Vampire Survivors Gets New Free DLC in Partnership with Square Enix

poncle's Vampire Survivors has been accruing massive acclaim ever since its original release, and the game's achievements are something we've looked at ourselves at length. Either through articles talking about the title's most outstanding achievements outside of its sales or via our Game of the Year 2022, you can see Vampire Survivors has taken a special place in our site (and hearts).

These successes have grown into collaborations with big titles that inspired the very experience, from Contra to Castlevania, and now, the team is tackling a brand-new publisher, franchise, and inspiration: SaGa. In their latest update, a new DLC was released in conjunction with Square Enix to explore a new IP making its way into the Vampire Survivors universe.

Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama is a new free DLC where players can jump into the world of SaGa and enjoy massive amounts of content. The lack of pricing makes this a surprising collaboration that doesn't seem to be for profit, and Luca touches on it a bit in the announcement and release Steam post: paperwork.

Instead of playing around with messy IP law with currency exchange, the team decided ephemeral pricing would suffice: poncle gets to play with the SaGa franchise and envision them in the Vampire Survivors style, and Square Enix gets visibility for their 2024 release SaGa Emerald Beyond. Gamers get a bargain for their buck, too, enjoying a new IP making its way to the Vampire Survivors universe free of charge.

So, what exactly is added into the game via the DLC? Here's what you need to know about the key features:

• New SaGa characters join the roster, with 12+ to pick from, including Tsunanori Mido, Ameya Aisling, Bonnie & Formina, Diva No.5, and more.
• 16+ new weapons added to the line-up with new ways to defeat monsters, including evolutions.
• New Glimmer mechanic from the SaGa series: while using weapons from the DLC, you may get a special technique.
• NPC parties, because no JRPG is complete without a party. Vampire Survivors: Emerald Beyond characters have different parties and mechanics, featuring an NPC character with their own weapons and abilities joining in on the fun.
• Showstopper mechanic, allowing you to fight back one last time when SaGa characters reach critical HP, greatly increasing Might, decreasing Cooldown, and getting Luck to fight out of a pinch and live — Survivors never give up!
• SaGa Emerald Beyond tracks remixed to fit the Vampire Survivors theme
• Horizontal map to follow the Emerald Wave across interwoven worlds.

This DLC is entirely free of charge, and it's already been received with massive praise, acquiring 97% positive reviews on Steam with just shy of 500 to get the Overwhelmingly Positive tag. Reviewers praise the free price tag, while critics are upset that out of all the Square Enix franchises, SaGa was the one to be featured.

Vampire Survivors: Emerald Beyond is out now for free for everyone to enjoy!