V Rising

“The PS5 version of V Rising is just as playable and compelling as the PC version, and you absolutely should play one or the other if possible.”

“V Rising is a devilishly addictive action RPG - but only once you've worked through the game's fairly tedious first act. Getting your castle up and running takes time and patience, but if you can embrace the grind, you'll discover a dynamic open world that's full of interesting ideas and satisfying gameplay loops.”

“Even with its slightly unintuitive interface and occasionally-tedious boss encounters, V Rising does what so many survival-sandbox and loot-based RPGs alike get horribly wrong from the word go: having the base gameplay start from a point of enjoyment. While the task to build one's self up and survive the ongoing perils remain crucial to one's progression, it's thanks to the game's reframing of key genre pillars like gear score and meters to manage that make the experience far from the slog it may initially imply. While its introduction may lead many to suspect the same mounting tedium is coming, a host of well-integrated mechanics alongside that consistent balancing of the risks one may be willing to take make V Rising -- and now, its subsequent release onto PS5 -- a noteworthy accomplishment.”

“Thanks to its fantastic combination of action RPG, survival and vampirism, if you sink your teeth into V Rising you will be completely hooked (to the taste of blood) and you will not see the light of day again for a long, long time.”

“Minor issues of pacing and controls aside, V Rising on PS5 is a more than worthy port. Its expressive customization options, unfolding combat mechanics, and flexible build options have made it a must-own for PC players, and now the same can be said for PlayStation players. If you're a fan of survival games, action-RPGs, and Gothic horror, you can't do much better than V Rising.”

“V Rising may not be your cup of tea, but it offers an intriguing combination of building mechanics and gameplay systems that truly reach their high potential when playing with other players. Without others, though, be prepared for a long, solitary grind to reach a portion of that potential.”

“V Rising is a delicious duo of survival-crafting and action-RPG fun that puts the best of both worlds together without making either side fall flat.”

“One of the best adventure survival ARPGs out there and one of the best vampire games ever: do you need anything else?”

“It starts with a bump, but played the right way, V Rising offers riches few other crafting survival games can match.”

“While I’ve mostly left survival crafting sims behind, V Rising feels different. The vampire hook is part of it, but the game’s design is a big factor. Building and murdering all tie together in one big progression tree. Moving from one path to the other feels perfectly smooth and seamless. Plus, both activities are pretty fun. I don’t love the traversal at times, and the game sometimes feels too big for a single player. But the core gameplay loop is a delight. Sure, a game boiled down to ‘build’ and ‘murder’ is a simple one. But there’s elegance in simplicity. V Rising is an excellent survival crafting RPG that I highly recommend.”

“If you're into the survival crafting genre, action RPGs, or vampires in general, V Rising is an absolute blast, alone or with others.”

“When development on Battlerite stopped, I got sad. When I played the full version of V Rising, I was a little less sad because V Rising was a very fun survival game that reminded me of Battlerite. And building a huge vampire castle is pretty fun, too.”

“V Rising offers something distinct, and pretty cookie cutter at the same time. It’s a survival game, but with a novel genre blend meant to attract a different kind of audience. There’s a lot of these, but V Rising brings the action-RPG and gothic styles to the table in a way that feels unique. So that’s fun, but the survival and crafting part is about as boilerplate as it gets. Therefore, if you’re the type of person that shrivels up and shrieks at survival game systems like a vampire considering the concept of brunch, V Rising won’t change your mind. But if you can hang with the concept and also enjoy some Diablo-like combat, having those two things together in one game is pretty rad.”

“An even better version of one of the best Early Access survival games.”

“On the surface, V Rising appears to be just another survival game, slathered with a different coat of paint. In many ways, it’s hard to argue otherwise. However, it manages to layer complex systems inspired by the popular mythology of the vampire to distinguish it from the sea of survival games. While V Rising hasn't completely satiated my thirst in its current form, I’m hopeful that it will somewhere down the line.”

“While its time-consuming crafting aspects can take the bite out of the vampire fantasy, V Rising really does rise to the occasion with its excellent boss design and respectable ARPG combat.”