Italian Casino Dev Created Indie Video Game Sensation Vampire Survivors

When creating memorable and entertaining online casino games, we are used to seeing developers lay claim to popular arcade games, television shows and even musicians. These games can be incredibly successful when given the care and consideration they deserve, as with the Street Fighter II: The World Warrior video slot by Netent.

How The Tables Have Turned

Italian fantasy and game development enthusiast, Luca Galante, turned that trend on its head with the release of his first-ever video game, Vampire Survivor. What made the success of this Castlevania-inspired passion project especially interesting was the revelation that its developer used to develop casino games for a UK-based gaming company.

The appeal of the game tracks with the programmer’s development process. Speaking of applying his casino knowledge to this project, he said:

Quote

“Slot games are very simple. All the player has to do is press one button, and the game designers have to find a way to push the player to press that button. I just absorbed that knowledge basically just by being in the industry. And so, when making a game, I have automatically applied it to what [I’ve been] doing.”

Around the 2022 award season, Vampire Survivors peaked at just over 77,000 concurrent players. It has managed to retain a strong presence in the market, with 17,187 concurrent players enjoying Galante’s creation at the time of writing.

 An Unexpected Pathway to Success

While Galante had always aspired to be a video game developer, he soon found that Italy was not the ideal launch pad for his intended career:

Quote

“I had very limited resources. At the time, there weren’t any books about programming in the library in Italy. I didn’t have internet until the last two years of high school.”

Despite these limitations, he was certified by the Italian Academy of Video Games in 2010. Certificate in hand, the highly motivated would-be game dev moved to the United Kingdom.

In an unexpected turn of events, Galante found himself coding online slots and other games of chance rather than his beloved fantasy adventures. This minor detour would serve him well as by working on casino games, he learned several coding languages and how to hold a player's interest using "bands of colour and catchy sounds".

 Crystal Clear Slot Machine Techniques

Looking beyond the dark fantasy theme and pixel art style, it soon becomes apparent how Galante used the lessons he learned coding video slots to make Vampire Survivors a must-play indie title.

Here are the game-of-chance hooks we picked up on:

1. The mechanics are simple and automated: There is very little asked of the player besides guiding the hero around the screen. The game engine casts all attacks and spells in much the same way that a video slot manages all the in-game mechanics for the player.
2. Classic casino game soundboard: As you run around the map killing monsters and collecting “mana” beads, your adventure is underpinned by an energetic musical score and the perpetual ring of collection and power-up sound effects that sound just like a classic slot machine.
3. Mana looks just like Pachinko beads: Rather than use a traditional glowing mana orb, Galante opted to use silver beads which look just like the beads used in the Asian gambling game Pachinko. Collecting thousands of these beads as you traverse the map is a definite dopamine trigger.

The final and most telling online slot parallel is claiming bonus rewards from mini-boss chests. Beating a mini-boss will result in them dropping a loot box which, when opened, bathes the screen in fountains of coins, playing slot machine win sounds and features colourful bands with scrolling power-up symbols.

The Verge went so far as to write:

Quote

"Opening treasure chests seems to intentionally create the feeling that you're pulling a slot machine."

We agree with them wholeheartedly. Place these bands in straight lines, and you have the reels of a slot machine rolling random symbols until it stops on your reward. While these symbols scroll, the game builds even more tension by tallying up your gold rewards in the same way slot machines build up to your big win total.