You may recall the breakout success enjoyed by Valheim. The survival game had players exploring a nicely drawn landscape, but it was the intuitive building mechanics that really propelled the indie title to success, drawing in numbers the Swedish developer never banked on. Now, another indie title that happens to be also Swedish developed could be on the brink of a breakout.
This is V Rising, a new game that is storming up the Steam charts. It resembles Valheim in many ways. It has gear-based progression, skill-based boss fights, PvE and PvP modes, and has players surviving in an open world. The major differences are the perspective, since V Rising is top-down and looks somewhat like Diablo, and of course it has you playing as a vampire instead of a viking.
Developed by Stunlock Studios, V Rising appears to be captivating players and making its mark very early. The game only launched in early access yesterday, but it is rising up. At the time of writing, it has over 2,300 user reviews on Steam, with 80 percent giving it a positive score. Meanwhile, it has netted 56,175 concurrent players in the past 24 hours, which is a peak. Since it's a survival game, it could become popular with streamers on Twitch as well, which could further blow the game up and make it a breakout success for Stunlock Studios.
"Awaken as a weakened vampire after centuries of slumber. Hunt for blood to regain your strength while hiding from the scorching sun to survive. Rebuild your castle and convert humans into your loyal servants in a quest to raise your vampire empire," reads the official description on Steam, on which it is available exclusively.
"Will you become the next Dracula?" is a good tagline for V Rising. It remains to be seen if Stunlock Studios' title can sustain this early momentum and repeat the success that Valheim enjoyed. But the early signs look good. TheGamer has bitten into V Rising, and we have guides for those looking to get deep into its night.