Voltaire is Dracula’s son who, instead of drinking blood, decides to become a vegan. This doesn’t exactly go down well with dear old dad, who sends his minions after him. Yup, if this isn’t the most inventive way to rebel against your blood-craving daddy-o, then we don’t know what is. In all seriousness, Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire is a farming action roguelite that has now made its way to PS5 after originally launching on PC in 2023. It’s a fun game where, during the day, we grow crops, explore Transylvania and expand our little farm. Once night arrives, daddy’s forces come looking for us and our vegetables. Sorry for saying daddy twice in a paragraph. We’ll stop now.
Farming by Day, Fighting by Night
The day/night cycle is, to pardon the pun, the blood that runs through the whole gameplay machinery. We spend the daytime planting magical seeds, gathering food and looking for ways to make Voltaire stronger. Then we have to protect what we’ve grown once the sun goes down.
It’s a nice change of pace, although the farming side can take some getting used to. There is quite a bit to keep track of as we expand the farm, discover new plants and work towards better abilities. Please don’t think that the game is trying to be Stardew Valley with vampires, though. Far from it. Farming is tied directly to survival and progression, so every crop has a purpose. As you explore, you can also feed creatures for better rewards or look for cracks in the ground to dig up chests containing seeds, food and other useful resources. The materials we collect from bushes and trees can also be used to build all kinds of structures. A well, for example, gives us access to water for our crops, while other shrines grant us 10% more XP when carrying out certain actions.
The nights are where things get more hectic. Dracula’s minions attack the farm, and we have to deal with them while keeping our crops safe. Combat is very basic: we can glide from one place to another, place traps, or attack enemies up close or from afar. It’s nothing overly complicated, but it works well enough for what the game is trying to do. Bosses eventually join the fun, and they certainly know how to get our blood pumping.
A Vampire That Gets Stronger With Vegetables
Progression is built around the roguelite side of the game. We can evolve Voltaire into stronger vampiric forms, unlock new abilities and take what we’ve learned into another attempt when things don’t go our way. There are also bounties and different biomes to discover, and we were more than willing to push further into Transylvania.
The whole idea is silly, but the game takes its systems seriously enough for the loop to work. We farm because we need food, we explore because we need resources, and we fight because dad— Dracula isn’t going to let us enjoy our vegetables in peace.
Our score: 8/10
The PS5 release doesn’t change what Voltaire: The Vegan Vampire is, and you get the same colourful, hand-drawn farming roguelite with plenty of chill, Halloweeny vibes. It’s perfect timing too, with Halloween just a month away and witches and all sorts of dark creatures getting ready to crawl out. It’s also great that the game supports one or two players with split-screen co-op, so all that’s left is to find a buddy and work on the farm while dealing with Dracula’s forces together.
Speaking of Halloween, what games are you playing for the upcoming holiday? Tell us down in the comments!
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