Looks Like a “Jujutsu Kaisen” VanSaba, But Ends in a 1v1 Showdown!? “Jujutsu Kaisen RUMBLE: SURVIVATON” Turns the Culling Game into a Fighting Game [Hands-On]

"Jujutsu Kaisen RUMBLE: SURVIVATON," a new game based on the "Jujutsu Kaisen" series, developed by poncle—the studio behind "Vampire Survivors" (affectionately known as "VansaBa")—and Shueisha Games.

If I had to describe this game in one sentence, it would be “a *Jujutsu Kaisen* version of *Vampire Survivors* for up to 8 players.”

Defeat hordes of enemies with automatic attacks, gather experience points to level up, and choose one ability to acquire and strengthen your build...Players who have played *Vampire Survivors* should be able to intuitively grasp how to play as soon as they try it. Even players with no prior experience will find that the only basic control is movement, so after playing a few times, they’ll be able to hold their own in battle.

However, this game wasn’t simply *Vampire Survivors* with multiplayer elements tacked on.

It takes the fun of the solo game and elevates it into a competitive experience

When the game begins, all players are placed on the same map. In the early stages, players don’t directly fight each other; instead, they each defeat enemies to earn points, level up, and complete their builds.

In terms of gameplay, it feels less like an 8-player brawl and more like “each player competing for the highest score while playing *Vampire Survivors* within their own stage.”

Two key metrics play a crucial role here:

These are “Experience Points” and “Points.” Experience Points, as the name implies, are necessary for leveling up and can be earned by collecting gems dropped when you defeat enemies. Once you’ve collected a certain amount, you level up, allowing you to acquire new abilities or enhance the ones you already have.

The other crucial stat is “Points.” While this is an element not found in *Vampire Survivors*, it plays a vital role in this game.

After all eight players defeat enemies on their respective fields and level up repeatedly, only the top two players in the points ranking advance to the final head-to-head showdown that determines the match’s winner. In other words, no matter how high you level up or how powerful your build becomes, if you don’t have enough points, your run ends there—and you’re guaranteed to finish in 3rd place or lower.

And these points aren’t just a number used to determine the rankings. For every 100 points you earn, you can add a “Rule.”

Although called “rules,” these do not affect the entire match; rather, they’re a system that allows you to select specific players and apply debuffs to them for a set period of time. There was a wide variety of rules you could add, ranging from simply increasing damage taken from enemies, to preventing opponents from earning points even when defeated, to swapping positions with your opponent.

By “adding rules” like these, you can interfere with other players’ point-earning and character development, causing the multiplayer elements—which were sparse in the early stages—to gradually gain more prominence.

Additionally, when the gauge that fills up as you play reaches its maximum, you get the chance to unleash a powerful special move. You can activate special moves unique to *Jujutsu Kaisen*, such as “Domain Expansion” and “Black Flash”!

Since special moves affect other players nearby, this alone is a distinctly competitive element. However, if another nearby player activates a special move right after you’ve used yours, the later move can overwrite the previous one. It’s a battle of territory…

In the early stages, players are each defeating enemies on their own fields, but as new rules are introduced and special moves come into play, they gradually begin to interfere with one another. Then, at the end of the match, the top two players in the points ranking face off in a direct showdown… Defeat your opponent there, and you’ll claim victory!

While retaining the satisfying “build-and-roguelike” feel of *Vampire Survivors*—which works perfectly as a solo game—the way the multiplayer mode transitions into a competitive game as time goes on was actually quite fun to experience firsthand.

“Even that character!?” The attention to detail in the source material references

As a *Jujutsu Kaisen* game, another key point is just how meticulously the source material has been adapted. Not only do major characters like Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Satoru Gojo appear, but various sorcerers and spell techniques also show up as abilities and enemies.

Just among the bosses that appeared during the demo were Naoya Zen’in, Kenzoku, the second son of the Nine Phases of the Cursed Womb—Kai—and the third son—Chito,the physically gifted Jin Fushiguro, Reggie Star from *Death March*, Reimi—who guided Fushiguro to him—and even Haba, who fights by using his head like a propeller.

From characters that make you think, “Of course this character is here!” to others that leave you wondering, “Are they really including that character?!”, they’re all thoroughly integrated into the game.

Of course, there are easily recognizable ones like “Straw Spirit Cursed Technique” used by Nobara Kugisaki and Satoru Gojo’s spell reversal “Kaku,” but even the names of area-of-effect abilities—which attack the surrounding area at regular intervals—go as far as “Rough Cursed Energy.”

Even though it’s an official game, isn’t it a little too funny that they’ve even picked up Kaname Shibari’s cursed energy trait as a move name?

I get the impression that in games based on source material, elements tend to be concentrated on famous characters and iconic special moves.

On the other hand, precisely because this game genre requires a massive number of enemies and abilities, I got the impression that even characters who appeared only once in the source material—as well as minor techniques and spells—were utilized as source material. The more closely you’ve followed *Jujutsu Kaisen*, the more fan service elements you’ll likely find to enjoy.

At the very beginning, it felt like just a standard *Vampire Survivors* with *Jujutsu Kaisen* elements added, but before I knew it, we were fighting over points and using “Additional Rules” to sabotage each other…!

And finally, you use the co-op build you’ve nurtured to engage in a 1v1 showdown. I think the sensation of the game gradually shifting into a competitive match was one of its most entertaining aspects.

With details from the original series included—perhaps even to the point of being excessive—it’s insanely fun for fans…!

It felt like a much more ambitious game than I’d imagined from the description “Jujutsu Kaisen-style Vampire Survivors.” Now I’m just waiting to see how over-the-top and chaotic the full version will get. I’m really looking forward to playing the rest of it.

*Jujutsu Kaisen RUMBLE: SURVIVAL* is scheduled for release in 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.