**Keeper Review: A Puzzle Adventure Illuminating Life, Time, and Friendship**
Storybook fables that teach grander lessons about life can come in many different forms. They might be stories about humans, or animals with human qualities. They could be tales of friendship between humans or talking animals. But it’s rare to find a poignant yarn about a lighthouse and a bird.
The premise of *Keeper*, the latest puzzle-filled adventure game from Double Fine, suggests an oddball, almost wacky kind of friendship story. Yet it unfolds into a grander tale of life, time, and nature — one that harbors surprising emotional depth for a story centered around a lighthouse.
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### Turning on the Light
It can be tricky to convey what makes *Keeper* such a grand adventure without delving into some light spoilers. I’ll try to keep details vague, but some later story elements may need to be touched upon. Keep this in mind as you read on.
*Keeper* is set in a distant future where humans have long since disappeared. A remote island is threatened by a dark force called the Wither. After years of inactivity and wear, a lighthouse topples over — but then, surprisingly, it sprouts legs and begins walking.
As the lighthouse moves forward, a curious bird named Twig flies by and decides to nest atop its peak. The lighthouse can only move forward; over time, Twig helps it on its journey, developing a strange bond with this seemingly inanimate companion.
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### A Minimalistic Storytelling Approach
This kind of story could easily collapse under heavy exposition. The game might have included full-blown cutscenes explaining what the Wither is, its origins, or why the lighthouse came to life. It could also have spelled out why Twig arrived at just the right moment.
Instead, Double Fine opts for minimalism. There’s no dialogue. Story beats unfold through simple actions and gestures in short cutscenes. Players use their imagination to interpret what’s happening — and, more importantly, why.
This subtle narrative style makes *Keeper*’s story resonate more deeply. The lighthouse coming to life and its journey can be seen as a metaphor for life itself.
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### Life’s Journey Through a Lighthouse and a Bird
Throughout the game, the lighthouse undergoes several phases. It starts with its first moments, adjusting to its new legs. As time passes, age sets in, and its body slowly deteriorates — but this decline leads to new purposes, new phases, much like humans experience different life stages.
Without spoiling the ending, it’s a beautiful conclusion designed to make players reflect on the nature of existence and ponder what comes next.
The story of life and friendship is also conveyed through Twig. She begins as a curious creature who accepts the unlikeliest of friends. As the game progresses, Twig grows and changes, going through her own stages of life alongside the lighthouse.
Twig’s ending is equally beautiful, marking the end of a personal journey that brings her fulfillment in a way she never could have anticipated.
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### Philosophy and Nature in the Middle
While *Keeper* evokes deep philosophical questions mostly in its beginning and end, the middle focuses on nature’s cooperation for survival. Even in the absence of humanity, life fights to persist and keep the world thriving.
A memorable section before the climax perfectly illustrates this. It shows nature’s interplay in sustaining life — all conveyed through the game’s minimalistic storytelling at its finest.
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### Shining a Spotlight on Gameplay
True to Double Fine’s narrative style, *Keeper* features no explicit objectives throughout. This is often for the best, as the visual beauty of the natural world and the wonder of player interaction benefit greatly from an uncluttered screen.
Occasionally, brief objective text appears if you get stuck. But throughout my playthrough, I often found myself wandering in circles, especially during a later section involving navigating the island’s waterways.
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### Gameplay Feeding the Story
*Keeper*’s story and gameplay feed into each other, enhancing the overall experience. At first, the lighthouse must carefully adjust to walking, struggling not to topple over. Being top-heavy, players must master its physics to progress.
As time goes on and the lighthouse evolves, movement becomes easier — akin to growing from childhood to adulthood.
The puzzles mostly involve shining the lighthouse’s bulb to bring life to darkened objects: raising platforms, opening doors, and clearing paths. The light also keeps the Wither’s darkness at bay, although it functions more as a nuisance than a true threat.
There are no fail states or deaths, so there’s no pressure to complete puzzles quickly. The Wither’s darkness may slow progress, but it won’t end your journey.
Twig plays an active role too. She retrieves objects, turns cranks, and weighs down switches — with sparkling lights guiding where she can go, making efficient use of screen space.
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### Manipulating Time: A Clever Puzzle Concept
One particularly memorable section has the lighthouse helping a dilapidated robot by exploring three temples representing the past, present, and future.
– Shining light on the past temple’s symbol turns Twig into an egg, adding extra weight for pressure switches.
– The future temple’s symbol turns Twig into a ghost, allowing her to pass through walls.
Manipulating time and Twig’s temporal state is one of the game’s cleverest puzzle ideas — though the section wraps up too quickly. I would have loved to see more of this concept explored.
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### A Thrilling Climax
At the story’s climax, *Keeper* shifts gears dramatically. What starts as a walking simulator moves into a boating segment, then suddenly transforms into a wild, Marble Madness-style ride down tunnels.
Here, players must use momentum to solve puzzles and clear obstacles. It’s a blast, never overstaying its welcome, setting up the story’s powerful conclusion.
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### Cinematic Camera and Beautiful Settings
Double Fine wants players to soak in the stunning natural world, which is partly why there’s no dedicated camera control.
The fixed camera is used to great cinematic effect — with corner shots, bird’s eye views, and even angles from underneath the landscape — emphasizing *Keeper*’s breathtaking environment.
However, not having camera freedom can occasionally add unnecessary difficulty to certain puzzles.
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### Friendship Takes New Forms
At its core, *Keeper* is a beautiful story about life and friendship. It feels like a narrative that could stand strong as an animated feature, but its full potential shines through the unique puzzle design and pacing only possible in video games.
Double Fine has a reputation for delivering diverse gaming experiences, and *Keeper* stands uniquely apart from everything else they’ve created.
If you’re in the mood to ponder the nature of the universe, *Keeper* is the story to experience. It’s hard to imagine a walking lighthouse evoking such emotion — and that is what truly makes this game a Keeper.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146369/keeper-review-score
