I've been hooked on "Vampire Survivors" since I bought it to play on the Steam deck, and I'm convinced that developer Poncle wants to kill me. The game will exit Early Access next week, October 20, and the launch version will include the previously announced Endless Mode and the just-announced Inverse Mode. The latter will surely mean my death.

Inverse is apparently for the most talented survivors, but I definitely won't be among them. Even though you gain more gold, it doesn't make up for the fact that the enemy's strength increases by a whopping 200% and those enemies also get stronger over time.

I have no idea what kind of build could handle this, but it's certainly not one I would have come up with. I am sure I would be killed by a mere bat. That would be incredibly embarrassing and I fully expect to be disowned by my family. In my family, only the best vampire survivors are loved.

The name of this mode comes from that last habit. I haven't memorized all the layouts yet, so it's probably okay. Lastly, being slow-witted helps!

1.0 will also add Twitch integration, skins, a new UI, more music tracks, and other things Poncle has yet to reveal. After launch, Poncle will also port to a new engine (opens in new tab), with updates planned for the end of the year. However, there is no need to wait until launch. The early access version is great, and at the ridiculously affordable price of £4/$5.