Technical Information

Developer: Pyxeralia LLC
Distributor: Pyxeralia LLC
Release Date: March 25, 2024

Inspired by the viral roguelike Vampire Survivors, Scarlet Tower shows its potential by delivering improved graphics, gameplay, and content while maintaining the genre’s simplicity.

Final Considerations – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

What caught my attention in this game was definitely the art.
Unlike Vampire Survivors, which draws inspiration from 8-bit sprites, Scarlet Tower dares to present more detailed pixel art. As soon as you start playing, it’s clear how much care went into creating beautiful animations.

The colors were well chosen for both characters and environments. During gameplay, it’s easy to distinguish your character even in the middle of chaotic scenes filled with monsters, which provides good visual clarity.

Enemies follow the same design philosophy, with biomes featuring creatures that make sense for each environment instead of appearing randomly.

As you unlock stages, enemies are added to a bestiary — a nice feature for viewing each creature’s stats without needing to use any kind of scanning ability.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

When opening the game, the player immediately feels the impact of lyrical voices singing.
I really liked the songs, they reminded me of the Castlevania trilogy on the Nintendo DS.

However, one thing in particular bothered me: the volume. The music on the title screen is louder than during gameplay, which felt a bit uncomfortable.

Gameplay

You could say that Scarlet Tower is a copy of Vampire Survivors, because in many ways it really is. The core gameplay mechanics and objectives are basically the same.
In summary, you control a character whose attacks are automatic. Waves of enemies appear, and as you defeat them, you collect crystals that evolve your character. Your goal is to survive for as long as possible (usually until around the 20-minute mark) when you have the chance to face a boss.

Even though I haven’t played the DLCs for Vampire Survivors (I only played the base game when it was available on Game Pass and never even wrote a review for it… maybe next time haha), I’m fairly certain that Scarlet Tower manages to be a stronger version of its main inspiration.
Notably, there is a lot more content. It starts with character upgrades, which at first seem almost endless. Then there are families and runes.
However, reaching the maximum level in everything happens relatively quickly, which can make the game feel a bit tedious after a while.

This abundance of information also bothered me because I didn’t fully understand what I should prioritize when choosing a character. A tutorial explaining these systems would be very welcome. There’s simply too much text to read, it gets tiring. I just wanted to start playing! hahaha

I played many matches without worrying about what had been improved because, in the end, those upgrades didn’t seem to make a huge difference. I think the developers may have gone a bit overboard with the amount of systems.
On the other hand, there are more skill and weapon options during gameplay, which creates more possibilities for combinations and strategies to experiment with.

The stages are divided into biomes, and as you progress they become increasingly difficult.

Within each match, there is a group of quests. Unfortunately, they are not unique to each biome, which makes the game feel somewhat repetitive. Completing these quests unlocks characters that help you fight enemies.

One mechanic I found very interesting appears in the aquatic biome: you need to manage your oxygen level by searching for air bubbles, just like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It’s half stressful and half fun, creating a different kind of challenge.

Replayability and Game Retention

I really liked Scarlet Tower and consider it a stronger version of Vampire Survivors.
The game is still receiving new content, and I think there are a few aspects that could still be improved to make the experience feel more polished.
I see a lot of potential in it, and I hope the developers continue supporting it.
It’s definitely a game worth playing, but be aware that it can become repetitive and relatively easy over time.