Vampire Crawlers review: Vampire Survivors deckbuilding spinoff is every bit as inventive

That reaction to my first hours-long binge session speaks to what’s so special about Poncle, one of the indie scene’s most exciting new developers: it sees no distance between gimmick and quality. 2022’s breakout Vampire Survivors could have been a pixel art novelty act with little staying power beyond a few fun sessions. But Poncle fine-tuned its reverse bullet-hell concept into a revelation, creating an inventive spin on the roguelike genre that already feels foundational three years later.