One of the most creative takes! Moves to a vertical shooter (not a top down arena thank you!!!!) and the weapons are genuinely weird, which is an understated part of of VS' appeal (since impacted by the number of copycats). Also has a great difficulty modifier system.

a nice blend of the classic VS-style achievements unlocking more stuff and Nordic-ashes-style character based progression. every character gets the same skills but some characters get less benefit from the skills than others, pushing you to try regen on one character and block on another.

Each character has their own skill tree, removing the randomness of a build (except for the drops). This becomes a much more focused approach where you really zoom in on each character's strengths and weaknesses. Compelling!

impossible to hate for its sheer goofy chaos even though i can't understand a single upgrade tree. almost entire focused on cash-based upgrades which means you lock into a specific build and grind it out to get everything you want. classes can be unlocked with specific feats like summoning X of Y type but it lacks the depth and rigor of VS.

I like the wells you need to stand in to get a buff and the specific upgrades that only come from specific wells. However it again kind of insists you find One Build and stick with it forever where VS insists you try out every build in order to unlock the next set.

Maps aren't unlimited in size and you end up being constrained by movement a bit more. Upgrades are much less legible. There isn't a robust achievement system to drive you to try out new builds (?)

Upgrades are much more focused on +5% kind of fiddly BS as well as rolling for common/rare/legendary effects. It's clearly meant to be more "hardcore" and that knife cuts both ways by making for a more impenetrable and ultimately more boring system

lots of people like this game! i am not one of them. i think for all its goofy aesthetics the choices are mundane. i think you are too reliant on luck to get a good build rather than being pressed to make a weird build work like the best of VS-alikes. and i think the conditions for unlocking new stuff are boring, difficult, and not particularly rewarding once achieved.

there's a decent argument that crimsonland is the granddaddy of the genre, and if you go back to it you will definitely see the roots of VS. but it feels more "arcadey" with a heavier reliance on powerups. the weapons and perks are extremely traditional. the developer continues to make games today, even post-VS, and you can almost see them resisting the urge to VS-ify.