the screen.

Lovely uglycute art style based on classical Chinese ink wash paintings, I'm honestly unsure I've ever seen anything exactly like it. Especially mixed with the lowbrow humor. This is probably off a little bit since I'm not an expert on the art history, but my first impression was like if Binding of Isaac was made during the Tang Dynasty. Screenshots and even videos don't really do it justice. Just fresh.

Sometimes a game might actually get dinged in 'subtle' humor when it's got a lot of poop jokes, but it's got a wide range of humor overall. Something I thought was a UI bug was a "prank" so watch out for those. Did I mention the music is really good? Devs should play this game and take notes.

Bing in Wonderland 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.

6.7 Similarity Score
84% Diagnosis:
1002/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.5/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 0/1
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) 0.4/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) -1/1
Move Only -1/1
No Dash -1/1
No Trigger 0.5/1
No Special Move -1/1
No Aiming 1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 0.8/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 0/1
Endless Mode 0/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 0.5/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 1/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 0/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0.8/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
1/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 1/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0.5/1
Explorable Map -1/1
BIG Maps -1/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 1/1
Enemy Variety 1/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 1/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 1/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art 0.8/1
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 0.9/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 0.5/1

Bing in Wonderland Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

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

9.7 Final Review
97% Positive Steam Reviews
1479 Steam Reviews
9.8 Pure Vibes
9.7 Review Scale
392/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 0.9/1
Good UI 0.8/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 1/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 1/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Metacritic Scores

 - +

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

Critic

8.0 Converted 10 Point Score
1 Number of Critic Reviews

User

- User Review Average
- Number of User Reviews

Average

8.0 Direct Average
8.0 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

Bing in Wonderland 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 PCFree AvailableReleased

Sorting Categories

Pretty DifferentRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Arena ShooterBrotato-styleBullet HeavenContent RichDungeon CrawlerHack and SlashRogueliteSidescrollerWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DBrowser GameCalligraphyCartoonCuteInk WashLofiPainterlyUglycute

Setting / Story Tags

ComedyDungeonsFantasyGrossoutMartial ArtsMeme GameWuxiaXianxia

Control Styles

Auto-AimAuto-FireController

Game Mode Tags

Auto-AimAuto-AttackBranching PathsEquipmentJumpingMerchant On Run8m

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam Trading Cards

Dev/Publisher

Wanba 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: 68
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: Yes

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: Yes
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: Steam (Coming Soon)

Marketing Blurb

 - +

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

"Bing in Wonderland is a new entry in the Wanba Warriors franchise. A Roguelite monster killing satisfaction galore without any exploration elements. The game is filled to the brim with exotic enemies and stages with a collection of deep and robust boons, weapons, and items plus an abundance of pointless features and useless details."

"Although an Indie game studio, we wanted to create a game rivaling that of other triple A games; so we simply redefined the A in triple A. The game features A lot of pancakes, A lot of Money and A lot of fishes."

In game bestiary has stuff like this where I just can't not write down: "2-Headed Fish: An ingenious tactic where two fishes spin by fusing their butts." Why does this make me laugh? I'm almost 40!

More info and fan reviews on steam

Control Style Notes

 - +

It's a very button mash friendly action platformer, with mostly short ranged attacks. It uses a wide variety of remappable buttons with various combos.

It does however have some auto features not typical to other action platformers. The player bounces around the stage drawn by their attacks and manual jumping. They throw a hat and then dash to the location, which can also be a form of attack or give i-frames.

Automated Features

Auto-Aim
Auto-Attack

Auto-Aim is available and while the game is very action focused, it is possible to unlock a menu with in game currency that allows selecting that automates some attacks as well.

Supported Controls

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

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 8m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Forest Fire

Free Available Released

A Little Different. A fucked up arcade rogue-lite about setting little pixel people and hosptials on fire. Feels esepcially fucked right now but it's just so cute! Maybe this is climate change activism? Interesting twist, not a bullet heaven and perhaps not a horde survival game, but very similar enemy hell with movement focus and how it plays. It's a pretty creative and satisfying arcade game and would have been a huge hit when I was a child in an actual arcade. If you like the dodging, it could be your zone out game. However, without real build depth I feel it's likely most people will enjoy it for a few hours and not a few dozen, unless they just find it comforting. Also feel my money was well spent though. Also feel a little dirty.

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

Arcade Dodge Em Up Enemy Hell Roguelite Single Stick Shooter
7.8 Combined Ranking Score
28/72 Ranking Position
1366/1600 Total Points
8.8 Final Review
88% Steam
9.2 Scale
8.5 Vibes
53 Steam Reviews
365/400 Review Points
6.7 Similarity Score
83% Diagnosis:
A Little Different
1001/1200 Comparison Points
89% Genre 6.2/8 genre
84% Simple Controls 4.7/7 move
90% Survival Modes 3.2/4 modes
100% Power Progression 4/4 level
59% Buildcrafting Depth 0.9/5 build
81% Stage Features 4.4/7 stage
73% Content Breadth 4.1/9 stuff
91% Aesthetics 4.9/6 style
90% Gameplay Vibe Check 8/10 vibe vibe

Forest Fire Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 1.2

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

Added or last checked on 11/9/2023

Totally fucked up cute little game about burning tiny pixel people alive. Great twist on the movement only formula so far, where you start burnign things just by staying still for a second (though there is a special move button.) As you level up there are some skills that technically shoot, so we can call this movement focused game a single stick shooter if we want to.

We're giving it a 0 for the No Movement Penalty column since you need to stop to light things on fire, which is basically a movement penalty in terms of gameplay. But it doesn't feel bad, since the main challenge of the game is moving! You don't collect XP on the ground (you get it by setting things on fire as they burn) so it gives you a reason to balance avoiding enemies with another objecitve (like moving towards xp in other survivors-likes)

It feel Vampire Survivors influenced so I'm going to call it a survivors-like, but it doesn't really feel like wave survival just because of how it's aesthetically presented. You dodge a lot of clouds (that actually do have similar formations to many survivors-likes enemy formations) but you usually can't kill them. I think we can also call it a dodge em up. It's also certainly an "enemy hell" since there aren't really bullets, which is a term we don't use for tags but is defined in the key.

It's cute as hell and actually does some kind of cool stuff in terms of pixel simulating the fire (not really necessary and it's no Noita, but it's fun!) The main mode is based on points, not time, but it's pretty similar in play so we give it a high partial score for timed survival. You get powerups through your run but they really are just power ups and don't interact with each other for builds or change the play style much. Primary healing is by starting fire.. on ground.. but there's also heals so "heal on ground" is a full point either way.

It has the presentation of a game with a lot of unlocks, and I think it's there to keep you going if you really like the gameplay and want a reason to, but at the same time I don't think it actually has the build depth or variety in gameplay or build reasons to really chase the unlocks. It's more just like challenges with small rewards to keep you playing a generally enjoyable gameplay loop. It doesn't really feel cheap or like it's trying to trick you into seeing more depth that isn't there, but some people may be disappointed. I think it's enough to give it high scores in those categories though.

The gameplay at the start is, I think for the most part, what you get, from what I've seen of anyone playing. Which is fine for an arcade game, but means you have to like it and not expect a ramp.

I'm giving it high scores on the review, but honestly it's a little hard to review this because it's like if playing pacman made me feel like a war criminal. I think that's good? It's certainly unique. It's a fun little arcade game, but without the build depth I imagine most people will be happy with it but only play for a few hours and not a few hundred.

Forest Fire 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.

6.7 Similarity Score
83% Diagnosis:
1001/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 1/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) -0.8/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 1/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 1/1
Move Only 0.8/1
No Dash 1/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 0/1
No Aiming 1/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty -0.1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 0.4/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 1/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.8/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 1/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 1/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 0.1/1
0.8/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 0/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 0/1
Explorable Map 1/1
BIG Maps 1/1
XP on Ground 0.4/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 1/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 0/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0/1
Enemy Variety 0/1
Bosses / Elites 0.5/1
Many Interesting Characters 0.6/1
Many Challenges 0.1/1
Multiple Stages 0.8/1
Difficulty Modifiers 0.1/1
Bestiary / Lore 0/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 1/1
Retro / Pixel Art 1/1
Damage Numbers 0/1
Lofi Charm 1/1
Bumpin Music 0.9/1
Fun Writing 1/1
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 0.2/1
Fun Ramp 0.2/1
Low Price 0.9/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 0.9/1
Feels like VS 0.7/1

Forest Fire 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.

8.8 Final Review
88% Positive Steam Reviews
53 Steam Reviews
8.5 Pure Vibes
9.2 Review Scale
365/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 1/1
Good UI 0.9/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 0.5/1
Good Theme 1/1
Good Graphics and Sound 1/1
Fun Feel 0.8/1
Unique Twists 1/1
Vibe Check 1/1

Forest Fire Tag Cloud

 - +

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

Release Tags

itch.ioLinuxMacSteam DeckWindows PCFree AvailableReleased

Sorting Categories

A Little DifferentRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

ArcadeDodge Em UpEnemy HellRogueliteSingle Stick Shooter

Aesthetic Tags

2DCutePixel ArtUglycute

Setting / Story Tags

AbstractComedyContemporaryMeme Game

Control Styles

Controller

Game Mode Tags

Unknown20m

Features and Extras

Steam AchievementsSteam Cloud

Dev/Publisher

Chute Apps

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: 34
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: No
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: itch.io
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: No

Marketing Blurb

 - +

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

"Be the Forest Fire and burn everything in sight! A Rogue-lite destruction-fest where every pixel is physically simulated. Burn trees, buildings, vehicles, and tiny screaming humans. Dodge bullet-hell rain clouds and pissed-off firefighters to stay alive... Only YOU can start Forest Fires."

"Don't think you'll burn unopposed. Mother nature has sent in a bullet-hell array of rain clouds and other obstacles to put an end to your destruction fest. Your flame must weave through the storm to survive. Firefighting helicopters, planes, and little firemen will also be out to get you. The more you burn their buildings the more pissed off they get (and the more combo points you get!)"

More info and fan reviews on steam

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

[edit]

Brotato

Released

A must play for Newgrounds nostalgic arena shooter fans that also seems to alienate some hardcore Vampire Survivors fans. Featuring 1 handed play and on the surface very similar and often suggested, but missing many exploration features and subtle differences (like leveling at end of waves) might make it not hit the zen mark. Lots of people love this one but I admit I personally couldn't get into it. It was a little disappointing after the many recommendations. Great character ability twists and buildcrafting challenges if it clicks for you. Very popular for a reason!

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

Arena Shooter Auto-Shooter Brotato-style Bullet Heaven Content Rich Roguelite Single Stick Shooter Survivors-like Top Down or Isometric Wave Survival
7.6 Combined Ranking Score
32/72 Ranking Position
1365/1600 Total Points
8.1 Final Review
96% Steam
7.8 Scale
7.0 Vibes
48003 Steam Reviews
344/400 Review Points
7.0 Similarity Score
85% Diagnosis:
Similar
1021/1200 Comparison Points
95% Genre 7.2/8 genre
99% Simple Controls 6.8/7 move
85% Survival Modes 2.8/4 modes
73% Power Progression 1.8/4 level
93% Buildcrafting Depth 4.3/5 build
68% Stage Features 2.5/7 stage
80% Content Breadth 5.4/9 stuff
69% Aesthetics 2.3/6 style
93% Gameplay Vibe Check 8.6/10 vibe vibe

Brotato Ranking Notes

 - +

Scaling and Review Notes

Personal Hours Played: 2.7

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

Added or last checked on 10/17/2023

Brotato is a common recommendation and many people love it. It does have pretty satisfying one handed gameplay (with optional aim I imagine most people don't use), but personally it doesn't hit the mark. I don't like how the waves are counted off and you level at the end of the round instead of when you get enough XP, nor that every one minute all the gems are swept up - it interrupts the flow for me and removes the gameplay element of trying to gather the drops.

Every match is in the same small box instead of a vibe of exploring an interesting map with secrets. I also think the characters are ugly and the gun designs boring. But I can see how people sink a lot of time into it - it has many positive steam reviews.

Probably it's popular in a big way because of the excellent variety in character builds and possible run combinations and the challenges created this way.

Thread on steam to check back in on later: As fans, do you think brotato-style games are significantly different than survivors-likes?"

Brotato Similarity Scale Heatmap

 - +

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

7.0 Similarity Score
85% Diagnosis:
1021/1200 Comparison Points
Rogue-lite 1/1
Auto-Fire / Auto-Battle 0.9/1
Real Time 1/1
Top Down or Isometric 1/1
Direct Control of Single Avatar 1/1
Arcade Style 1/1
Bullet Heaven A (Many Player Bullets) 0.9/1
Bullet Heaven B (Few Enemy Bullets) 0.4/1
One Handed Play (w Controller) 1/1
Move Only 1/1
No Dash 1/1
No Trigger 1/1
No Special Move 1/1
No Aiming 0.8/1
No On-Aim / On-Fire Movement Penalty 1/1
Timed / Boss Ended Survival 1/1
Endless Mode 1/1
Organic / Unannounced Waves 0/1
High Enemy Count (Horde) 0.8/1
Level Up on XP Gain Event 0/1
Streamlined Level Choices (Simple UI) 0.8/1
Currency Based Meta Unlocks 0/1
Goal Based Meta Unlocks 1/1
Build Crafting 1/1
0.8/1
Weapon Combination / "Evolution" 0.5/1
Interesting Item / Weapon / Ability Synergy 1/1
Broken / Invincible Builds Possible 1/1
Explorable Map -1/1
BIG Maps -1/1
XP on Ground 1/1
Health on Ground 1/1
Temp Powerups / Items on Ground 0.7/1
Treasure Chests and/or Loot Events 1/1
Vendor / Merchant on Run 0.8/1
Enemy Variety 0.4/1
Bosses / Elites 1/1
Many Interesting Characters 1/1
Many Challenges 1/1
Multiple Stages 0/1
Difficulty Modifiers 1/1
Bestiary / Lore 0/1
Achievements 1/1
Secrets 0/1
Retro / Pixel Art 0.2/1
Damage Numbers 1/1
Lofi Charm 0.2/1
Bumpin Music 0.5/1
Fun Writing 0/1
Subtle Humor 0.4/1
Panic & Zen Duo Vibe 1/1
Over the Top 0.5/1
"One More Run" / Short Runs 1/1
Difficulty Ramp 0.9/1
Fun Ramp 0.8/1
Low Price 1/1
Technical Check 1/1
Controls Check 1/1
Fun Check 1/1
Feels like VS 0.8/1

Brotato Review Scale Heatmap

 - +

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

8.1 Final Review
96% Positive Steam Reviews
48003 Steam Reviews
7.0 Pure Vibes
7.8 Review Scale
344/400 Review Points
Not Buggy 1/1
Not Janky 1/1
Good UI 0.8/1
Controller and Deck 1/1
Lots of Content 0.8/1
Good Theme 0.4/1
Good Graphics and Sound 0.3/1
Fun Feel 1/1
Unique Twists 1/1
Vibe Check 0.5/1

Metacritic Scores

 - +

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

Critic

7.6 Converted 10 Point Score
4 Number of Critic Reviews

User

8.2 User Review Average
14 Number of User Reviews

Average

7.9 Direct Average
8.1 "Fuck The Man" Combined Mean

Brotato Tag Cloud

 - +

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

Release Tags

AndroidiOSitch.ioSteam DeckSwitchWindows PCReleased

Sorting Categories

SimilarRanked

Genre and Control Style Tags

Arena ShooterAuto-ShooterBrotato-styleBullet HeavenContent RichRogueliteSingle Stick ShooterSurvivors-likeTop Down or IsometricWave Survival

Aesthetic Tags

2DBrowser GameCartoonLofiUglycute

Setting / Story Tags

ComedyFlying Saucer AliensMeme GameSci-fi

Control Styles

ControllerController 1 HandedController Move OnlyKeyboard 1 HandedKeyboard OnlyMouse Only

Game Mode Tags

Advance on Round EndShort RoundsVacuum Collectables at Round End20m

Features and Extras

SoundtrackSteam AchievementsSteam CloudSteam Workshop

Dev/Publisher

Blobfish

Game Features

 - +

Listing various features we've got info on.

Multiplayer

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

Steam Features

  • Steam Cloud: Yes
  • Steam Achievements: 83
  • Steam Leaderboards: No
  • Steam Workshop: Yes
  • Steam Trading Cards: No

Extras, Etc.

  • NSFW: No
  • Demo Available: Legacy Demo on itch.io
  • DLC Available: No
  • Soundtrack Available: YouTube

Marketing Blurb

 - +

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

"Brotato is a top-down arena shooter roguelite where you play a potato wielding up to 6 weapons at a time to fight off hordes of aliens. Choose from a variety of traits and items to create unique builds and survive until help arrives."

"Auto-firing weapons by default with a manual aiming option" "Hundreds of items and weapons to choose from" "Accessibility options: tweak the health, damage and speed of enemies so the difficulty is right for you"

More info and fan reviews on steam

Run Times & Speedups

 - +

Average Run Time: 20m

Run Time Notes

?

Speed Settings

?

Thanks for visiting The Monstergirl Scale!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- kemeo

"it's like 6 degrees of kevin bacon"

- vanniall

"I don't like seeing incomplete spreadsheets"

- genki