Keeper Review

Developer Double Fine Productions has always been a studio that I’ve admired from afar. The heavy metal influence baked into Brütal Legend is awesome, but the genre mash-up isn’t my jam, and Psychonauts feels like a bullseye on my modern preference dart board; alas, my gaming tastes in 2005 were yet to develop past TimeSplitters and Battlefront. The studio’s latest title, Keeper, was poised to take me from bridesmaid to bride, with its oddball protagonist and beautiful visual style making me wonder if I was about to embark on a full developer backlog binge. As expected, the vibes and presentation are about in full force, but it’s Keeper’s moment-to-moment gameplay that prevents me from becoming a card-carrying member of the Double Fine fan club…for now.

Straight out of the gate, this game weaponises adorable absurdity. Fleeing a malicious cloud of shadows, a four-legged sea bird named Twig lands on a dilapidated lighthouse, only for the structure to topple over, magically merge with nearby roots to form legs, and stand up. Our playable coastline construct is a bit uneasy on its new feet, which is understandable for a usually inanimate object, but that’s nothing that a bit of wobbling and crashing through nearby abandoned homes can’t fix.

Our lone lighthouse is now as far from inanimate is you can possibly get, with a cracked body allowing for swaying under unsure footing, and a pair of metal eyebrows that express more emotion the vast majority of spoken dialogue in the gaming medium. Without a single phrase, the bond between bird and building is explored thoroughly as they traverse the wildly varied island. I particularly enjoy the portrayal of a friendship that evolves as the two grow and change, something that everyone can relate to.

The game’s environmental storytelling is vague and impactful

Once our light bearer gets their land legs, it’s off to summit the mountain that dominates the landscape in hopes of curing the plague of the Wither, the mysterious cloud that brought the unlikely pair together. The island itself is wonderfully bizarre and creative, each new location brimming with bright, colourful, and whacky designs for the flora and fauna alike. An environmental message underpins your efforts, as you help a range of quirky little critters overcome the blight with your cleansing light.

You’ll accomplish this by way of exploring and puzzle solving, with the lumbering lighthouse capable of dispelling the Wither and activating switches with its light, while Twig is on-beak to move levers and pick up objects from afar. Movement is slow, as you would expect from a generally sedentary fellow, and the puzzles, while novel in concept, are there as little more than set dressing.

One step removed from being a walk and gawk, the puzzle set up and solution are often sat next to each other, or the way forward is otherwise pointed out in an obvious fashion. I’m not wanting my brain turned into liquid trying to progress, but the no-stakes approach to traversal should be offset by some level of challenge in these areas. Instead, we are left with a completely friction-free experience.

Trypophobes beware: holes

This wouldn’t be as noticeable if moving through the world were slightly more engaging, I feel. The first hour of the game’s four-hour runtime is a little too basic for my liking, and I was left sucking air through my teeth hoping that this wouldn’t be a total miss. New gameplay mechanics are mixed into the equation during the game’s second and third acts, but those opening moments really struggle to find their footing.

Regardless of how you’re getting around, and how enjoyable it is to do so, the world and music would be enough to get you through on vibes alone. The island is small, but incredibly beautiful to behold, clogging up my hard drive with far too many screenshots. Your playthrough will likely be filled with the same shots, however, as the game’s fixed camera prevents wandering eyes.

This is a probably a choice made from necessity, as you’re required to move the lighthouse and its beam simultaneously, but I can also see the artistic benefits when it comes to perfectly framing the prettiest sights. Generally speaking, I was happy to take my hands off the camera-controlling reigns, but it was during the late-stage open areas where things got a bit unruly. Far quicker and nimbler as I was during these moments, the camera was slow to react and frustrating to work around.

Keep some hard drive space free for all the screenshots you’ll take

Those frustrations are also felt in the game’s performance. While drop-dead gorgeous and endlessly creative, it was difficult to admire the opening moments with more dropped frames than an art gallery during an earthquake. I would expect these technical snafus to be ironed out, but if you’re looking to put this one away during its first week in the wild, just know what you could be in for.

Final Thoughts

I’m left in a bit of an odd spot with Keeper. The presentation and direction are wholly superb, and the unorthodox charm it carries with it should require a permit. But I struggled to enjoy my time actually playing the game, particularly during the opening moments. The touching story of a lighthouse and its avian friend hits the mark, especially with its environmental messaging, I just wish the motions I took while enjoying it were more engaging.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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