There have been video games in the past where the natural order of things is reversed, with Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper being perhaps the most obvious. Instead of assuming a heroic role, you were tasked with creating a hazard-filled catacomb to entrap foolish heroes – and the upcoming ReVamp aims to follow in its footsteps.
Created by Digital Sun Games, the team behind Moonlighter, The Mageseeker and Cataclismo, ReVamp places you in the role of Dracula as he seeks to defend his castle from hordes of "human pests".
Described by director Eric Benavente as "essentially a Castlevania in reverse", ReVamp is a castle-defence roguelite in which you shape your fortress room by room to prevent it from being overrun by the annoying good guys. You're not totally passive, however, and have the chance to step into the fray and utilise Dracula's iconic powers of darkness.
"You are Dracula," reads the game's Steam page. "Not a monster in the shadows, but the sovereign of a castle under siege. Cursed by Achlys, goddess of the night, you are condemned to defend your throne without end. Mortals return night after night, and every siege becomes another chapter in an eternal war of blood and sacrifice. But you do not merely watch from afar. You move through your halls, strike down invaders with devastating abilities, and tip the balance of battle when your forces begin to falter. All for the love that was taken from you."
While Digital Sun Games seems pretty pleased with the whole "you're Drac" angle, hardcore Castlevania fans will be swift to point out that we've been given the chance to step into Vlad's cape-and-boots in the past. 2014's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 sees you assuming the role of a transformed Gabriel Belmont, who has become Dracula.
Still, it's cool to see this approach being combined with the concept behind Dungeon Keeper, so this will almost certainly be one to keep an eye on. Castlevania fans are eating well this year, clearly; Konami has recently announced a new entry in the series called Belmont's Curse.