Keeper Review, Gameplay Impressions and Videos for Double Fine's Newest Release

Keeper from Double Fine is the latest unique effort from the minds behind decades-spanning hits such as Psychonauts.

An atmospheric puzzle adventure experience, Keeper aims to tell a dialogue-less story unlike anything that has really come before it in the industry. Case in point, for starters, players control a lighthouse exploring some of the most visually interesting spaces seen in video games to date. 

Along the way, a gentle hand urges players to explore, discover and progress. It's a compelling pitch and stunning in practice, setting up one of the most interesting releases of the year. 

Graphics and Gameplay

The surrealist-painting-inspired dreamlike landscapes of Keeper are stunning to the eye, to keep it very simple. It's artistry at every corner of the experience that really does the talking for itself, much like the deep storytelling of the landscapes and silent characters themselves.  

There are beach areas with oddities littered about, far-off sights worth exploring, beasts real and possibly not real at every turn and bits of landscape that simply come to life, causing quite the surprise. 

That's not to say Keeper doesn't impressively lean into modern horsepower. There's some stunning lighting work and bloom particle effects that pop.

But by and large, the way the visuals and pleasing and fitting sound effects work in concert with the gameplay itself is a real treat and not necessarily describable with words. 

Keeper is, after all, an experience based on exploration with no fail states or death. 

In keeping with that simple-yet-immersive theme, thanks to the compelling world, controls are basic and enjoyable. It's the discovery of interactions with the world where things really push over the proverbial edge.

Sure, there are push-pull interactions out in the world. But puzzles get creative with the light from the protagonist, too. It's not just scrubbing aside patches of darkness like Super Mario Sunshine or otherwise, either. 

Players will also find, for example, that shining the light on certain things can quite literally bring them to life, aiding in puzzle completion. What might seem like an inevitable combat situation can be circumvented by the eventual ability to charge up the beam of light.

Twig, the bird sidekick, is very much part of puzzle solutions, too. Whether it's something as simple as sending it here or there to interact with things or implementing some time travel that humorously leaves Twig as an egg when going back in time, experimentation is both encouraged and rewarded. 

The whole thing is impressive, but perhaps the exclamation point is the easy-to-miss fact that the game doesn't tell players how to do any of this. It simply gives them a little nudge to get the ball going on the exploration and experimentation front, then players do the rest themselves rather naturally. 

Story and more 

A wordless story with clear influences from the recent pandemic era, Keeper explores deep themes and weaves a tale that is attention-grabbing and enthralling. 

Keeper embraces all things psychedelic-like right away, as players assume control of a lighthouse awoken by a bird named Twig, whose goal is to escape a stormish-like thing. 

Got all that?

The game's opening moments sort of say it all. A sense of discovery that a lighthouse had, indeed, grown legs and stumbles around like a newborn animal quickly turns into a wordless comedy as it drunkenly smashes into things.

The themes and vibes twist from there, but it's never not interesting to see how the world and characters that inhabit it flex storytelling prowess through emotive interactions. It's not a tale easily explained and shared with others, yet compelling enough to want to do so. 

In a true testament to the concoction dreamed up here, it's downright impressive just how much players will come to care for these characters who never say a word. Giant budgets, Hollywood glitz and explainifying the themes can only get so far in the video game space. 

Keeper does hit other modern must-haves, though, including a solid suite of options. It runs well, too, never suffering from little hiccups that yank players out of the immersive experience. 

Conclusion 

Keeper is one of those games whose legend will only grow with time, which is right in line with other Double Fine efforts. 

Refreshing in many ways, one of the subtle underlying positives here is the lack of a typical grind, endless inventory system, or the requirement to master systems. Not every game can pull this off, but one can hope that other singleplayer puzzle-like experiences or otherwise draw inspiration from the successes here. 

Beyond that, a whimsical, heartfelt tale in an unforgettable experience is what Keeper has to offer. The characters and world won't leave players' minds for a long time, nor will the feeling of sheer exploration and discovery that so few games can manage in a way Keeper brings to life.

Keeper is a "wish I could play it again for the first time" experience, which is about as high of a praise anyone can bestow upon an effort in the video game medium.