Ahead of the Game: Vampirio is all about vicious vampires and vengeance on the moon

• Avenge your family against the undead
• Level up your skills with tornados and lightning
• Fight long enough to last through the night

Hello and welcome to Ahead of the Game, a series where we tell you all about an upcoming game that, despite not being out yet, is available for you to play at the time of publishing. Through this series, you can grab a chance to play games well ahead of their release date, be that through Soft Launch, Open Beta, Demos, or more.

Embark on a vampire-hunting quest for vengeance in Vampirio, an upcoming survivor roguelike where you take revenge on the undead for killing your entire family.

As Vlad and Alba Dracul, you'll need to buff up your arsenal of weapons if you have any hopes of surviving each undead-filled night - it also seems like the moon is the one pulling the strings here, as it apparently "told the undead to attack us". 

Whether your beef is with zombies and ghouls or with the celestial body looming over you in the night sky, all you need to concern yourself with is protecting your Town Hall and eliminating waves of demons - at least until the sun rises and they all burn to a fiery crisp.

It's a compelling loop given how each kill will reward you with materials that level up your combat prowess, from randomised skills and upgrades to extra firepower like ninja stars and lightning. 

It's really up to you whether you want to boost your defence or you want to leave a singed trail of damage-dealing fire in your wake. It's also pretty exhilarating when you come face-to-face with a big boss towards the end of a five-night level - top that off with the charming cartoony visuals and it might just be a surprise hit in the making.

So, how do you play Vampirio?

Vampirio is currently in soft launch in the Philippines and Poland, so if you'd like to grab a stake to stab some bloodsucking garlic-haters, it'll all depend on your region at the moment. Here's hoping we'll get a global launch soon though, because from what I've played so far, this definitely feels like a pretty engaging quest for vengeance I'm all too willing to take.