Night Swarm Review – A Vampiric Bullet-Heaven with Shiny Bones
Night Swarm mixes Vampire Survivors energy with Hades-style meta progression: short, frantic runs, a castle hub, companions and tons of unlocks. Gorgeous music and art sell the theme — but bugs, grindy progression and heavy AI use hold it back.
I jumped into Night Swarm (released Dec 4, 2025 on Windows) expecting a Vampire Survivor knock‑off — instead I got a hybrid: short bullet‑heaven runs wrapped in castle‑based RPG progression. The atmosphere, soundtrack and tabletop token art immediately grabbed me, but the launch feels rushed in places.
Night Swarm puts you in the shoes of a young Vampire Lord and sends you into short, intense arenas where hordes of werebeasts and occasional colossal bosses swarm you. Runs are compact (a few minutes each): collect XP, gold and materials, pick relics and runes, and push toward the run boss or an endless mode. Between runs you wander a walkable castle hub — unlock companions, craft gear, buy permanent talents and shape your build. Companions act as on‑field bonuses with their own mana, relics and fusions let you tweak playstyle, and the game layers meta currencies for different upgrade trees. I liked how choices feel consequential early on, and the music spikes during chaos are genuinely addictive. Downsides: some abilities and artifact fusions feel underwhelming, progression can get grindy (many reviewers said you unlock most things quickly and then accrue useless resources), and the tabletop token animation / wobble grows tiring. There are also Steam Deck and optimisation complaints, occasional crashes and a controversial use of AI for voices and some art elements — all things to weigh if you care about polish or supporting full‑price launches.
Night Swarm is a stylish, fun survivor‑like with real charm and solid ideas — but its rough edges (AI use, balance, polish) keep it from being great. Worth a try at the price if you care more about vibe and short, punchy runs than perfect execution.
Pros
- Outstanding music and audio that sell every hectic moment.
- Distinctive art and tabletop‑token charm give it real personality.
- Castle hub, companions and multiple progression layers add long‑term goals.
Cons
- AI voice/art use and some writing feel soulless to many players.
- Progression can feel grindy or underwhelming (weak fusions, unused currencies); polish issues persist.
Player Opinion
Players consistently praise the soundtrack, the aesthetic and the addictive short‑run gameplay. Many enjoy the castle hub and companion systems, while a vocal group complains about AI voices/art, optimisation (Steam Deck) and occasional bugs or crashes. Others feel progression peters out — you unlock a lot fast and then stack useless currencies. If you like Vampire Survivors, Rogue Genesia or Hades’ meta loops, Night Swarm will likely click for you.