Vampire Survivors creator announces and surprise launches keyboard-smashing action slash 'em up

As part of the PC Gaming Show, Poncle, the creator of Vampire Survivors, has just announced its first foray into the world of video game publishing. During the showcase, it was revealed that Poncle is backing solo developer Nao Games, who is looking to deliver the keyboard-smashing slash 'em up known as Berserk or Die.

This game is pretty much what you would expect from that description as instead of favouring precise and accurate key presses like a typical PC game, the aim here is to simply smash a bunch of buttons at a time on your keyboard, where the more buttons you press the more damage your attacks do. As per the rest of the gameplay, the movement is controlled by your attacks and there's no end goal to reach, rather your time is spent simply attempting to survive an onslaught of attacks. Essentially, this means that the action is all about spamming and mashing buttons on your keyboard to "win".

As described in the announcement press release for the game, "Berserk or Die is all about the satisfaction of landing a perfectly-timed hit and watching foes fly across the screen in a flurry of pixels time and time again."

Poncle and Nao Games does note that while playing the aim is to smash your keyboard as much as possible without voiding its warranty, as replacement keyboards will not be provided.

The really exciting and surprising part about the announcement of this game is that it has also launched too. Yep, you can now play Berserk or Die on PC via Steam, snagging a copy for as little as £2.99/$3.99/€3.99.

Speaking about the idea behind Berserk or Die, Nao Games founder Nao Shibata explains: "I created this game with the goal of making something completely new. I believe it offers an experience that no other game can provide. Not only have I been able to bring my unique ideas to life, but I've also had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people along the way."

As for what the publishing of this game means for Poncle's future, we're told that this is the "first of more projects" planned this year.