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I was raised by two things: Dungeon Keeper and a copy of Castlevania I had for my Game Boy Advance. Also my actual parents, I guess, but they didn't give me a whip or construct me a dreadful fortress of blood and bone. Even when I asked.
So you can consider me very into everything ReVamp, from Spanish studio Digital Sun (the team behind Moonlighter and Cataclismo), is doing. The game sets you up as Dracula—ol' Alucard himself—brooding and ruling from his Transylvanian throne. Problem is, you've been cursed by the goddess of night, and your throne is troubled each night by attackers determined to drive a stake through your cold, cold heart.
That's where it all gets quite Dungeon Keeper/tower defence-y. And Castlevania-y. And roguelike-y, actually. It's a lot of things, is what I'm saying. To repel your foes, you'll have to build out, upgrade, and design your castle, rendered in a gorgeously gothic 2D artstyle, to make it impregnable and thoroughly lethal.
You can literally drag its rooms around—contorting your lair into all manner of unholy shapes—to funnel your foes into killzones, and stuff each room with the kind of lethal equipment that would make a medieval torturer blush. Even your medieval torturer, who's probably in one of these rooms. Wielding that equipment are your legions: skeletons, rats, harpies, and other ghoulish creations who will act as your knights and assassins as the 'good' guys try to smash down the door.
Once your enemies are inevitably reduced to paste—or, well, blood—you can invest the macabre currency of their remains to empower and enhance your castle, making it even more lethal for the next band of schmucks.
But here's the thing: say what you want about Dracula, the damned vespertine lord, you can't deny he's a man of action. It's not just about tower defence, you as Dracula can get in the thick of things, unleashing your dark magic on enemies. It's like a reverse Castlevania in a metroidvania you've designed yourself, as you stalk the corridors you placed and lay waste to the interlopers.
You can even design your castle in a way that makes your own dark powers the first line of defence—carving in shortcuts and clever layouts that let Dracula manifest quickly wherever in the castle he chooses.
But don't get too cocky. Sure, you're lord of the damned, but your foes aren't dumb. They'll get stronger as you do, and if you fail to adapt to your foes they'll quickly overwhelm you. You've got to keep your strategy changeable, your castle malleable, and yourself powerful as you tend to your upgrades between runs. What? You think the forces of light and justice are going to let you sit on your laurels? Absolutely not. I don't even think Dracula has laurels.
It's a great idea executed with oodles of style, and if you've ever sunk hours into exploring the dark corners of Symphony of the Night, or defending yourself against do-gooders in games like Evil Genius or Dungeon Keeper, you are absolutely gonna want to check it out. To keep track of the game and add it to your wishlist, you can find ReVamp over on Steam.
