Vampire Season

We've had Wabbit Season, Duck Season and now we've got Vampire Season. Someone in Transylvania has inadvertently ‘leaked’ the sleeping spots of the first Vampire. He is now exposed to the wide world, and every hunter is after the glory of killing the ancient one once and for all.

Vampire Season appears to be the lovechild of Plants vs Zombies and Dungeon Keeper. Once you've got that disturbing image out of your head, I’ll explain a bit about your objective. Players must protect Dracula’s coffin from waves of would-be heroes using regulars from the Monster’s Gallery, such as skeletons, zombies and Imps. Unfortunately for the Count, his enemies have a variety of abilities and increasing levels of competency. For example, a Vampire Hunter will kill Vampires in one shot, so using an Imp to attack it from afar would seem a more logical course of action. Players get to select their monsters before starting the game, basing their choices against the list of enemies scheduled to appear in any given stage.

Once in combat, players can only summon monsters into battle by spending accumulated fear and style points. Points appear once enemies are defeated or from the orbs which also protect Dracula’s coffin.

At the end of the level and depending on the player’s performance during it, they’ll also collect coins which can be spent to upgrade forces, providing benefits such as added life force and power, and also improving the durability of Dracula’s coffin.

Each stage gives the player a maximum score out of three stars. Claim all three and you’ll obliterate every enemy on the screen using Dracula’s uber-annihilation spell. Fail to get one star though and its game over. Gaining stars is based on the length of time it takes before the coffin is destroyed.

Vampire Season is a free app, so value is a non-factor. Despite that, the quality is surprisingly excellent. The game survives on Micro-Transactions, and will regularly ask players, to the point of being invasive, to buy coins to help with upgrades. It’s not necessary to spend a cent in order to get the full Vampire Season experience, or complete the game, however. Although it will definitely make life as Dracula’s defender a lot easier.

There’s a lot of depth and substance to Vampire Season. Making sure players pick the right monsters for the job is crucial, and fighting a mix of different opponents at the same time will definitely keep you on your toes. For a game that asks for very little, Vampire Season offers a real mean bite.