Ranking EVERY Horde Survivor I've Played

Summary

In this video, the host reviews numerous 'horde survivor' games, a subgenre of action rogue-lites, inspired by 'Vampire Survivors'. They categorize the games into 'great', 'good', 'bad', and 'has potential' tiers. Notable mentions include '20 Minutes Till Dawn', 'Army of Ruin', and 'Brot'. The host praises 'Vampire Survivors' for its variety and success, sparking a trend in the genre. They also discuss the value and replayability of these budget-friendly games, providing insights for both casual and hardcore gamers.

Takeaways

• 🔥 The 'Horde Survivor' genre, inspired by games like 'Vampire Survivors', has seen an explosion of titles, offering a mix of quantity and quality.
• ⚔️ 'Vampire Survivors' has been a significant success, prompting many clones and variations, each with unique features like weapon upgrades and character abilities.
• 🌟 '20 Minutes Till Dawn' stands out for its variety in summons and starting characters, offering a good but not great experience with its three maps and difficulty enhancers.
• 🏰 'Army of Ruin' impresses with its extensive unlocks, including 24 characters, various weapons, and trinkets, providing a rich meta-progression system.
• 🚂 'Choo Choo Survivors', despite its quirky theme of playing as a train, offers a surprisingly solid gameplay with multiple trains, each with unique stats.
• 🌌 'Blood Doome 99' presents a retro style and a unique goal of earning $300,000 instead of surviving a set time, showing potential for future updates.
• 👾 'Brot' offers incredible variety with 44 playable characters, each with distinct starting weapons and abilities, making it one of the best in the genre.
• 🎮 'Death Must Die' features a shorter 20-minute run and a focus on killing Dracula, providing a different challenge with its five characters and various Buffs.
• 🧬 'Fabric of Reality' combines open-world elements with survival, offering a skill tree and unique bullet card system, though its length and replayability were criticized.
• 💣 'God of Weapons' resembles 'Rot' with its inventory management system for upgrades, providing a strategic layer to the horde survival gameplay.

Q & A

What is the genre of games being discussed in the script?

The genre of games being discussed is 'Horde Survivor' or 'Bullet Heaven' inspired games, which are a type of action roguelite.

What are the key features of the game 'Vampire Survivors'?

'Vampire Survivors' is characterized by starting with a basic character and weapon, surviving for 30 minutes, gaining XP, and upgrading weapons and secondary skills like attack speed and movement speed.

How does the game '20 Minutes Till Dawn' differ from others in the genre?

'20 Minutes Till Dawn' differs by having summons that can be upgraded, 13 different starting characters, and a meta progression system with runes.

What is unique about the game 'Army of Ruin'?

'Army of Ruin' stands out with 24 characters, a variety of weapons and trinkets, gameplay changes, and a simple meta progression system using gold earned at the end of runs.

How does the game 'Blood Doome 99' set itself apart from other horde survivors?

'Blood Doome 99' is unique in that the goal is to earn $300,000 instead of surviving for a set time, and it has a retro style.

What makes 'Brot' stand out among horde survivors?

'Brot' offers a simple yet varied experience with 44 playable characters, each with different starting weapons and abilities, and a vast array of items and Buffs during runs.

What is the gameplay like in 'Choo Choo Survivors'?

In 'Choo Choo Survivors', players take on the role of a train, fighting off enemies to reach the end of the track, with multiple trains each having different stats.

What are the core mechanics of 'Death Must Die'?

'Death Must Die' involves killing Death to win a run, with runs lasting 20 minutes and ending upon defeating Dracula, featuring character-specific starting Buffs and item holds for additional Buffs.

How does 'Fabric of Reality' differ from traditional horde survivors?

'Fabric of Reality' is more open-world like, with a focus on surviving 100 waves of enemies, using bullet cards that change the bullet behavior, and a large skill tree.

What is the standout feature of 'God of Weapons'?

'God of Weapons' features an inventory management system for upgrades, reminiscent of Resident Evil 4, where players organize items to fit in an inventory grid and purchase items that match the pattern.

Why does the reviewer consider 'Halls of Torment' to be one of the best in the genre?

The reviewer considers 'Halls of Torment' great due to its secrets-filled levels, a variety of unlockable items, a unique difficulty enhancer called Glory, and a simple yet effective meta progression system.