During the Triple-i showcase, indie developer poncle surprised fans by announcing and immediately releasing Vampire Survivors: Emerald Diorama, a brand-new free expansion themed around Square Enix’s legendary RPG franchise SaGa. Available now across all major platforms (excluding Apple Arcade), this unexpected crossover celebrates both the SaGa series and Vampire Survivors’ latest BAFTA win for “Evolving Game.”
First debuting in 1989, the SaGa franchise has shipped and sold over 411 million copies worldwide. Now, its iconic characters are joining forces with the Survivors to battle bizarre monsters in an entirely new multiverse-spanning stage.
What’s New in Emerald Diorama?
The expansion adds 12+ playable characters from SaGa Emerald Beyond, including:
- Tsunanori Mido: A puppet-wielding mystic with defensive summons.
- Ameya Aisling: A cat-loving witch on a magical mission.
- Bonnie & Formina: Dual protagonists who combine firearms and fists.
- Diva No.5: A mecha songstress banned for her forbidden melody.
And yes, there’s even a Dismal King raising armies from the fallen.
Over 40 New Attacks & the Glimmer Mechanic
Emerald Diorama introduces 16+ new weapons, each capable of triggering Glimmers—a mechanic from the SaGa series where players spontaneously learn new moves mid-fight. Expect everything from freezing sword slashes to explosive martial arts fire jabs and missile-powered mayhem.
Stage, Squad, and Showstoppers
The new “Emerald Diorama” stage features surreal, interconnected realms perfect for chaotic sideways battles. Characters can form party combos, summoning allies or combining attacks. When near defeat, SaGa heroes unleash a dramatic Showstopper, temporarily gaining enhanced abilities to clutch survival from the jaws of pixelated death.
More Free Content
That’s not all. poncle also launched The Coop, a quirky chicken-themed main game update, plus two new Adventures—one for the base game, and one tied to the Tides of the Foscari DLC.
If this is how poncle celebrates awards, fans should be hoping for many more wins to come.
