One of our biggest inspirations for the Vampire Bat Beast came from our own backyard. Gainesville, Florida is well known for its massive bat population, and we knew we had to create our own monstrous take on them!
As the first true flying Beast in the game, the Vampire Bat introduces an entirely new playstyle. Her powerful wings can carve through buildings and she's the only Beast capable of stunning her opponents, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. She may be the smallest Beast of the bunch, but she's also the fastest and arguably the most aggressive.
In her earliest designs, The Vampire Bat actually gave us more trouble than we expected. We initially designed her to primarily be a quadruped with only a handful of flying attacks. If we're being honest - we were trying to avoid the technical challenges of creating a fully flying Beast. However the Vampire Bat is the smallest Beast on the roster and when she was walking on all fours, she would disappear between buildings. It made her difficult to see, less satisfying to control, and ultimately not very fun to smash cities with. We realized that if we wanted her to stand out and be fun to play, we needed to embrace her natural abilities. The Vampire Bat had to fly!
Making that change meant rebuilding nearly all of her animations and gameplay from the ground up. It was a huge undertaking, but it completely transformed the Beast, and it was absolutely worth it. Now we have a Beast that captures everything we wanted from her: fast, aggressive, destructive, and incredibly satisfying to smash cities with.
Apex Drop - With a swift dive, she snatches her opponents and carries them high above the battlefield before hurling them back down to the ground with a bone-crushing impact.
Attack Cyclone - She launches herself into a violent aerial spin using her massive wings to create a cyclone powerful enough to tear through anything in its path.
Serum Syphon - Uses her talons to grab and pin opponents in place before draining their life with her vampire fangs, restoring a small amount of her HP.
Echolocation Stun - With a powerful echolocation screech, the Vampire Bat can stun her enemies leaving them defenseless against her next attack.
Force Winds - The sheer power behind her wings creates a violent gust capable of knocking nearby aircraft off course and sending them spiraling away.
Insectivore - Consuming nearby brutes restores a portion of her HP.
Enhanced Echo - Her advanced echolocation reveals the location of all humans and vehicles in her vicinity.
Iron Wing - Her massive wings serve as a living shield, protecting her from incoming attacks.