Keeper Review

Keeper is peculiar. This may not be surprising considering it is the newest title from the developer Double Fine, which has maintained a unique quirky persona for years, yet Keeper is distinctive even by the studio’s benchmarks. It doesn’t neatly align with a conventional genre, and at times feels akin to a high-end art endeavor. But this is also the most unwavering Double Fine has ever been, making the overall experience more rewarding.

The most similar counterpart to Keeper is 2012’s Journey–the two titles share a silent narrative style, a focus on movement that oscillates between slow and intentional to exhilaratingly smooth and rapid, and even the apparent goal of reaching a far-off peak. However, that analogy seems overly simplistic, for while Journey presents a straightforward allegory, Keeper continues to develop, transforming itself and its motifs, and venturing into unforeseen territories. Although you can swiftly grasp and comprehend the fundamental outlines of Journey’s environment, the realm of Keeper feels more foreign, and its natural hierarchy is not always evident.

Let’s rewind. Keeper commences when a lighthouse beams its light to rescue a bird from an advancing horde of consuming darkness. The lighthouse itself collapses, shattering into fragments, but then reconstructs and sprouts a tripod of slender, unstable limbs. You navigate through these clumsy initial movements, often stumbling—does a lighthouse possess a face?—as you adapt to traversing the environment.

As the lighthouse becomes more accustomed to navigation, you proceed toward your destination with the bird you rescued resting atop your roof. A mountain in the distance seems to beckon you, prompting you to head in that direction. At this juncture, it’s what one might describe as a shuffling simulator. Your movements feel burdensome. Your primary mechanic, apart from mobility, is directing your light at objects or at times intensifying its focus, or occasionally sending your avian companion toward objects you can interact with.

From the outset, Keeper is a title that benefits those who exhibit patience and engage with it on its own terms. The bulk of the experience involves transitioning from one area to another and resolving predominantly straightforward puzzles. It often resembles a tonal poem. There is no concept of death or failure, and you spend considerable time simply absorbing the landscapes and observing the peculiar creatures that inhabit the world as they scurry around you. Whatever force animated the lighthouse seems to have infused the entire world with vitality, emphasizing the search for beauty in unsightly aspects. The environment is filled with refuse, decay, and uneven formations like coral, yet it is also teeming with liveliness. The animations of both the lighthouse and the bird are notable features, endowing them with character and emotion.

The camera operates with strict control, allowing your right stick to govern the direction of your light. This serves an additional purpose: Keeper skillfully composes each shot like a meticulously directed film, resulting in breathtaking visuals. This is undoubtedly Double Fine’s most visually striking game to date, and nearly every moment appears as though it could be framed and showcased on a wall. This is enhanced by a lovely yet understated oil-painting effect.

Trust me when I assert that there are visual spectacles in this game that are unparalleled in my gaming experience. I’m not even certain I could articulate some of them.

Around the midpoint of the game, Keeper undergoes the first of several significant transformations. Without disclosing specifics, I will mention that at this stage, the camera momentarily becomes much less tightly regulated, granting you greater freedom to explore, which slightly complicates determining precisely what you should do and where to go. I found myself needing to investigate much more in this section or revisiting areas I had previously explored.

However, before long, Keeper reinvents itself once more. Each time it does, the new reality seems logical, and what you have done thus far provides context and serves as a foundation for what comes next. I may have felt temporarily disoriented in the middle portion, but the fundamental mechanics of how to navigate and utilize my abilities always felt comprehensible. That in itself is commendable. All of this ties into the themes of Keeper, highlighting the tension between man-made creations and the natural environment and how they adjust to one another.

As it continues to transform and develop, Keeper ventures into realms I never anticipated—both mechanically and, especially, visually. Trust me when I say that there are visual moments in this game that are unlike anything I’ve encountered in gaming. I’m not even sure I could describe some of them. You simply have to witness them for yourself.

In the current moment, as Microsoft faces challenges with its Xbox division and has just raised the price of Game Pass, Keeper feels strangely timed. I generally avoid discussing commerce or business matters in reviews, preferring to concentrate on the essence of the work itself. Yet I couldn’t shake the sensation that Keeper seems like a remnant of a previous era in Game Pass, when it represented the best argument for the subscription service: A creative studio was granted the liberty and support to craft something extraordinarily peculiar and self-assured, without compromises. Keeper feels like a labor of love, personal and treasured, even with the backing of an entire studio and major publisher. It made me ponder whether we will continue to see games like this emerging from Microsoft. I hope so.

Keeper showcases Double Fine at its most self-assured: a visual banquet, a tonal poem, an exploration of movement mechanics, a parable about the world and our obligations to it. It’s identifiable as a progression of the studio’s earlier creations while simultaneously feeling innovative and fresh. Double Fine games have always been rich with artistry, but it’s Keeper—a game devoid of words—that resonates most deeply with letting the artistry express itself.