Vampire Survivors is a pretty popular game; it even kicked off an entire genre. Same goes for Pokémon, which also kind of birthed its own genre. So, what happens when those two genres do a fusion dance, and you get to play the result? You get Wildkeepers Rising, of course, which is an absolute blast – especially for fans of either of those genres.
In Wildkeepers Rising, you step into the shoes of a young hero determined to protect their hometown, which is about as wholesome a set-up as you can wish for. So, off you go into the world, fighting off hordes of monsters. Luckily, not all monsters are hostile, as it turns out some are happy to team up and fight alongside you. From there, it’s everything you’d expect from a Survivors-like (or bullet heaven, or whatever name you prefer for the genre).
That means mowing down absurd numbers of enemies, all of which look fantastic thanks to a gorgeous hand-drawn art style. As you play, you level up both yourself and your monster allies, gaining more power to, well, keep mowing down even more enemies. The core loop is as satisfying as ever, but this time, you’ve got backup, which adds a really refreshing twist.
There’s also solid meta-progression between runs. You can upgrade your creatures (huge win) but also unlock new ones, making every run feel genuinely rewarding. In a sea of bullet heaven games, that kind of progression really helps Wildkeepers Rising stand out as something special. It’s in Early Access right now, and sure, there are a few kinks to iron out, but even at this stage, it’s already a ton of fun, and we’ve got high hopes for where it’s headed.
