Survivors of Xcalibur is a new VR bullet-heaven game inspired by Vampire Survivors, and it's out today in early access on Quest.
Developed by Something Random (Toy Trains), you play as the Last Knight of Xcalibur trying to save this world against the treacherous league of cyber wizards as hundreds of enemies descend upon you. With Merlin gone and King Arthur lost, you're tasked with defeating these endless waves while wielding the Knight like a 3D action figure, viewing the battlefield from a third-person perspective.
We briefly went hands-on before today's launch. While the Vampire Survivors inspirations are clear, I'd consider this more tower defense since you can respawn if you die. As the Last Knight, you're tasked with defending the 'Holy Spear of Purification' in the center of the map using a decent range of weapons like rifles, turrets, thunder strikes and swords. You feel like you're controlling a toy across a battlefield as you direct their every move.
Unsurprisingly, you don't have many options in your initial run, and Survivors of Xcalibur lets you temporarily level up your chosen weapons during each run. Between upgrades offering a faster fire-rate or more damage, it's a good approach, and I'd say the in-level progression feels decently balanced. Once you start a new run, these upgrades inevitably disappear, and you're back to square one.
So far, I've only had enough time to beat the first mission, which felt slightly challenging, but only due to the sheer number of enemies suddenly emerging and a bullet sponge boss. Levelling up my character in the long-term progression system feels rather easy, too. Permanently obtaining new weapons, more weapon slots during combat and health or damage upgrades are welcome, and I like the customizability with your builds. However, they're obtained without much effort. I've already hit level 12 after one failed mission and a successful mission.
There are a few additional changes I'd like to see before the full release. The resolution feels slightly fuzzy at times when playing on Quest 3, while performance had some minor hiccups as larger groups of enemies descended upon me. Still, there's a good base to work from and I'll be keen to see where Survivors of Xcalibur goes from here.
Survivors of Xcalibur is available now on the Meta Quest platform for $5 with "more platforms soon to come." A free 20-minute demo is also available.
