V-Hunter Puzzler Dx

get your mind out of the gutter, v-hunter puzzler dx is not some hentai porn game, v stands for vampire. you're hunting them, along with other nasties, in a turn-based fashion. you act, then enemies act, and so on.
64 levels unlocked one by one, no on-screen level numbers, only in the pause menu. more monsters and other mechanics get introduced as levels go by. e.g.: rats are stationary and will attack adjacent cells after every 3 moves, skeletons patrol, vampires have longer attack range, etc. not only the baddies but their blood is also dangerous, need extra hearts to step on it and survive. vampires can only be killed with holy water, so that has to be picked up first, and there are some weapons too. alternate appearances for our hero are unlocked with certain achievements.
decent amount of enemy variety and levels are big arenas with no obstacles as such, but some are pretty packed. and as you keep killing, leftover blood can become a problem and you can easily paint yourself into a corner if you're not careful.
unlimited undo in normal mode, works from a fail state. hard mode is timed and only has one undo, plus no enemy turn counter above them. no move limit anywhere but move count is revealed at the end of a level. doesn't do anything, so the lack of an on-screen move counter isn't a big deal. would be nice to have 'back to main menu' and 'back to level select' buttons on the results screen though.
the non-rebindable controls are almost good enough. wasd/arrows to move/attack, space to rest and place dynamite if you have any, 'c' fires your gun, again, if you can. 'z' is undo, 'r' is supposed to be restart but what it does is it kills you and brings up the fail screen with the option to restart or undo. not very elegant, then it replays the dialog as well. movement and undo can't be held to do more, gotta keep pressing. controller is supported, mouse also works and there are icons for the menu and undo, but I wouldn't recommend playing with the mouse, clicking tiles one by one is tedious.
presentation is a mixed bag. the 16-bit parts (menu background and some portraits during dialog) are done well, the 8-bit parts (everything else) not so much, so their pairing looks even worse. audio is servicable but settings aren't available while playing. they consist of separate volumes, a resizable windowed mode and the option to turn off dialog completely. an instant text display for dialog would be necessary but clicking works to make it all appear at once, speed is not that slow and there's no annoying text display sound.
it's not a hugely exciting, challenging or long game (2 hours tops) and definitely needs more polish, but not too bad as a first(ish) effort. I'm sure hard mode is a lot tougher but I didn't bother with that. has a demo, progress carries over.

Initially I didn't know what I was getting myself into with this game when I first saw it, but thought "what the hell? I've got $3, lets check this out." And like many other Indie games I've tried, I was pleasantly surprised.
The gameplay is simple and straightforward, and the game works smoothly on both PC and Steam Deck, which I appreciated for those intermittent couch sessions. Its level system and save feature also makes it a great game to pick up and play, even if its only for a few minutes at a time.
While the game starts off with some pretty trivial levels, the mechanics definitely challenge the player as you continue to progress through it, keeping it engaging and enjoyable the whole way through. With various area aesthetics and enemy mechanics to remember, it actually carries some replayability and a decent challenge to it.
The art-style is clean, the music slaps, and the game is good. For $3, what more can you ask for?

Short but sweet turn-based puzzler about killing monsters, avoiding hazards and using cool items. The game constantly keeps throwing something new at you. My most favourite levels are the boss levels, definitely the most challenging ones, as they should be. Another plus is that the game can be played in super short sessions too, if you don't have much time as the levels are bite-sized.
Easy recommend if you like shorter but sweet puzzle games, especially considering the low price.

Cool, fun puzzle game for all ages. Very easy to learn and the epic music was a plus. Some levels were challenging and require more thinking than others, but it's still not rocket science so don't worry. Definitely recommend if you're into puzzle games or want to rock your inner vampire hunter. Buckle up, blast the volume, and start chugging that holy water!

Game is a lot of fun. Turn based strategy that's easy enough for my pea brain to understand and enjoy. Music is delightful.

Cute little puzzle game about beating up monsters. It regularly goes on sale for .50 and I'd say that is about right for how much playtime you will likely get.

An entertaining, if brief, puzzle game. Something new gets added every couple levels so it doesn't get stale. The item pickups are an interesting addition as well.