Fresh off the December release of the Along Us crossover DLC featuring space maps and enemies, Vampire Survivors has released yet another free content update.

Content patch 1.9.0, auspiciously titled "Space 54," maintains the galactic atmosphere of the 60s with its distinctive ray guns and spandex. The "one and only" Space Dude you can play is an onion-headed buffoon with a ray gun at the ready.

Vampire Survivors' free content updates are naturally less than paid DLC, but in this recession, $2 expansions for a $5 game and free content in between are rare and precious.I got Vampire Survivors on Early Access. Vampire Survivors" on Early Access, then this delightful little asset in your Steam library will only increase in value, like some sort of priceless work of art.

I've always loved "Vampire Survivors," which I reviewed when the full version was released in October 2022, but even before that I had to watch in awe as it took Steam by storm. The shooter's deceptively simple "bullet-hell heaven" play style and comfortably familiar "Castlevania" atmosphere were perfect for zoning out and enjoying. Noclip's excellent documentary, released last year, tells the amazing story of how "Vampire Survivors" saved developers from the purgatory of engaging in gambling games and passionless projects.

On top of that, Poncle also released a new trailer that riffs on "Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth" and seems to be a preview of what's to come for "Vampire Survivors". The hazy, even narrower than 4:3 image is nearly faithful to the actual 1997 FF7 trailer, recreated with the Vampire Survivors engine." The video's description teases that "it will be a matter of speculation as to how much of what is shown in the trailer is actually content from Vampire Survivors," but at least these new sprites, areas, in-game cutscenes, and yet another anime-style glimpse of a cinematic trailer will no doubt appear.