Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting review - "The impostor was Dracula all along!"

If you told me that you haven't heard of Vampire Survivors until this very sentence, then I would be tempted to ask how much you pay to live under a rock so comfortably. It's a retro-style arcade game made by someone called poncle. You play as one of a huge menagerie of monster hunters tasked with standing in the centre of increasingly incredulous environments, all to await a rival menagerie of monsters that will come in waves to reduce you to a pulp. It's quite engaging for the price of a cup of coffee, and the game has beamed in Among Us content in the brand-new Emergency Meeting DLC.

What is Emergency Meeting?

If you were still under that rock a few years ago, you might have missed it when the witch hunt game Among Us exploded…well, among us all. You play as either a crewmate or an impostor in one of several sci-fi environments. If you're the former, your job is to diligently do chores that will in some way help - and if you're the latter, your job is to murder everyone. Simple stuff, but it can be fun and chaotic whether you're playing with friends or strangers. The game's content has continued to expand and has spilled over into Vampire Survirors as Emergency Meeting. Take your hunter to space to fight new enemies, unlock new characters, and unleash devastation with a bunch of new weapons.

A Good Time for an Emergency Meeting

The problem with reviewing DLCs is that they're intended to be light, which sometimes means there's little to say about them. Even though Emergency Meeting is a nice little add-on to Vampire Survivors, it's got enough meat to feast on. First, credit needs to be given to the devs for doing their homework. The new map is bluntly called Polus Replica, which is a respectful decision since the true Polus can only be found in the game of its origins. The map is huge with attention to detail and layout. Considering the variety of the VS maps, this one is made in a way that fits well beside its peers.

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• We will update the list of the best characters in Vampire Survivors accordingly after playing it for a while longer!

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In terms of the new content, it's pretty rich. In a game that is all about the characters and the weapons, this DLC adds a hefty amount of characters, weapons, and some extra items too. The characters are all variants of the Among Us cast - from the Red Crewmate who is the face of the game to the survivor in monstrous form, and even a Dead Crewmate who floats about fighting the undead. The weapons draw directly from Among Us terminology while transforming them in a way that makes sense in the VS universe. There's even a nod to the sheer amount of customization in Among Us by including Pets that you can find, which will temporarily hold a passive slot and follow you around.

It's an Emergency Meeting for a Reason

The word "emergency" is not one that we ever want to hear, even in a game that uses it as a core mechanic. The Emergency Meeting DLC introduces a lot to discuss, including its problems. The biggest is balancing, which becomes apparent as soon as you unlock the Red Crewmate. It's equipped with the new Report weapon as its default, and it becomes evident why you don't see a lot of medieval and sci-fi conflict…because the latter would dominate.

The weapon shoots out short-range soundwaves that cover a wide area and pass through enemies. Every level-up and bonus from items it gets just makes it more ridiculous until you're literally shouting at enemies to make them go away. Its evolved form is even more broken as it will periodically eliminate one type of enemy on the screen - and if you're in a stretch where there is only one enemy type, you may as well just put the game down for a few minutes and go make yourself a snack.

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• We bet that you don't know all of the secrets in Vampire Survivors!

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There are also a few functional issues in Polus Replica. It has that issue that isn't foreign to VS, where enemies seemingly choose what rules they want to obey. Sometimes, they'll get stuck on the other side of crates which can benefit you, while other times they will just pass over walls as if they were painted on the floor. It's fine if you want to do this since the enemies are designed to spawn from offscreen, but you can't flip-flop. We need to know whether hiding in a corner will help us control the flow of enemies, or if it'll become a nice place to reflect while we accept our fate as a blood stain on the floor.

Let's have an Emergency Meeting

Emergency Meeting is the latest DLC for the arcade pixel toy known as Vampire Survivors. It tastefully and effectively introduces elements from Among Us into its universe while putting its own spin on them. There are some balancing and functionality issues to tinker with, but overall, these can be overlooked. Next time you're trapped in a meeting, maybe pull out your phone for a little emergency meeting. And if you ever get bored of it, we made a list of games similar to Vampire Survivors to quench that thirst.