Honestly they already have the answer, I think Survivor-Like is the perfect one, and coincidentally the one that was used first (as I recall). Makes sense considering we have Rogue-Likes, and used to have Doom-Likes.
All the other ones are too broad. Action Rogue-Like describes many other types of games, bullet heaven/bullet hell or whatever doesn’t apply to all Survivor-Likes as some don’t even have bullets, and Vampire-Survivors-Like is just too long.
Swarm survivor?
It’s definitely not a “rouguelike” because it lacks the number one important aspect of either roguelikes (or rogue lites ) which is random generation.
It’s not really bullet hell because while the enemies can shoot the focus is not on dodging bullets but on finding any viable way to manage the hoard, which could involve kiting or tanking, dependant on your build.
So what common elements does the genre have, if we look at games like Vampire Survivors and Brotato?
- Victory is defined not by achieving a set objective, but on surviving a fixed time or number of waves
- Shooting is automatic (you don’t have to fire, only move)
- Camera is usually top-down to help with visibility
So maybe:
2D Wave-Survival Autoshooter
Survivor-like or something. Developers already name all their clones “Survivors”.
“Autoshooter” feels like it encapsulates the genre well enough.
