Hi, fellow servants of the night!
For this monthly update, and while we keep working on ReVamp, we wanted to share some insights about something that might sound simple from the outside, but is surprisingly difficult once you actually sit down to do it: the game’s key art.
For this, we’ve been lucky to work with Toni Infante, an incredible artist whose work includes projects with Magic: The Gathering, Square Enix, and Bethesda. Having someone with that level of experience tackle ReVamp’s key art has been a huge help, because this image has to do much more than simply look cool.
For those discovering the game for the first time, ReVamp is basically Castlevania in reverse: instead of storming Dracula’s castle to kill him, you are Dracula, defending your castle from mortal invaders. We’ve been calling it a tower defensevania.
That means the key art has to communicate a very specific idea almost instantly:
You are the main character.
You command an army of monsters.
You are defending your castle from invading mortals.
You are technically the bad guy… but you are definitely not the enemy.
That last part is especially important. A good Steam key art does not need to explain every mechanic in the game. In fact, it usually shouldn't. Its job is to sell the fantasy first: what it feels like to play, what role you are stepping into, what kind of world you are entering, and what side you are on. It should also help players understand the genre at a glance, or at least point them in the right direction.
In our case, that is a delicate balance, because our deep connection to a certain vampire-hunting game series can easily make people assume ReVamp is yet another metroidvania where Dracula is the final boss. Or that he is the villain you are meant to defeat.
We don't want that.
That is why every choice in the key art matters: Dracula’s size, his face, his pose, the camera perspective, the way the minions are framed, and the position of the mortal invaders all respond to the same need. The image has to say: this is your castle, these are your monsters, and those humans are coming for you.
Right now, we think the current key art does the best job of showing that: Dracula as the central figure, commanding his forces against the humans invading his home.
But before committing to it, we explored a couple of alternatives.
One version went for more of a Monster Train vibe, which is a huge reference for us. We liked the energy of it, with Dracula clearly standing out in the middle, but the issue was that it could make it seem like you control both factions. Or worse, like the humans are the heroes fighting their way through monsters toward the final boss in the background.
Another version focused more on making you want to be Dracula. He was sitting on his throne, in front of a pile of dead bodies, with his minions behind him and a mischievous grin. We liked the confidence and attitude, but it started to feel more like “this is the villain you must defeat” rather than “this is the character you play.”
We also spent a lot of time exploring different backgrounds. Part of that was about making Dracula’s red stand out as much as possible, but part of it was also about something much more practical: visibility on Steam. Key art is not just art; it is also a key to being seen. And yes, visibility is key.
As cool as black or dark blue backgrounds looked, they were much easier to overlook against Steam’s own dark blue interface and store lists. That is one of the reasons we ended up pushing the background toward green: it gives Dracula’s red more contrast, makes the image pop harder, and hopefully helps ReVamp stand out when players are scrolling past dozens of other games.
That is the tricky thing about key art. It has to look cool, but it also has to work. It has to capture the fantasy, avoid the wrong assumptions, communicate your role in the game, and still be readable as a small capsule image in a crowded store page.
So, what do you think? Which key art best communicates the idea of a tower defense game where you play as Dracula defending his castle?
Please let us know in the comments, in the Steam discussions, or on our Discord!