Publisher Skybound Games and developer Mega Cat Studios have surprise-released Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, a Renfield tie-in game that looks an awful lot like Vampire Survivors. It’s a video game spinoff from the WrestleQuest developer that no one saw coming. Still, as if it appeared out of nowhere, the Renfield game is out on PC via Steam Early Access right now, and it’s only $5.
Players step into the bug-eating shoes of title character Renfield as he slaughters thousands in the name of his toxic vampire boss, Dracula. Skybound and Mega Cat say that Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood is inspired by the events of the movie, but one look at its announcement trailer and it becomes clear that the spinoff has more than one influence. The top-down adventure sets players loose in a pixelated New Orleans as they improve their skills and weapons. It’s a roguelite with one-touch gameplay and room-based action, and yeah, it’s kind of just another version of Poncle’s Vampire Survivors.
You can see the movie tie-in game for yourself in the Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood trailer below.
Skybound and Mega Cat tease “dozens of enemies and bosses” with more gear and challenges set to arrive over the next several months. A full launch out of early access is expected to arrive in three-to-six months, but the timeline could be shortened or extended depending on player feedback. The Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood team took to an FAQ posted on its Steam page to clarify the reasoning behind its decision to launch in early access:
When we first approached the idea of creating a game around the Renfield film, it made perfect sense to create one in this genre. But for this type of game, we know how important Early Access is to involve players in the balancing of the core mechanics and polish the fun of being Renfield taking on the gangs and bosses of New Orleans. And as new content is added, we’ll make sure critical feedback is included as we drive towards a 1.0 release.
Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood will see a full launch later this year with DLC a possibility for the future. Renfield the movie, meanwhile, premieres in theaters this Friday, April 14.
