Vampire Survivors’ Castlevania DLC map is so big that I keep getting lost, but I'd do it all over again just to have Sonia Belmont's sonic whip

There's no hiding Vampire Survivors’ links to Castlevania. The developer Luca Galante was even accused of ripping off certain Castlevania sprites during development (but these were from asset packs, not ripped from the game directly, so put down your pitchforks). And when Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania was announced as DLC, Galante made it clear just how important the series was in his success story.

"Vampire Survivors would have been a very different game hadn't it been influenced by Castlevania in the first place, so this is straight up the definition of a dream coming true," he said in a blog post. "This is not a standard DLC pack. This is a celebration of this historical game series, an incredible, full-circle moment in which we have invested all the energy we could muster and then some!"

I hadn't actually played Vampire Survivors for a few years, but I couldn't resist jumping back into the game after hearing from the developer himself what a huge deal Ode to Castlevania was, and I'm very happy I followed my gut.

The last time I played, Vampire Survivors only had a handful of characters like Antonio, Imelda, and my boy Poe, as well as two maps: the Inlaid Library and the Mad Forest. So, I was quite surprised to see how vast the new catalogue of characters and stages had become. But I wasn't just here to walk down memory lane—I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about the new Castlevania-inspired stage.

Previously, Galante had described the new map that came with this DLC as the "biggest one yet." He even went as far as to warn players not to try and "binge" it because it's just too much to handle in one go. It'd be really cool if this was the part where I announce that despite Galante's advice, I managed to complete the stage in one sitting, but sadly, I haven't gotten to the end—in fact, I don't think I'm even halfway.

The first few times I played the Castlevania-themed stage, I tried not to look at the map. I wanted to get a feel for things without relying on anything else but my own skills. Unfortunately, I am a dumbass with a poor sense of direction, so I spent the first three attempts wandering around the gardens and stumbling into small churches, wondering if I had picked the right stage. It wasn't until I opened the map to find a gigantic castle located in the only part I hadn't managed to explore yet that I realised I was in the right place.

Luckily, the castle was much easier to navigate. There are no long and windy dead ends, and if you pay attention to where the suits of armour lined along the back walls are pointing, you'll easily be able to find the best path through the building. There were a couple of moments when I found myself in some tight spots, however—trapped between potted plants in the grounds, and walking into a boss arena. There I faced a copy of myself, who, as it happens, was clearly way better than me. I died almost instantly.

At first glance, it may not look too big, but the map will only zoom out so far, hiding about two-thirds of the rest of the stage at any given time. I couldn't even get into the second third without being swarmed by fungus zombies and people with vacuum cleaners. And yet, while I may not have seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet, this DLC has reminded me how much fun Vampire Survivors is.

In an effort to give myself a break from the spiraling corridors of Castlevania's stage, I decided to go back and play through all of the other maps methodically. In the old days, I would have always picked Poe to do this with because this old dude has the power of garlic. Don't get me wrong, garlic and its ability to damage and knock back enemies is still immensely powerful, but I've found something even better now.

One of the new characters to be added to the Castlevania DLC is Sonia Belmont, and with her comes the sonic whip. This weapon is an absolute gamechanger as it lashes out in front of you, forging a path through all the enemies. I do still always try to level up the garlic as quickly as possible, but the sonic whip comes in handy later in the game when you need to clear routes to Floor Chickens to get health, or the Orologion to pause time.

I do feel a little bad at just how quickly I've dropped Poe. But with so many new characters from Castlevania added, like Sypha Belnades, Trevor Belmont, or my new favourite Miss Belmont, coupled with the new challenges in the Ode to Castlevania stage, it's hard to restrict yourself to just one hero.