Vampire Survivors: Tides of the Foscari DLC – Last vamp standing

The Vampire Survivors: Tides of the Foscari DLC is just more content for Vampire Survivors and that’s absolutely great by me!

Vampire Survivors is fantastic. A one-stick shooter with more content than you could reasonably expect at such a low price and a horribly addictive gameplay loop. And do you know what else is fantastic? The first DLC, titled Legacy of the Moonspell, which provides even more content for a brilliant base game. It might come as no surprise then that the second DLC, Tides of the Foscari is also a wonderful addition that any owner of the base game should pick up.

If you aren’t familiar with Vampire Survivors, then welcome to the world. That’s a lovely rock you’ve been living under. It’s a super simple game in which you focus on moving your character whilst attacks are handled automatically. The key to doing well is figuring out how to get the best combination of upgrades to survive as long as possible. Once you’ve got that nailed down, it’s time to go hunting for the game’s many, many secrets, which is when you realise just how much there is to the game.

Tides of the Foscari starts out in pretty much the same way as Legacy of the Moonspell, with you having access to a new level. The green, tree-filled Lake Foscari area has you attacked by a number of nature themed foes, from caterpillars to mushroom people, alongside a new boss. There is, of course, a coffin to find so you can unlock the first DLC character, named Eleanor. I encountered an odd bug here when the coffin didn’t open once I defeated the guardians that appeared, but it seemed to resolve itself on my second attempt. Strange, and a bit irritating, but it was no big loss.

Eleanor is a powerful magic user, starting out with a simple lightning attack that hits a few nearby enemies, that eventually evolves into an absolute screen filling monster spell when you combine it with the appropriate companion abilities. Following her, you’ll unlock Maruto, a tough-as-nails swordsman, Keitha, wielding a piercing bow and arrow combo, and Luminaire, a magical guardian of the lake. These all come with their own weapons that are fun to use, but there are other characters to unlock by completing certain tasks. I won’t spoil anything here, but there’s probably my favourite character in the series so far in this expansion.

These characters aren’t the only secrets to discover, as the lake itself hides more beneath it if you manage to figure out what to do with the huge crystal in the middle of it. Tides of the Foscari certainly has more content than Legacy of the Moonspell, and you’ll have to put in some effort to get the most out of it, but the discovery along the way is absolutely worth the journey, and there’s even a climactic feeling final battle should you complete all the challenges laid out before you.

Of course, if you’re fully familiar with the main game, then this will be second nature to you. In fact, I think the content in this DLC is probably the easiest so far. Due to the sheer amount of power you likely have access to by this point, odds are you’ll breeze through a lot of the content here, and it’s only the mystery of how to progress that will provide a challenge. That’s fine enough, as the feeling of power whilst you mow down countless foes is certainly an appeal of the base game, but if you were hoping for some really significant threats to deal with, this DLC isn’t really about that.

The sound and visuals are as on point as ever, although the volume of enemies did make certain sections difficult to navigate due to being unable to see a lot of the background. This was a spot irritating in the hedge mazes in Lake Foscari as it was hard to spot where the turns were. Certainly not game breaking, but not an issue I had had in previous stages. The music here is excellent, with probably the strongest line-up in the game so far. Slaying Dragons is a particular highlight and gave me Castlevania and Dynasty Warriors vibes fused into one gloriously orchestral piece. 

If you like Vampire Survivors, then there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t pick this DLC up, and if you didn’t then this isn’t going to sway you. I know a comment like that seems like something of a cop-out, but this is just more content for an already excellent game and that’s just fine. Considering the price, it’s hard to complain about too, so if you have the base game, I’d encourage your to throw the extra two pounds at this and have another few hours of fun with the most addictive game of 2022.

Vampire Survivors: Tides of the Foscari is available now on Xbox and PC.