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Have you ever looked at indie hit Vampire Survivors and thought “boy that sure is ugly?” Do you not want to play it because the graphics are built entirely out of asset packs made of secondhand Castlevania art?
Well, Army of Ruin might just be the game you need to break into this burgeoning auto shooter genre. It’s eight bucks, and available on all modern console platforms and PC. I bought two copies, one on Switch and one on Steam, so I could play it regardless of where I happen to be sitting. It doesn’t seem to be full of microtransactions or predatory monetization techniques, at least as of this writing. It’s from Milkstone Studios, who also made the rather good Ziggurat first person shooter roguelike series. It’s unashamedly a clone of Vampire Survivors in terms of gameplay, level design, character progression, weapon unlocks, and overall vibe — but with a unique visual style that wasn’t bought wholesale off a retro game shelf.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the weird rip-off art in Vampire Survivors has a certain charm, and I’m glad that some small asset pack creators are having their day in the sun. But that game’s graphics feel like they’re one tiny step away from a huge Konami lawsuit. Army of Ruin has its own unique look, not surprising…
