DLC roundup: Pinball FX, Planet Zoo & Vampire Survivors

Pinball FX, Planet Zoo and Vampire Survivors all just received new content – here’s a look at what you might play with over the holidays when you expand your DLC collection.

Pinball FX receives nine (!) new tables for the holidays

Pinball fans are in for a nice holiday break with Zen Studios’ latest Pinball FX update, unleashing a total of nine new tables, adding vibrancy and a wide range of themes to the platform. The Star Trek Pinball Pack is a standout release for trekkies, brings the cinematic and TV-based Star Trek universe to life. The Kelvin Timeline table invites players on a journey with Captain James T. Kirk, while Discovery immerses them in pivotal moments from the first four seasons of the series. Deep Space Nine explores the edges of the final frontier, engaging players in the iconic space station’s adventures with Captain Benjamin Sisko against the backdrop of the Dominion War.

Switching to something that’s extremely seasonal, you can also play A Charlie Brown Christmas Pinball, which captures the heartwarming essence of the holiday classic, letting players join the Peanuts crew in a festive play and tree decorating extravaganza. If you’re just grabbing a single table to play this coming week, this is the one you want! Even when you’re no good at pinball, the charm carried it a long way.

Meanwhile, Game Night Pinball Volume 1, is a novel new approach for Zen – taking popular board game and creating a pinball spin on them. This pack introduces Terraforming Mars Pinball, Gloomhaven Pinball, and Exploding Kittens Pinball. Each table features diverse challenges, from managing a mega-corporation on Mars to confronting the eerie void in Gloomhaven, or navigating a pinball cat-astrophe inspired by the popular card game.

Lastly, the Charity Pack features two revamped tables and supports Project Pinball and the Budapest Pinball Museum, who are getting 50% of the proceed for this pack. The pack features Epic Quest and Excalibur, which should be familiar to longtime Zen fans and both offer a quality experience.

Planet Zoo: Eurasia Animal Pack DLC

The latest animal pack for Planet Zoo sends players on a journey through Eurasia. Frontier’s latest expansion adds seven habitat species and one exhibit reptile, all of which tie into the essence of Eurasian wildlife. The DLC also includes a narrative-driven campaign scenario, challenging players to create a surprise retirement gift for someone by building a zoo in secret. ’tis the season of giving, we suppose.

Featuring eight new animals, the DLC showcases the wisent (also known as the European bison), the wild boar, and the wolverine (no, not that one). The revamped Malayan tapir stands out as a significant improvement, addressing previous concerns about visual quality with this particular animal. If you enjoy smaller exhibit creatures, you get animals like the Hermann’s tortoise.

The visuals and animations once again feel like a very realistic portrayal, as do the various animal behaviors, making this yet another notable addition to Planet Zoo, offering a diverse selection of new animals as well as an improved model for the tapir. With eight animals to play with, this is a very worthwhile expansion for players seeking to enrich their collection at a good price point.

Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting DLC

The Emergency Meeting DLC for Vampire Survivors, which is available now for the super low price of just two dollars/euros, seamlessly intertwines the appeal of Among Us with the wave survival dynamics of Vampire Survivors, injecting a burst of novelty into the gameplay by combining two massively popular titles. Plunging players into space with the Polus Replica stage, the DLC introduces quirky new biomes and waves of extraterrestrial adversaries, cleverly incorporating Among Us themes into the narrative.

The gameplay is also changed up with the addition of nine new characters and a diverse array of 15 weapons, all inspired by Among Us. The evolution system introduces a dynamic element into the mix, ensuring each roguelite run feels unique and unpredictable. The Adventure mode expands the DLC’s offerings with a new way to play, providing a creative space for players to experiment with the new characters and weapons.

Visually, the Emergency Meeting DLC seamlessly incorporates the iconic Among Us aesthetic into Vampire Survivors’ pixelated universe. The Polus Replica stage captures the essence of Among Us while adding a fresh twist to the otherwise familiar gameplay, and the humor and creativity embedded in the new weapons enhance the overall visual appeal. As such, the DLC succeeds in delivering an entertaining expansion for both Among Us enthusiasts and Vampire Survivors fans – and at a price point you can’t refuse.