Bullet-heaven — also known as “survivors-like” or “Vampire Survivors-style” — refers to games where a character (or few) fights off waves of enemies, often auto-shooting or auto-attacking; the core appeal is about surviving ever-growing hordes, upgrading weapons/abilities, and managing chaos on screen.
Because of the genre’s popularity (especially since the breakout success of Vampire Survivors), many indie games now try to put a twist on the formula — some change perspective (FPS, top-down, 3D), some add meta-progression or hybrid mechanics, and some attempt co-op / tower-defense / roguelike blends. The 2025 Bullet Heaven Festival gathers many of these into a showcase.
Let’s follow us at Indie Games Tavern to see which demo you should try now! Remember that the order is not the rank.
1. It Consumes
What it is: A dark, moody arena-FPS roguelite where you fight demons in pitch-black environments. To even see enemies, you must use a “pulse” — a special ability that temporarily reveals nearby demons, their positions, and surroundings.
What works / what stands out:
- The twist — survival + bullet-heaven + darkness + “reveal via pulse” — gives It Consumes its own identity. The tension of not seeing enemies until you “ping” is a neat way to mix horror / suspense with the familiar survivors loop.
- Build-customization: ammo, weapons, perks, mobility upgrades, and modifiers let you shape your playstyle. This could add replay value beyond just “survive longer”.
- For fans of classic arena shooters or horror-FPS + roguelike loops, this offers a fresh spin beyond typical top-down auto-shooters.
What to watch out for / what’s still uncertain:
- As with many in this genre, balance and pacing may get tricky — darkness + sensory limitation + many enemies can easily become overwhelming or chaotic.
- It’s early: demo only covers initial stage(s). Long-term content, enemy variety, and meta-progression depth remain to be seen.
- Graphical clarity and performance — in a game relying on vision-denial + reveal pulses — will matter a lot. On weaker hardware, it might get messy.
To us at Indie Games Tavern, if you like horror-flavored FPS + roguelite + bullet-heaven hybrids — It Consumes is among the most intriguing demos from this festival. Good for thrill-seekers and risk-takers.
2. Dinner Defenders
What it is: A more defensive spin on the bullet-heaven trend: roguelike “tower-defense meets survivors-like”. You summon units and arrange defenses to fend off waves of hungry goblins and orcs — the idea being you survive long enough to finally get your well-deserved meal in the forest.
What works / what stands out:
- A “team/army + defense + wave survivals” hybrid — less about personal bullet dodging, more about strategic placement and synergy. For those tired of manic screen-flood bullet hell, this offers a slower, more tactical alternative.
- Potential for build diversity: summoning different units, using synergies between defenses/units, and deciding your strategy each run. According to some early feedback, a “proper team build” can lead to powerful results.
- A good “gateway” for players new to bullet-heaven: simpler pace than frantic shooters, more planning/management than twitch dodging.
What to watch out for / what’s still uncertain:
- The demo reportedly shows polish issues: players mention UI/display problems (e.g., incorrect video settings, difficulty seeing shop/unit stats).
- Some units feel underwhelming or “not worth it” — balancing feels rough: certain types (e.g. frost unit) reportedly give low value for resource cost.
- Long-term variety: if enemy waves or unit types remain limited, repetition may set in quickly. As with many indie roguelikes, updates and expansion will matter.
To us at Indie Games Tavern, Dinner Defenders is potentially a nice “light-bullet-heaven + tower defense” hybrid — worth checking if you prefer strategic layouts and teamwork over solo pixel chaos.
3. Hordes of Fate: A Hand of Fate Adventure
What it is: A survivors-style game with an emphasis on “hordes” — expect dense enemy waves, explosions of bullets/projectiles, and frantic action. Early footage suggests it leans into chaos and bullet-spray spectacle (hence the “heaven” in bullet-heaven).
What works / what stands out:
- Pure spectacle: for fans who like their screen full of enemies, projectiles, and over-the-top action, this kind of “maximum mayhem” can hit the right spot. The demo/trailer shows visually rich scenes with lots of enemies and effects.
- Fits bullet-heaven identity strongly: lots of waves, upgrade/progression loops, and a pacing that encourages repeated runs. This helps in tapping into what makes the genre appealing — high replayability, risk vs reward, and chaos-driven fun.
What to watch out for / what’s still uncertain:
- Clarity and readability: when screen becomes full of bullets + enemies, visual clutter can make it hard to track what’s going on. This is a common criticism of many survivors-like games, and Hordes of Fate risks falling into that trap. Indeed, a genre-wide concern is “signal-to-noise” ratio when too many projectiles fly.
- Balance of difficulty: if enemy density grows too fast — or weapon upgrades don’t scale well — runs might feel either too easy or unfairly punishing.
- Lack of information (as of demo/preshow): limited public feedback or reviews so far, meaning much of the judgement is speculative.
To us at Indie Games Tavern, a demo for adrenaline junkies — if you like brutal, chaotic, sky-full-of-bullets action, Hordes of Fate could scratch that itch. Approach with optimism, but be ready for noise and chaos.
4. Arms of God
What it is: Another entry in the bullet-heaven / survivors-like space. Though details are sparse, the presence in the festival suggests the game aims to deliver on the core genre promises: waves, upgrades, stylized combat and bullet-hell energy.
What might work / what to watch:
- The fact that it’s chosen among top/hyped demos for the festival means it likely tries something — either a twist on mechanics or a distinctive aesthetic — to stand out from the many clones.
- If the developers manage good pacing and clean visuals, it could appeal to players seeking fresh takes in a saturated genre.
Risks / uncertainties:
- Very little public information so far — no major previews or community feedback. Hard to evaluate strength vs. filler.
- As many bullet-heaven clones fail to differentiate themselves, there’s risk Arms of God ends up generic. Unless there’s a strong hook (unique mechanics, polish, or novel design), it may struggle for attention.
- Genre fatigue — as the festival page itself notes, the “signal-to-noise problem” is real in 2025: many new games, many clones. To stand out, Arms of God needs more than run-of-the-mill design.
To us at Indie Games Tavern, Arms of God is a “wait-and-see” — unless more info or a trailer catches your eye, it’s hard to recommend with confidence yet. But a hopeful entry if you like following indie shooters and want to try demos early.
5. Kritter: Defend Together
What it is: A cooperative (or at least co-op-capable) bullet-heaven / survivals-like game, recently featured in the festival’s lineup. According to its preview, it involves wave-based survival, likely with shared/ team-oriented mechanics.
What works / what stands out:
- Co-op or “together” angle — many survivors-like games are solo; a co-op experience adds social play, shared tension, and potentially more dynamic gameplay. That makes Kritter: Defend Together interesting for friends who want run-and-gun chaos together.
- If execution is good (balanced scaling, shared loot/responsibilities, coordination-based mechanics), it could become one of the most engaging social entries in the genre.
What to watch out for / potential pitfalls:
- Scaling & balance: co-op + bullet-heaven + wave-based enemies often leads to chaotic fights; ensuring balance so it’s fun (not frustrating) will be hard.
- Need for good netcode / stability: co-op implies latency, synchronization — especially in hectic combat with many entities. If not optimized, it could feel messy.
- Availability & content: early demo / alpha — might lack variety, enemy types, or enough progression to sustain repeated co-op runs.
To us at Indie Games Tavern, for group-play fans: Kritter: Defend Together is among the most promising demos this festival. Worth testing with friends — but expect bumps, given it’s early days.
🧭 Overall Impressions & What It All Means
- The Bullet Heaven 3.0 festival shows that the “survivors-like / bullet-heaven” genre is still alive and evolving. Many developers are trying to innovate: FPS versions, co-op, tower defense hybrids, meta-builds, etc.
- That said — quality varies widely. The festival page even warns about a “signal-to-noise” problem: with hundreds of games, filtering actual innovation vs. low-effort clones is becoming harder.
- As a player: it’s a good time to be choosy. Demos are key — try before you commit. Especially for indie titles, early bugs, balance issues, or shallow loops are common.
| If you want… | Try… |
|---|---|
| Tight FPS + horror-ish tension + solo challenge | It Consumes |
| Tactical defense + strategic team/unit build (less twitch, more planning) | Dinner Defenders |
| Max chaos, bullets everywhere, “bullet-hell spectacle” | Hordes of Fate |
| Hoping for something new but don’t mind waiting for polish | Arms of God |
| Co-op fun with friends — shared survival, team chaos | Kritter: Defend Together |
⚠️ Overall Caveats Before You Dive In
- These are demos or early builds — few have full content, polishing, or long-term progression yet. Expect bugs, balance tweaks, or missing features.
- The sheer volume of bullet-heaven-style games means many will feel similar. Unless there’s a strong hook (mechanic, theme, co-op), you might see “same loop, different skin”.
- Readability & clarity matter a lot: too many bullets/enemies on screen — games need good design to avoid “visual clutter = chaos”.
📌 Conclusion: The State of Bullet Heaven in Late 2025
Bullet Heaven Festival 3.0 shows that — even three years after the genre’s boom — there’s still creative energy and ambition behind newer entries. Some of the top demos offer genuine experimentation: FPS + horror, co-op, defense hybrids, customizable run modifiers, and more.
But the flood of entries also means inconsistency is high. For every exciting, polished demo, there are dozens that overpromise, underdeliver, or feel derivative. This makes festivals and demo-play the best way to discover real gems — while filtering out the noise.
If you’re a fan of bullet-heaven style games — or curious about the genre’s evolution — now is a great time to dip in, test some demos (especially those above), and see what resonates.
Top 5 New Demo Bullet Heaven Games by Indie Games Tavern.
Your cozy corner of indie gems. We’re more than just a indie game review channel, we’re a sanctuary for the unsung heroes of indie gamedev. Born from a love of the underdog, the quirky, and the downright brilliant, the Indie Games Tavern is your trusty guildhall for discovering the finest indie games—those hidden gems, wild experiments, and heartfelt labors that big studios often overlook. Picture this: a weathered oak table laden with scrolls—each a indie game review penned by your tavern scribes, folks like me who’ve braved the pixelated wilds to bring you tales of triumph, terror, and everything in between.
Indie Games Tavern 
Leave a comment