Vampire Crawlers: Your Wizard's Guide to Unlocking Every Character (and What Happens Next!)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Dive into Vampire Crawlers' extensive character roster, where 22 unique heroes await discovery and recruitment at the Village Inn. This guide breaks down how to unlock each character, detailing their abilities, starting cards, and the sometimes-quirky challenges required to add them to your monster-slaying squad, all while navigating an escalating coin cost system. Credit: Marloes Valentina Stella at Polygon.
Alright, buckle up, legends! Jeff here, fresh from accidentally turning my cat into a sentient pixel art boss (he's surprisingly good at spreadsheets now, go figure). We're diving headfirst into *Vampire Crawlers*, a game that clearly got the memo about "more is more" when it comes to character rosters. Now, if you, like me, spent countless hours dodging death and collecting gems in a certain *other* vampire-themed game, you'll feel right at home with the frantic, spell-slinging action here. But *Vampire Crawlers* brings its own flavour, especially with a whopping 22 unique characters, each packing a punch (or a whip, or a magic wand) that'll absolutely redefine your dungeon crawls.
You see, the dev team, bless their cotton socks, decided you shouldn't just *have* all these heroes from the get-go. Nah, that'd be too easy, wouldn't it? You've gotta earn 'em, mate. Discover 'em, then fork over some hard-earned coin at the ol' Inn. It's a classic roguelite dance, isn't it? That satisfying grind for that next unlock, knowing a whole new playstyle is waiting just around the corner.
So, how does this grand character quest actually work? Fair dinkum, there are two main steps to expanding your roster of monster-slaying mates. First off, you gotta *discover* these digital legends. Sometimes they're chilling in a coffin – yeah, you read that right, a *coffin* – marked on your map like a cryptic treasure. Other times, it's about hitting certain milestones: slaying specific baddies, playing a particular card enough times, or just, y'know, being ridiculously good at not dying for a bit.
Once you've done the discovery bit, you scoot on back to the Village Inn. Think of it as your hero hiring agency. This is where you *recruit* them. Now, here's where things get a bit... interesting. Each new character comes with a coin cost. And here's the kicker: the more characters you unlock, the pricier the next one gets. It's like a weird supply-and-demand curve for pixelated heroes! Marloes Valentina Stella over at Polygon pointed out that if you pick Pasqualina third, she's 110 coins, but if Gennaro gets in first, Pasqualina might jump to 120. It's a clever (or diabolical, depending on your coin purse) system that makes you think a bit about your recruitment order. Still, late-game characters are generally beefier on the price tag, so don't expect to nab MissingN0 for pocket change!
Right, let's talk about the crew. You kick off with Antonio Belpaese, a solid chap adding 3 armor and boosting damage with red cards (Whip x2, Armor, Spinach) – automatically unlocked after the tutorial. Pretty straightforward, perfect for easing you into the bullet-hell chaos. Then there's Imelda Belpaese, who's all about XP growth, gaining 15% experience when played and 1 growth when a yellow card is played (Magic Wand x2, Armor, Attractorb). You grab her by just visiting the Mad Forest for the first time. See? Easy peasy!
For Pasqualina Belpaese, who offers 10 area and increases your hand by 1 with purple cards (Runetracer x2, Empty Tome, Candelabrador), you'll need to reach level 20 while playing as Imelda in the Inlaid Library. Gennaro Belpaese, a proper damage dealer with 2 amount and 60 damage on red cards (Knife x2, Armor, Spinach), joins after you defeat the Mantichana in the Mad Forest, clearing the first dungeon. Classic roguelite progression, that.
Some unlocks are a bit more... ritualistic, I guess? Arca Ladonna, the mana master (3 mana when played, 1 mana with purple cards; Fire Wand x2, Empty Tome, Armor), needs you to play Fire Wand 100 times. Porta Ladonna, giving 25 area and 1 mana with red cards (Lightning Ring, Empty Tome, Armor, Candelabrador), is yours after playing the Lightning Ring 100 times. It's like the game wants you to really *master* your favourite starting spells, which, fair enough, is probably a good idea anyway before things get properly mad.
Lama Ladonna, boosting damage by 50% (and 15% more with blue cards; Axe, Empty Tome, Armor, Candelabrador), is unlocked by completing a dungeon with 10% Curse or more. Poe Ratcho, with 20 area and card drawing on blue cards (Garlic x2, Armor, Candelabrador), needs you to play the Garlic card 25 times. For Dommario, who brings duration and purple card damage (King Bible x2, Armor, Empty Tome), just collect 5,000 coins in total. Krochi Freetto, offering revival buffs (Cross, Empty Tome, Armor, Attractorb), needs you to defeat a total of 6,666 enemies. Christine Davain, reducing mana cost and preventing attacks (Pentagram, Empty Tome, Armor, Attractorb), is unlocked by finding and playing a Pentagram card (which itself unlocks at level 35). These specific challenges add layers to your overall strategy, eh?
And then there are the special cases. Pugnala Provola, packing dual guns (Phiera Der Tuphello, Eight the Sparrow) and boosting damage (Empty Tome, Spellbinder), you find her coffin in the Berserk Wood, marked on your map. Poppea Pecorina, increasing hand size and duration (Song of Mana, Candelabrador, Empty Tome, Attractorb), is chilling in a coffin in the Milk Factory. Concetta Caciotta, adding lovely area buffs (Shadow Pinion x2, Empty Tome, Armor), is chilling in her coffin in Gallo Tower. These hidden treasures add a lovely bit of exploration to the grind, don't they? Who doesn't love a good digital scavenger hunt?
Want to get truly weird? Yatta Cavallo, with Cherry Bomb x3 and boosting amount (Candelabrador), requires you to defeat 250 Lion Heads in the Inlaid Library. Mortaccio, with his three bones and amount buffs (Armor), needs you to defeat 444 Skeletons in total – a proper bone-crushing spree. O'Sole Meeo, who boosts amount and luck (Celestial Dusting x2, Empty Tome, Armor), unlocked after squishing 50 Dragon Shrimps in Gallo Tower. Bianca Ramba, adding amount and purple card buffs (Carrello, Empty Tome, Armor), is yours after defeating the Milk Elemental (clearing the Dairy Plant). Suor Clerici, a healer with Santa Water (Empty Tome, Duplicator, Armor), needs you to recover 1,000 HP in total. Giovanna Grana, boosting luck and card drawing (Gatti Amari x2, Empty Tome, Armor), is in a coffin in the Library Sanctum. Iguana Gallo Valletto, who's all about coin gains (Clock Lancet, Clover, Empty Tome, Armor), is unlocked by defeating Gallo, clearing Gallo Tower. My personal favourite is probably the big bad MissingN0. This chap (or lass, or ethereal entity, who knows?) gives 4 armor and draws two cards on red cards (Axe x2, Death Spiral x2), but you only get them after you defeat the *Red Death*. Yes, the seemingly unbeatable end-of-dungeon boss. Talk about an endgame flex! It's like the game is saying, "So you think you're tough, eh? Prove it, wizard!"
So there you have it, folks. *Vampire Crawlers* isn't just a game; it's a grand recruitment drive for a delightfully chaotic band of monster-slayers. Each new character isn't just a skin; it's a whole new way to experience the pandemonium, another angle to attack those endless hordes. Whether you're a casual crawler or a hardcore dungeon diver, figuring out the optimal path to unlock your dream team is half the fun. Don't be afraid to experiment, mate – that's where the real magic happens (and occasionally, hilarious, game-ending blunders, but hey, that's character building, right?).
Huge thanks to Marloes Valentina Stella over at Polygon for putting together the original intel on these unlocks! They did the hard yards so we could all get to the fun bits quicker. Now go forth, discover, recruit, and show those creepy crawlers who's boss!
Tags: Vampire Crawlers, Roguelite, Character Unlock Guide, Gaming Tips, Indie Games
Original article: Polygon