V Rising

Last updated

V Rising
V Rising cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Stunlock Studios
Publisher(s) Level Infinite
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Windows, PlayStation 5
Release
  • Windows
  • May 8, 2024
  • PlayStation 5
  • June 11th 2024
Genre(s) Survival
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

V Rising is a 2024 action role-playing survival game developed by Stunlock Studios and published by Level Infinite. It was first released in early access for Windows in May 2022 before officially releasing two years later, with a PlayStation 5 version that released on June 11, 2024. Within a week, it had surpassed one million sales.

Contents

Gameplay

V Rising is set in an open world, split into five biomes, where the player controls a recently awakened vampire. The player gathers materials, makes and upgrades their equipment, and builds a castle that acts as their home. To unlock access to more advanced materials and equipment, players must defeat bosses found throughout the world. To survive, players must meet needs and avoid hazards specific to vampires, such as regularly consuming blood and avoiding the sun. [1]

Players consume blood from enemy non-playable characters (NPCs) by performing a specific action once the NPC is near death. Every NPC is assigned a particular category of blood based on their faction, and a Blood Quality, which is randomly assigned when an NPC spawns. Blood categories grant the player particular benefits, functioning similarly to character classes. Blood Quality determines the potency and range of the benefits. [2]

V Rising features a day-and-night cycle. Once the player is in direct contact with sunlight for longer than a few seconds, they will begin to take damage. It will only stop when the player steps into a shadow, enters a roofed area, or dies. Garlic functions similarly, except it applies a negative status effect that gets worse the longer the player is exposed. The status effect increases the damage the player takes and decreases the damage the player deals. [3]

All five biomes have claimable areas where players can build castles. Claiming an area is achieved by placing an item known as a Castle Heart. Once placed, it must be supplied with an in-game currency called Blood Essence, otherwise it will decay. A decaying Castle Heart will result in structures being vulnerable to attackers and crafting stations no longer working. In order for a structure built by the player to be classified as a castle, which grants a roof to protect against the sun, the walls must be stone and any kind of flooring must be placed. [4] Players are able to freely move objects within the borders of their claimed area (with some exceptions), including storage containers and crafting stations, even if they have items in them. [5] With the release of the Secrets of Gloomrot update, players are able to add multiple levels to their castles, with a technical maximum of 6 floors. [6]

V Rising game sessions are hosted on servers that are either player versus environment (PvE) or player versus player (PvP). For PvP, there are three variations: standard, full loot, and duo. Standard introduces typical PvP mechanics, such as attacking castles and players being able to fight and loot one another. Full loot is similar to standard with player equipment, which is what determines player progression, [1] also being able to be taken. Furthermore, enemy castles can be fully destroyed, requiring their owners to start over. Duo is similar to standard with the only difference being factions cannot exceed two members. [7] [8]

Development

V Rising is developed by Stunlock Studios in the Unity game engine. [9] On release an ongoing internet connection was required to play, but a hot fix removed the requirement allowing play while offline. [10] On May 17, 2023, the first major update titled Secrets of Gloomrot was released on Steam. [11] It introduced the ability to create multi-level castles, added items called "jewels" that augmented spells, introduced a "domination" mechanic for horses allowing them to be summoned by the player at will, among other changes. [6]

Version 1.0 was released on May 8 2024 ending the game's Early Access period. [12] This version included new bosses, biomes, and additional cosmetic items as well as the completion of the main story line. However, the developers state this will not end the game's development. [13] The full release of the Windows version included optional paid downloadable content based on the Castlevania series, with the protagonist able to dress up as various characters in the series and battle Simon Belmont in an optional boss fight. [14] [15]

A PlayStation 5 version was released on June 11 2024. [16]

Reception

Critical response

IGN 's early access review thought that the crafting aspects of the game were time-consuming, but praised the boss design and action role-playing combat. [1]

Sales

Following its early access, V Rising sold over 500,000 copies in the first three days, [17] 1 million copies after the first week, and 1.5 million after the second. [18] [19] By January 2023, the game had sold three million copies. [20]

Related Research Articles

<i>Castlevania</i> Video game series

Castlevania, known in Japan as Akumajō Dracula, is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the eponymous castle of Count Dracula, the main antagonist of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters.

<i>Castlevania: Symphony of the Night</i> 1997 video game

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a 1997 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director. It is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, taking place four years later. It features Dracula's dhampir son Alucard as the protagonist, rising from his slumber to explore Dracula's castle which resurfaced after Richter Belmont vanished. Its design marks a break from previous entries in the series, re-introducing the exploration, nonlinear level design, and role-playing elements first experimented with in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest.

<i>Castlevania: Rondo of Blood</i> 1993 video game

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, originally released in Japan as Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, is a 1993 action-platform game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. Part of the Castlevania series, protagonist Richter Belmont goes to save his lover Annette, who was abducted by Dracula. It was first released exclusively in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released worldwide in 1997.

<i>Castlevania: Circle of the Moon</i> 2001 video game

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, titled Castlevania in PAL regions, is a 2001 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance. Part of the Castlevania video game series, the game follows a vampire hunter named Nathan Graves as he attempts to rescue his mentor from the clutches of Dracula. The events of its plot were retconned by former Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, a move which was met with some criticism.

<i>Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance</i> 2002 video game

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. Part of Konami's Castlevania video game series, it is the second installment of the series on the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan in June 2002, in North America in September 2002, and in Europe in October 2002.

<i>Castlevania</i> (1999 video game) 1999 video game

Castlevania, also referred to as Castlevania 64, is a 1999 action-adventure game developed by Konami's Kobe branch for the Nintendo 64. An expanded version of the game, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, was released later in the same year.

<i>Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness</i> 1999 video game by Konami

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is a 1999 action-adventure game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo 64. A prequel and expanded version of Castlevania, also released on the Nintendo 64 earlier the same year, it contains a remake of the original game with improved graphics, added villains, and alternate versions of some levels.

<i>Castlevania: Dracula X</i> 1995 video game

Castlevania: Dracula X, titled Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss in Europe and Akumajou Dracula XX in Japan, is a 1995 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second Castlevania installment to be released for the Super NES. It is a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, which was previously released in Japan on the PC Engine Super CD-ROM2 in 1993. While the plot is similar to Rondo of Blood and it uses many of that game's graphics, it features new levels and altered gameplay elements, rather than being a direct port because of the limits of the Super NES cartridge format and exclusivity agreements with PC Engine maker NEC. It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan, in September 1995 in North America, February 22, 1996 in Europe, and on June 22, 1996, in Australia. The game received mixed reviews, with journalists considering it inferior to Rondo of Blood and criticizing its high difficulty.

<i>Haunted Castle</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Haunted Castle is a 1987 action-platform game developed and released by Konami for arcades. It is the second arcade game in the Castlevania franchise, following Vs. Castlevania, an arcade port of the original 1986 NES video game released in North America. Unlike the previous arcade title in the franchise, Haunted Castle is not a direct port of an existing console game, but a newly-developed arcade game running on custom JAMMA-based board.

<i>Castlevania: Bloodlines</i> 1994 video game

Castlevania: Bloodlines, known in Japan as Vampire Killer and in PAL regions as Castlevania: The New Generation, is a 1994 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Sega Genesis as part of the Castlevania series. A vampire named Elizabeth Bartley is orchestrating the beginning of World War I as a sacrificial war to bring her uncle, Dracula, back to life. Players take on the role of Quincey Morris' son, John, and his friend Eric Lecarde to take up the fight against evil.

<i>Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin</i> 2006 video game

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is a 2006 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami. The game was released on November 16, 2006 in Japan, and in North America on December 5, 2006 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. Portrait of Ruin is the first Castlevania to feature a cooperative multiplayer gameplay mode and the first handheld Castlevania to have English voice-overs, outside of its original Japanese release.

<i>Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles</i> 2007 platform-adventure video game compilation

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is a 2007 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation Portable. The game is a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993) with 2.5D graphics, and represents the first time that Rondo of Blood was released outside of Japan. The game includes the original Rondo of Blood localized into English, as well as a remastered version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). The game was released in North America on October 23, 2007.

<i>Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2</i> 2014 video game

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and published by Konami. It is a sequel to the 2010 title Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which served as a reboot of the Castlevania franchise. The game was released late February 2014 in both North America and Europe and in March 2014 in Australia. Lords of Shadow 2 was released on September 4, 2014, in Japan. A downloadable chapter has also been released in March from the same year.

<i>Rusty</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Rusty is an action video game developed and published by C-Lab in Japan in July 1993 for PC-98, Epson PC, and MS-DOS, with direction, writing and programming by Naoto Niida, production by Masayoshi Koyama, and music by Masahiro Kajihara, Kenichi Arakawa, and Ryu Takami.

<i>Dead Cells</i> 2018 video game

Dead Cells is a 2018 roguelike-Metroidvania game developed by Motion Twin and Evil Empire, and published by Motion Twin. The player takes the role of an amorphous creature called the Prisoner. As the Prisoner, the player must fight their way out of a diseased island in order to slay the island's King. The player gains weapons, treasure and other tools through exploration of the procedurally-generated levels. Dead Cells features a permadeath system, causing the player to lose all items and other abilities upon dying. A currency called Cells can be collected from defeated enemies, allowing the player to purchase permanent upgrades.

<i>Overwatch 2</i> 2023 video game

Overwatch 2 is a 2023 first-person shooter game by Blizzard Entertainment. As a sequel and replacement to the 2016 hero shooter Overwatch, the game intends a shared environment for player-versus-player (PvP) modes while initially having plans for introducing persistent cooperative modes, though the plans were later scrapped in 2023, focusing the game on its PvP elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Belmont</span> Castlevania series character

Simon Belmont is a fictional character who serves as the first protagonist to appear in the Castlevania series. He appears in Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania Chronicles, and acts as a supporting character in Castlevania Judgment and Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. He also appeared as a playable character in DreamMix TV World Fighters and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Simon has received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Koumajou Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony</i> 2009 video game

Koumajou Densetsu: Scarlet Symphony is an Action-adventure Touhou Project fangame developed in 2009 for Windows. The game has also been referred to as Touhouvania. A remaster, titled Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony, was announced in 2021, and released on July 28, 2022 for Steam and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Core Keeper</i> 2022 video game

Core Keeper is a survival sandbox game developed by Pugstorm. The game features mechanics similar to other games in the sandbox genre such as Minecraft, Terraria and Stardew Valley, including mining, crafting, farming and exploration in a procedurally generated underground world. It was released to Steam in early access on 8 March 2022 and received praise for its game mechanics, art style, tone, atmosphere and ease of access to multiplayer modes. The game was released on Windows, Linux, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on 27 August 2024, and is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 17 September 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hafer, Leana (May 24, 2022). "V Rising Early Access Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  2. James, Sarah (May 20, 2022). "How blood essence works in V Rising". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  3. Webb, Ethan (June 12, 2022). "V Rising: How to Get Rid of Garlic Debuff". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  4. Toms, Ollie (May 17, 2022). "How to make a roof in V Rising". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  5. Livingston, Christopher (May 23, 2022). "V Rising's best vampire power is the ability to move full storage crates". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Joselke, Anna (May 17, 2023). "V Rising patch notes – Gloomrot map release is finally here". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  7. Cotten, Shailyn (August 5, 2022). "V Rising: Should You Choose PVE Or PVP?". TheGamer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  8. Raynor, Kelsey (May 26, 2022). "How to play PvP in V Rising | What's the difference between PvP and Full Loot PvP?". VG247. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  9. "V Rising Dev Update #4: V Rising Engine and Cutting Edge Technology". Stunlock Blog. July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  10. "Hotfix: Patch 0.5.41448". Steam . May 25, 2022 [2022-05-25]. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  11. "V Rising Update #1: Secrets of Gloomrot". Steam . May 17, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  12. "V Rising - V RISING 1.0 OUT NOW - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  13. "V Rising uncloaks its final boss, teasing the game's full release". PCGamesN. September 28, 2023. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  14. Romano, Sal (April 10, 2024). "V Rising DLC 'Legacy of Castlevania' gameplay trailer, details". Gematsu. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  15. LeBlanc, Wesley (April 10, 2024). "V Rising Gets Castlevania DLC Next Month On PC, PS5 Later This Year". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  16. Verbrugge, Kieron (May 20, 2024). "V Rising's PS5 Release Date Has Been Revealed And It's Not Far Off". Press Start. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  17. Blake, Vikki (May 21, 2022). "500,000 people have already tried vampire survival game V Rising". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  18. Stanton, Rich (May 25, 2022). "Vampire survival game V Rising sells a million and adds offline mode". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  19. Makuch, Eddie (May 31, 2022). "V Rising Passes 1.5 Million Copies Sold". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  20. Stanton, Rich (January 27, 2023). "Vampire survival game passes three million sold, is adding castles with multiple floors". PC Gamer . Future plc. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.