Keeper Review

What the hell did we just play?

Death and rebirth is a theme many tales revolve around. Within these, death isn’t actually the end; it tends to, in fact, mean life anew. However, what that death is usually defines the rebirth aspect of it all. From decay to sacrifice, death’s part in the cycle of renewal is both required and philosophically nuanced. It also means death, by definition -- and even as a character -- can be anyone and anything.

In Keeper from Double Fine (Brütal Legend, Psychonauts), we experience the full cycle of the above, and then some. And all in the guise of a ‘guiding light’ manifested as a sentient lighthouse.

In a decayed world enveloped by a corruption, of sorts, Keeper is a game best described as ‘moving art’. There’s no rhyme or reason to the sentience of our quad-legged, crumbling lighthouse, nor why a fantastical prehistoric-like bird has taken a shine to them. But there is a story here, It’s just that, very much like most art, interpretation throughout Keeper is entirely subjective. Its themes are heavy, but there’s an embedded history in the makeup of its world; a world, mind, that might be the single most beautiful ever crafted in the videogaming landscape, which is actually saying something. This is by far the most ‘out there’ thing Double Fine has ever done and when awards are being handed out at the end of the year it ought to be very high on everyone’s lists for art, design and art direction.

More so even because there’s no dialogue at all, so we’re poked and prodded by the studio and its helpful bird creation, but thankfully Keeper’s dev-directed camera also serves up some of the best composition for this type of game ever, helping to draw the eye to points of visual narrative influence. It sits alongside other side-scrolling gems like Inside, Limbo and even Journey to help, but then there’s also shades of Dredge in there, and Metroid Prime -- believe it or not. It’s also puzzle-heavy, and can take some getting used to given it is often a bit clunky, what with being a top-heavy walking lighthouse and all. And that “dev-directed camera” means players have no control over their viewing plane, either, which later in the game can be burdensome. But on the whole what’s here is still magical and mysterious and visually wondrous to clamber  through.

We can say this with confidence as well -- you won’t play a game like Keeper this year at all.

Let’s shine some light on what to expect.

Keeper

Genre: Side-Scrolling Adventure
Developer: Double Fine
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: October 17, 2025
Classification: PG
Author: Stephen Farrelly
Date: October 30, 2025

My New Friend’s Name is Earl

That Double Fine chose a lighthouse as its avatar for Keeper is both interesting and smart. Light and focus play a big part in the game’s limited elements of discovery, while the combo of our bird friend and the lighthouse make for striking characters. Thematically, as we’ve already lightly touched on, there’s more nuance to the decision but on the whole Keeper’s trundling, near-fumbly main character is joyous to play as and emits huge amounts of character.

"At one point, our lighthouse must walk through an effective graveyard of other lighthouses, all of whom are no more, or whose lights are now fading..."

The game isn’t ‘dark’ per se, but it has moments of dread that equally help give both key characters purpose and drive. At one point, our lighthouse must walk through an effective graveyard of other lighthouses, all of whom are no more, or whose lights are now fading. Representation of this one *walking sequence (of which the game is largely *80% of) could be construed of all the other failed vessels tasked with the main goal of the game, which is to reach an ominous peak that spires over the game-world with a sharp and dread-inducing mountainous tine. “Why?” is an optimal query, but what we do know is that you weren’t the first, the larger question is will you be the last?

Most of the game’s story is visual, as we’ve also touched on, but its Achievement descriptions actually fill in some significant blanks which help flesh out the calamity that has taken place and a prior race’s attempts to fix things, or to set in motion impediments and puzzles (tied to mechanisms to reverse or ‘fix’ it all), which plays into another theme around destiny. Again, the game is thick with its lofty concepts, but how you choose to interpret these is entirely up to you. But it will definitely make you think.

Would you like to know more?
Double Fine has a track record of making entirely unique games and when it does, it always innovates or sets a bar. If you're not wholly across the veteran studios' stable of work, there are some gems to check out. In the body copy we've already mentioned two of our faves -- Brütal Legend and Psychonauts (1 & 2) -- but they've dabbled in everything from the roguelite genre with the 80s period-championing Rad to the Russian doll-inspired puzzle adventurer Stacking. No genre is too big or small for the studio and its amazing team of creatives, and if Keeper winds up grabbing you, we highly recommend you dive deep into Double Fine's rich and eclectic history.

Metamorphosis

As you sway this way and that through the game’s world, our lighthouse becomes more sturdy and there’s a sense of growth, post-birth, so to speak. After all, you need to learn to crawl before you can run, right? But change isn’t so minor as that. As the environments and ‘biomes’ shift, so too does the plight and evolving purpose and capability of our lighthouse. We mentioned above that the game isn’t ‘dark’, but there is a moment that takes place that truly sinks your heart. However, that heart of yours will become aflutter at what happens next, which we don’t want to spoil, save to say your days of arachnid-ish walking are so far behind you that an all-new horizon is all you can see. And it’s both glorious and utterly confusing.

"Another is pure Morphball-inspired and moves at a clip so far removed from the early game you’ll wonder if you’re even still playing Keeper at all..."

With these changes, the game also makes radical alterations to your approach. We’ve mentioned that it’s largely a walkie, which it is, but embedded throughout are numerous environmental puzzles tied to the visual history (and story) of the playspace. Most are rudimentary, and play on themes such as light and dark, but some force you to move the passage of time forward or back, others need you to coax little critters to help you clear a pathway, while another is pure Morphball-inspired and moves at a clip so far removed from the early game you’ll wonder if you’re even still playing Keeper at all.

None of this diminishes the experience though. In a game that promotes so little in terms of interaction and exposition, it’s enjoyable to see the studio flexing fun on what it can do within such a limited confine (which is a lot, so it’s also at odds with itself). But when all’s said and done, you’ll feel as liberated and unique as a unicorn, which this game kind of already is… see, thick and lofty and… conceptual.

I’m Afraid I Cannot do that, Dave  

At the end of all things where, if you’ve been paying attention to everything, it all begins anew, you exist. Not as you once were and now potentially even more beyond that. The references here and the visual endgame are entirely on-the-nose, but they’re also powerful. 

Keeper can be finished in a day, which is what we did, so we don’t want to spoil too much of this because there’s a strong chance that once its basic loop gets you, you’ll push through to credits too. Its cadence speeds up as you progress and outside of a biome seemingly powered by fairyfloss (cotton candy, for the Yanks), there’s a genuine urgency tied to reaching the game’s peak. It does feel as you’re doing this, though, that the corrupted world around you is hyper-aware and doing all in its power to halt you, you’re just… you know, you’ve videogame’d this shit, at this point you’re kind of powerful, which is interesting because all of a sudden we’re no longer in a so-called ‘cosy’ adventure we’re, you (also) know… saving the world.

"You’ll finish this thing and thank the good ghost of Stanley Kubrick for being him..."

It’s worth it. Pushing through to the end, that is. It might be a genuine trip, or might not grab you if you’re a story-heavy player. Maybe you won’t like the lack of camera control, or maybe the fact it lacks any actual direction for completion (you genuinely have to work out what’s next). Perhaps its shifts in gameplay will make it too weird or confusing, or maybe you’ll simply feel too constricted, but if you can work through those things and just save a world in one of the most unique ways possible, you’ll finish this thing and thank the good ghost of Stanley Kubrick for being him and influencing so many of us to concepts beyond the visual, stunning as they are.

What’s Boss?

  • Stunning, stunning, stunning
  • Art-direction to die for -- an absolute visual overload
  • An incredible oundtrack that accompanies the above
  • Easy to play, with this being at the heart of the experience
  • A lot of character for a game with no dialogue and little-to-no actual exposition beyond the visual

Not Boss Enough?

  • The dev-directed camera can, at times, fight against what you want to see (or even need to, in some cases)
  • Fairly short, but that's a stretch to consider a detriment, but some might simply want more

A delightfully charming adventure title sporting some of the most stunning and fantastical imagery ever seen in gaming. Lofty in its philosophical storytelling, which is all largely visual, Keeper is truly something special and unique.

Learn about our reviews

About the Author

Written By Stephen Farrelly
Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms (particularly street and tattoo culture), and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial and Media Pty Ltd, this site's owner and publisher. When not dispensing words, he's also dispensing boutique beers as a taproom fixture at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville, NSW...
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