10 Video Games With Zero Expectations (That Blew EVERYONE Away)

To look at Vampire Survivors, you might easily dismiss it as just another wave-based shooter in a sea of them, especially as the full version released on Steam for just a few bucks near the end of 2022.

The roguelike shoot 'em up originally launched in early access at the end of 2021, having been largely developed by a single person, Luca Galante, for a budget of barely £1,000.

Despite a quiet initial launch, word-of-mouth from streamers allowed the game's popularity to skyrocket throughout 2022, leading to a full-fat release by the end of that year.

At this point, Vampire Survivors became a certified smash hit, earning euphoric reviews from critics for its addictive gameplay, unexpected depth, and spritely visuals, and then earning numerous Game of the Year nominations.

Much of the game's success was also tied to how well it performed on Valve's recently released handheld hybrid device, the Steam Deck, because what says success quite like using a £350 piece of hardware to play the most technically undemanding game imaginable?