Vampire Survivors Developer Publishing New ARPG Game

Since its 2021 debut, Vampire Survivors has been an unstoppable force. Poncle’s wildly popular bullet hell roguelike is a Steam standout, boasting a 98% positive rating from nearly 240,000 reviews. Its endlessly replayable core, enriched by updates and DLC, makes it one of the best value games on PC. Now, Poncle is expanding its reach by publishing Berserk or Die, a vibrant, action-packed indie from Nao Games with a delightfully chaotic control scheme, available now.

In Berserk or Die, you play as the last soldier standing, surrounded by enemies on a stunning 2D battlefield. Your mission? Survive. Unlike classic platformers like Castlevania or Contra, movement here is tied to attacking. Pressing keys on the left or right side of your keyboard triggers attacks in those directions, and hammering multiple keys unleashes increasingly flashy, powerful combos. The more you smash, the wilder it gets. Defeat enough enemies to fill your special gauge, then shake your mouse to unleash a screen-clearing ultimate move.

With various characters, a range of weapons, and upgrades available from a nighttime peddler, the game keeps things fresh. All this is set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack by Vampire Survivors composer Filippo Vicarelli. Poncle’s Luca Galante praises Nao Games for sharing their ethos of creating accessible, affordable, and slightly unconventional fun. “When I met Shibata-san and played Berserk or Die, I knew it deserved a bigger audience,” Galante says. “I’m thrilled we could help make that happen.”