A freeVampire SurvivorsDLC,Emerald Diorama, was released on April 10, and it brings the world ofSaGa: Emerald Beyondto the extremely-popular indie title. While this is not the first timeVampire Survivorshas received content inspired by another developer’s IP, it is the first time the game has collaborated with Square Enix. Hopefully this is just the beginning of the partnership, though, as it would be incredible to see several other Square Enix franchises find their way intoVampire Survivors.
Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama DLC, Explained
Vampire Survivors' Emerald DioramaDLCadds more than 12 characters fromSaGa: Emerald Beyondto the game, including protagonists Tsunanori Mido and Ameya Aisling, along with a variety of weapons that representEmerald Beyond’s various offensive tools. Things do not end there, though, as the DLC also adds new gameplay mechanics that are inspired by systems that appear inEmerald Beyond. Among those mechanics are Glimmers, which give characters a chance to “spontaneously learn special techniques,” and Showstoppers, which give characters bonus stats when they are at critical health.
While someSaGafans would have been happy simply to seeEmerald Beyondcharactersand weapons appear inVampire Survivors, the aforementioned unique mechanics elevate theEmerald DioramaDLC considerably. Indeed, the mechanics are wonderful translations of some ofSaGa’s core gameplay systems, and it would be amazing if future DLCs took a similarly thoughtful approach to translating other Square Enix IPs.
Vampire Survivors Should Continue to Collaborate With Square Enix
No further collaborations betweenVampire Survivorsand Square Enix are currently confirmed, though Luca Galante, the indie game’s creator, indicates that he is definitely open to them. More specifically, Galante notes that he was not given a “menu of IPs” from which to choose at the beginning of the collaboration that led to theEmerald DioramaDLC, though he would “gladly have one of each” if such a menu were presented to him. This is not to suggest that Galante viewsSaGaas a lesser IP, and he actually indicates that it is the first one he would choose from a hypothetical IP menu, but, rather, the statement makes it clear that he would be happy to bring otherSquare Enix franchisestoVampire Survivors.
Vampire Survivors and Final Fantasy Could Be a Perfect Match
The Square Enix franchise that players would most like to see turned intoVampire SurvivorsDLC is almost certainlyFinal Fantasy. Indeed, it would be such a treat to see some of the series' most-popular characters and weapons appear inVampire Survivors, and its developer could, undoubtedly, do some truly incredible things with the array of gameplay systems that appear in the variousFinal Fantasyentries. As examples, perhaps there could be a mechanic inspired byFinal Fantasy 7’s Materiaor one that references the summons that appear throughout the series, though there are certainly many more systems that could serve as the foundation for new gameplay inVampire Survivors.
A Dragon Quest DLC for Vampire Survivors Could Be Great
While not quite as big asFinal Fantasy,Dragon Questis another Square Enix franchise that could make waves if it were to inspire futureVampire SurvivorsDLC. Once again, this series is filled to the brim with iconic characters and weapons that many fans would surely love to see in the indie game. That said, theDragon Questseriesis not quite as inventive with its mechanics asFinal FantasyandSaGaare, which could put a lower ceiling on what is possible with an associated DLC.
There Are Plenty More Square Enix IPs That Could Inspire Vampire Survivors DLC
Final FantasyandDragon Questare certainly not the only beloved Square Enix IPs, though, and the worlds ofBravely,Mana, andStar Oceancould all make wonderful additions toVampire Survivors. Perhaps there could even be aKing Hearts-inspired DLC, though Disney’s involvement with that franchise would obviously complicate matters significantly. Regardless of what ultimately comes to pass, theEmerald DioramaDLC makes it clear thatVampire Survivorsis capable of beautifully translating Square Enix properties, and hopefully it will get the opportunity to do so again.
