2022's first sleeper hit (Vampire Survivors)

Vampire Survivors on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/17...
This came from my stream on January 11th, 2022. Catch me live from 9AM-2PM every weekday: / northernlion
Vampire Survivors is a retro-looking roguelite/autobattler that is deceptively addictive. Check it out!
If you enjoyed the video, please consider hitting the Like button. It helps me out a lot!
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[@Grumpist1]

Love that he's encountering a brand new game, and within the first ten minutes, instead of engaging with the game mechanics, he's already 7 minutes deep into an anecdote about blowing out his $40 H&M pants. Textbook.

[@ighostofaghost1754]

That's how you know he's in a flow state.

[@watchingaccount]

...the same anecdote he has already used in an isaac ep

[@SpongeKiller42]

@@watchingaccount yeah but it just further reminds me he has a dumpy

[@MsLucho1998]

@@SpongeKiller42 "Kate, I’m trying to learn this new game but I’m dummy thicc and the clap from my ass cheeks keep breaking my pants"

[@justinsmith5169]

Nobody watches NL for the gameplay, man, it's all about the banter. That's not to say his gameplay isn't good, just saying, the banter is what sets him apart.

[@CapnHulk]

Turning off the floating damage text should fix the severe slowdown towards the end of a run. At least it did for me.

[@Adaephonable]

Odd that you guys experience this. I have the damage numbers on and experience no slowdown on a 30 min run. My computer is also not amazing.

[@assgrabberpremium]

@@Adaephonable well NL is experiencing that mostly cause of streaming

[@assgrabberpremium]

@@Adaephonable and recording at the same time

[@Adaephonable]

@@assgrabberpremium NLs makes sense. Tons of extra overhead. The game is pretty well optimized.

[@nts0n]

But.. the big numbers!! They make my brain release happy chemicals!

[@DysnomiaATX]

Watching NL run away from the experience orbs while talking about scaling is the most NL thing I've ever seen.

[@feha92]

So its a thing he does. I was watching and constantly wondering why he only ever walks downwards, never doubling back for the motherload of exp he has left behind. Got extremely annoying even.

[@cfcannon]

Also running from the health after thanking chat for teaching him how to heal.

[@littleblueclovers]

Wow, that really was straight dopamine lol. I didn't realize my eyes were completely glued to the screen until the video ended. Straight drugs for the eyeballs.

[@TacoSnipezZ]

This is cocaine in video game form

[@Lrripper]

Haven't really been playing video games in years, saw the gameplay for like 2 minutes, bought it, played 9 hours straight. This should be illegal.

[@craz107]

I love the increasing anger at getting single item chests

[@Psychobum91932]

Especially that ONE grimace 😂

[@krytenfivetwothreep2485]

I'm like, 10 runs in and that's all I've ever had...

[@infamousaerugo6879]

"We've levelled the knife enough" (Level up) Sees Knife fires another projectile (NL begins sweating gallons)

[@justjuniorjaw]

1:04:36 into 1:04:59

[@MiuXiu]

@@justjuniorjaw haha thanks for the timestamps, that’s some dedication man. You’re the mvp.

[@richieg5595]

Watching this as a 22 year old Richard feeling like I caught a stray a little bit

[@paytonmacdonald1409]

Goes by Richie though so he's still partially right

[@swearingpriest98]

I'm a Richard who was called Richie. Only because I was a Junior. Welcome brother. Also I'm 11 years older than you.

[@Richi0h]

30YO Richard :)

[@richieg5595]

@@swearingpriest98 Yep, my nick names richie cause I'm the third haha

[@helphelphelphelp6145]

Man the ending is us all witnessing NL’s PC burning

[@larrymcmund6600]

Love how he keeps comparing slaughtering thousands of creatures to walking around people

[@torgor_]

Vampire survivors is made for time travelers that wanna make a quick buck by releasing the greatest game of 2003

[@slain4ever]

which is what?

[@Silas_MN]

no way a computer from 2003 could handle this game, lol

[@Silas_MN]

@@joeyondakeys going off of how badly this performs in the later stages on NL's machine, I highly doubt an old game could run this well

[@ScrazyGames]

@@Silas_MN I understand both sentiments. I'm in the "it depends on coding" camp. Coding languages now are less optimized than coding languages in 2003 because our hardware can allow for it. I'd say maybe if this were coded with the 'low level' work done. It could be done. (I'm no expert or anything on this I'm referencing a video titled "Why Slower Computers Were Faster" by Mental Outlaw. He has good information but he also seems like he's a tad... out of it.

[@phillipmele8533]

“Hey, we were 19 years off, you think that’ll make much difference?” “Nah. We’ll be fine.”

[@RND_ADV_X]

Im impressed by the amount of tinkering it must have taken to get the scaling right on both sides that it never feels one-sided unless you make perfect/terrible choices.

[@blindeyedblightmain3565]

Second map is definitely busted, you can win it reliably without any real effort. The level gain is too much for enemies to handle. The forest is fun though, quite challenging to survive past minute 15 without a crazy build.

[@AManJumps]

The game is balanced comfortably until you unlock "hurry" then it's a nightmare

[@thepyromanslords]

At the end I wasn't sure I wasn't watching a PowerPoint slideshow but it was still very enjoyable

[@pookoochookoo]

I wonder if the problem was all the collision between monsters. Seems like the game was built to handle ungodly amounts of sprites, but making sure they can move is a problem.

[@butchwerewolf]

Hearing NL contemplate a Nuzlocke run…. The most pog I’ve been all year

[@ganeshasapu2636]

51:45 it would be the same y-value, but he would be moving on the x-plane

[@famass2807]

Thank you! I'm triggered right now! hahaha

[@ganeshasapu2636]

@@famass2807 yeah lol I was too and I had to comment

[@zeusy-zeus]

that would be the x axis. no such thing as x plane or y plane.

[@arseniykorchevskiy1564]

im just confused i thought a plane had to have 2 axes so how do you even move on the x plane so shouldn’t he just be moving along the x axis

[@ganeshasapu2636]

@@arseniykorchevskiy1564 yea you are correct

[@markingham4340]

I made it 12 minutes in before I just went ahead and bought the game myself. Thanks NL!

[@n347f0x]

Dude I bought it like in 3. I saw numbers going up and my dopamine skyrocketed.

[@YungBoomer_]

This was probably the fastest buy I've done from an NL video. Once he said $3 and I saw the first level up screen i was hooked. Bought it at like 2 min in the video. kinda crazy

[@Galloglaoch]

So I saw the video pop up and was like "cool, I'll watch 20 minutes or something of NL playing this not super auto pets game...but I'm not gonna enjoy it as much as SAP for sure". Me 1:17:40 into the video "wait...it's over? I want more duuuuude"

[@larsthomasdenstad9082]

Watched it twice today. Getting the game tomorrow.

[@Fiberoptic11]

Not me reading this comment after the video finished and having to go back and check how long it was and being amazed at how long it was but felt like 30 mins tops

[@asterisk606]

Ryan destroying this game on his second run ever ending at level 69 with 20569 kills is perfection.

[@mayzerify5525]

3rd?

[@Medium_Johnson]

so true bro that number is just too funny imo

[@Hannah_The_Heretic]

On NL's second run he died with 15: 34 on the clock with 2651 kills at level 24. 34:15

[@themeow-sician1664]

Can't belive I found such a game before NL I got a broken build in my 3rd run and beat the second stage easily until the fun came to end me can't wait to see your runs now and what this game is gonna have in the future I love it alresdy

[@xJoeKing]

Check back in 50 episodes, progress not guaranteed.

[@dimitaravramov4666]

He is never gonna play it again

[@asdrfasfa]

Sadly game has not enough content to be 50 episodes worthy

[@themeow-sician1664]

@@asdrfasfa not yet yeah

[@brodyselby8406]

@@dimitaravramov4666 He played it again on twitch

[@heyitsmort7744]

Would LOVE an NL Nuzlocke. One of the most banter friendly games.

[@ashathlok829]

That'd be cool!

[@Whitewingdevil]

I had the same experience with this game I think everyone did. I thought it looked dumb and boring and then I played like 5 hours straight without stopping.

[@Manasseos]

There is an amazing game with a similar gameplay on mobile, It's called Magic Survival. Your a wizard who has to deal with hordes of enemies and Everytime you get a spell, later you can upgrade the spells with upgrades of your choosing, gain items which upgrade certain spells or change how they word a little or upgrade your character. After having 2 max level spells, there is a chance to combine them making a entirely new spell with mechanics of both ingredients. Highly recommend to anyone. It's free, and an amazing time killer

[@xiricada7121]

Splattercat really started a movement here! Everyone is playing this game: Retro, Wander…

[@Retromation]

I picked it up because of my pal Vladimirledeux gushing about it before even Splat's video. Splat is great, but I just want to attribute some love to Vlad too because he finds great games and deserves attention!

[@RiggedBananaGaming]

@@Retromation oh hey, cool new channel to follow, excited to see some of your stuff, I've been looking for some good Zomboid gameplay

[@xiricada7121]

@@RiggedBananaGaming Retro is absolute POG-city. His commentary is also fun because of all the noises that he makes. You will love his content. I became a fan after his Atomicrops series… definitely check it out!

[@xiricada7121]

@@Retromation absolute adore your content, man. Keep it up! I can absolutely watch another 10-episode series of Atomicrops. Also died laughing on the Dante-the-cook Zomboid episode…

[@RiggedBananaGaming]

@@xiricada7121 now you have me excited lol, I'm sure in going to binge some tonight going into the weekend

[@bphan11]

the confidence with the X,Y axis stance lmaoo 51:37 + 59:05

[@arseniykorchevskiy1564]

he didn’t even use the term plane correctly, a plane necessarily has 2 axes so it wouldn’t make sense to say you’re moving along the y plane since the y plane would basically just he the y axis, and yet he is talking about moving along horizontally which is the x axis

[@suNn.K.O]

NL definitely mixed up the X and Y axes. 😆

[@tetryst]

nope, he was 100% correct, except using the word plane instead of line. Staying on a line of Y = [some arbitrary number] is only moving left and/or right on the screen, which is what he said, except by saying plane he indicated the existence of a Z axis as well, which he could also move freely along in any direction.

[@hoebare]

As Max said, NL got it right, but he said it backwards from how most people would say it. Instead of saying "only moving along the X axis" he said "staying along a constant Y plane" or something like that. Since he routinely gets SAP pet names wrong when their names are up on the screen because he's pointing at them with his mouse cursor, I'm not surprised he said it weird and I'm a little surprised he didn't mess it up.

[@blahybris608]

This game is an almost exact copy of a mobile game i played about a year ago (even upgrades seem copied, only thing not copied is artstyle) The game is called "magic survival" Edit: Though vampire survivors does seem to have expanded and improved on things that weren't so great in the other Game

[@Supercris25]

My exact thoughts! And honestly Magic Survival look better/cooler (in my opinion). The only problems I have with that game is the somewhat poor translation.

[@blahybris608]

@@Supercris25 i would agree that it looks better, but enemy variety, stage variety and upgrade variety seem to be much higher, so maybe it's worth the four dollars. It also doesn't seem to be as grindy, but magic survival is probably like that, due to it being free2play

[@Crimsonfangg]

Damn all those skellies coming at you felt like i was getting vertigo.

[@GamerGarm]

Chest me, Wing me, Wand me, Whip me and then Duplicate me.

[@awfullufwa]

35:30 There's always a free level up in the form of a Green Rupee sitting on a table at the start of this level. Up and to the left, usually, upon start.

[@markkelso871]

I saw him try this for literally 1 minute and wanted a simple game to eat up some time so i tried it and i have like 20 hours in 3 days lol. You get to a point where you kinda just pop off and its soooo satisfying.

[@lockedin6699]

NL I started to watch your channel back when I had severe anxiety in 2015 and it helped me get my mind off it. I'm doing better now and just wanted to say thanks for the all entertainment.

[@jackl8025]

My anxiety started in 2020-2021 and that's when I found NL too. His videos make me laugh more than any TV show does

[@user-bx1bv6ng9t]

i’ve legit been watching NL for almost 10 years, since i was in the 5th grade. there have been times where his daily isaac uploads felt like the only constant in my life. i am grateful

[@xiricada7121]

Keep pogging JWMZ!

[@thespacescout112]

thanks for the company

[@pictureperfect6556]

@@thespacescout112 thanks for the company

[@MJamesRave]

26:04 heard this while chopping my spinach up. You already know I’m gonna drink the milk

[@awfullufwa]

56:30 The waves change every minute, on the minute. (The first flower wave in the first zone last 30 seconds. The second flower wave is the entire minute.)

[@DCuello]

This game looks like an old android game I used to play. It was called Magic Survival but it was kind of a rough game with good mechanics, this looks like a polished version of that.

[@mggthebest]

It definitely is like an upgraded version.

[@charlespanache7047]

Agreed i was thinking the exact thing when i saw this game.

[@nesyaj0301]

Dude same! I saw NL playing this and I was like "I've played this game before..."

[@boiyado6717]

Magic Survival is actually still being updated.

[@zekeq1523]

I cook my brussels very similarly, but instead of high heat i start them cutside down in an oiled skillet on medium heat where i then place a lid on to steam them for 5-10 minutes based on the siez to soften them up, then i crank it up to high heat and follow the same procedure as you to get that color on the bottom were looking for. I like to use lard most often for fat but will also use beef tallow depending on what else is in it.

[@chrischickering1959]

That sounds good

[@blacksawesome]

3mins ago. yes. I'll listen to this while I work and I know I'm gonna have a great time. enjoy yourselves people. bye.

[@stackedrats9249]

Glad I’m not the only one

[@TheSupaLuna]

Thanks for introducing me to this game, NL. I got 3 of my friends playing and streaming it with each other at the same time. Most fun I've had for a while.

[@innoturtle4692]

Just bought the game, thank you NL for showing me how many pogged out games you can get on steam for cheap.

[@12345themadguy]

X is left to right, Y is top to bottom for 2D. Some programs use Z in place of Y.

[@liyang9196]

Can't believe NL actually played this game and by the look of it, would continue playing it

[@joaovitorcamargo7165]

145k views. Game is going to 📈

[@sceplecture2382]

And why is that?

[@jaxwarp8373]

Would love to see more of this , excellent banter fodder

[@daglemj]

Hope to see a few more videos of this, I feel like with all the upgrades he unlocked this could become a lot of fun. They just need to work on fixing the lag issue.

[@ClaeFace]

Griffin McElroy’s Nuzlocke is one of the most entertaining pieces of media I’ve ever seen. You should absolutely do it

[@NiftyPants]

Oh man I haven't thought about that in a while. Now I want to rewatch it. Truly S++ tier content.

[@kratos01357]

this episode gave me a headache but it was pog from start to finish, so worth it

[@torbenkiess4792]

i like that the quality towards the end is no longer pixels but bathroom tiles

[@ZoomthawneGamer]

Love this game. Haven't played much but it's so addicting and once I get my steam deck. I will put many many hours into it

[@alanhafliger3047]

16:42 He’s done it, his commentary has peaked. It’s all downhill from here boys

[@gdjobufckngfruitcake]

Lion I always enjoy your vids, the Intelligence level and banter with chat is always highly entertaining while also being more stimulating than most people. Thanks for the content brother

[@sam_bamalam]

It's so much fun watching people experience this game when it first came out with all of the launch sprites and such. Love the vibes here!!!

[@toshironikko]

I think the lag comes from not just the enemies but the exp crystals not being picked up at the end

[@nerfzinet]

It's strange, I've played the game a fair bit and I've had absolutely zero problems with the game slowing down. My take is that it's because he went for all the weapons with the most projectiles.

[@fabio-2301]

I loved this. Will you play more of it?

[@Torkantos]

I need 10000 hours of this to vibe to, fav game to watch now

[@guhrizzlybaire]

This video just came up after I watched a Funhaus video, I've never seen this channel before and I'm so happy that finally YT decided to work and suggest something new to me!!!!

[@ruairim2283]

I know Super Auto Pets is an analytical goldmine for NL but I've been missing the variety. Plus lmao at egg for being weird about breast milk

[@Psychobum91932]

I don't think he's being weird, just rational. It's pretty weird for anybody that isn't an infant or toddler to think "yeah, I still enjoy the refreshing taste of breast milk mmmn mmmn yum yum".

[@PhilipStCroix]

@@Psychobum91932 its literally milk who doesn't like milk lol

[@Psychobum91932]

@@PhilipStCroix low t

[@ruairim2283]

@@Psychobum91932 we're only talking about tasting it, not drinking significant amounts for enjoyment. consuming cow milk daily but being weirded out at the idea of tasting a little human milk at least once is irrational

[@Psychobum91932]

@@ruairim2283 no one said "tasting" it, you're projecting. this dude wants to straight up chug tit milk

[@gnarfcreatesthings]

I picked up Snake RX after I saw you play it and sunk 70+ hours into it. I picked up Vampire Survivors two days ago and immediately wondered whether you'd pick it up.

[@CKC___]

More please this was the best stream in a while

[@berkdiggler5299]

Never seen you before but I couldn't stop watching this mate, really enjoyed it xx

[@LobsterSpecial]

Reminds me of a game I loved like 15 years ago called Crimsonland. Which is apparently on Steam now.

[@excfontec6272]

the variety slowly dropping into my veins so I don’t overeat and explode my stomach

[@mikedavidson6454]

Getting you ready for an avalanche of pog in february and march

[@spellxthief]

i watched 53 minutes before i realized it was on 480p and not 1080p... this game + northernlion is mesmerizing

[@absurdist5134]

You always have to leave a da space! Love that you qoute that randomly.

[@jareller]

This looks almost exactly like a mobile game I recently played, called 'Magic Survival'.

[@kidelliott7122]

Yo I love Splattercat! I feel like splat and NL have similar and comparable levels of keen observational humor. Anyways, makes me smile to hear another one of my favorite channels referenced on my all time favorite.

[@burningscorcher]

Can't wait to see more of this

[@PrinceJance]

I'd love to see a few more episodes of this! I wish i could catch the stream more.

[@bluething1429]

When he chose level 1 knife over leveling the runetracer to 8 or 9 I screamed at my monitor

[@AirNeat]

The items don't scale exponentially. First 1-3 levels seem the strongest and a new weapon is better than upgrading one that's already strong (especially with the duplicator, and spinach, that apply to all weapons)

[@superbrandoneh560]

Not going to lie, would love to see a Nuzlocke. Also thinking about doing one myself. Do you have any idea which generation or game you would play?

[@remuncio]

If you're expecting to reset often probably emerald is the way to go as it isn't heavy on cutscenes, if you just wanna chill just play whichever is your favorite

[@evilenvy9580]

Pokemon challenges here on youtube is a good source to check out for learning more about Nuzlockes. He always suggests to do whichever one is your favorite since it's the one you know the most about

[@superbrandoneh560]

@@remuncio Which gen would you say is the easiest? I played Sapphire the most growing up

[@majin__max6572]

Easiest Gen is probably 3rd Gen with FR/LG

[@iplay9s]

50:43 egg releases the ultimate pog

[@kp47baegles]

Oh i want more of this for sure. this was great

[@Crustmajor]

Been playing it for a week since SplatterCats video. Glad to see you enjoying a certified hood banger, egg.

[@Christian_Luczejko]

51:48 NL being wrong about the X and Y axis positioning while simultaneously being resolutely confident AND shit talking chat is 24k. Edit: he stealthily corrected himself and started calling it "a consistent y value" which would be correct. Moving horizontally is not moving along the y axis, however.

[@Seth848]

Came to the comments looking for this and here it is, my day is complete

[@Christian_Luczejko]

@@Seth848 Lol I did too, and found nothing. I’m here for you brother.

[@aidanruggles5229]

i’d love to see more of this

[@joetp1312]

i'm glad you evolved those weapons, i was getting nervous having played it myself and knowing how to evolve them when you passed up level ups and grabbed that one chest just shy of a level lol. i absolutely love this game, they totally nailed the dopamine rush

[@eamonntee]

Theres a near identical mobile version of this game called Magic Survival, except the art style is a little nicer, and there's more variety in ability (no slot machine chest though). Also you can combine high level abilities together. It's been my holiday dopamine generator.

[@goostickygames]

havent watched him play it yet but from all descriptions this is the first game i thought of

[@Uzaddy]

I love splattercat! Maybe some splatt daddy + egg daddy crossover gameplay?

[@MrBlahblah22]

SplatterEgg is the crossover we need, but not the one we deserve

[@universalgeneve8049]

I saw the stream, bought it immediately and have been playing non stop

[@carny2797]

We are gonna need more of this buddy

[@goobergoblin2869]

Lmao I know it was your first game but when you skipped on the kings bible, I was sitting here flabbergasted. You’ll know it’s value soon

[@-kidcone60-54]

100 percented this game yesterday. Love this game highly recommended

[@idontwantahandlethough]

No way, NL knows about our boy splat? that's awesome! You two (plus Retromation) are my go-to guy's for indie games. Always good stuff

[@TKRosenkrantz]

Yo this was cool! Def wanna see more of this!

[@julienfremont5562]

Can't believe you mentioned Splat

[@marcmongiardo]

Nerd Castle Gang

[@Greenheadian]

I absolutely folded at "I don't know what the heck a Runetracer is, I never read The Silmarillion"

[@Cvillain626]

I still don't understand how on earth this game hasn't gotten C&D'd by Konami yet, especially after how much it's blown up

[@drake4138]

Need more of this

[@Kurowiak69]

I paused this video when NL started his run and downloaded the game for myself, just came back 2 hours later and didn't even notice the time.

[@chives441]

After all these years, NL love of orbitals still shines through.

[@davidkociol7728]

I’m getting dopamine boosts on another level from watching this. I don’t think things like food or sleep will ever feel good again.

[@imjustsomeguy72]

The amount of times I screamed "King Bible!!!" while watching this video is ungodly.

[@MrImpureGaming]

I'd love to see more of this.

[@RastaImpala]

not sure why this video was recommended to me, as I've never watched this channel. But this game looked amazingly fun, so I immediately bought/downloaded it and have been having an absolute blast. Definitely a sleeper hit. You got my sub sir, well played!

[@Meichrob7]

Northernlion the type of guy who’s a big enough nerd to know what the Silmarillion is, but not enough of a nerd to have actually read it.

[@garybryant5410]

I had the same slowdown the first time I played it. Every time since then it has run perfectly.

[@PieMan061]

This game is pure dopamine rush and I'm here for it

[@Undisputed42]

Great. I just got a new addiction. Watched 10 mins of this and now I've played 4 hours straight

[@spacecatbearz]

Hell yea, found this game around the same time. I'm so glad it's getting the appreciation it deserves.

[@Criboy97]

This game makes me think of Crimsonland. Definitely gonna try it

[@astrosloths_are_go]

I have been waiting on this video since I saw the stream. Fully pogged.

[@wayawn4281]

We need more of this !!!

[@cassiboi1423]

I've played Vampire Survivors for like 5-ish hours, and never saw a 5 piece chest. This dude got one on his second run man..

[@JamesV1]

Gotta up your luck my dude! Biggest dopamine rush in the world

[@MetroAndroid]

I love NL taking the 30 health refill instead of the coin while at full health three times in a row.