Keeper

“The work itself stands as an exceptional endeavor in its purest sense: being rare, anomalous, and manifestly free from compromise in the pursuit of its original vision. For such audacity, it warrants my complete and unconditional respect. Yet, some shortcomings—or, worse, a blatant lack of care in specific aspects of the world building presentation, coupled with an overall simplistic message—make the journey itself more fascinating than the legacy it leaves behind. And frankly, considering the immense potential, this constitutes a fatal flaw that I simply cannot forgive.”

“Keeper is an unexpected masterpiece from Double Fine Productions and one of the most captivating walking simulators of the past few years. It dazzles the imagination with its rich visual design and an unconventional narrative approach that borders on genius. It's truly disappointing that Microsoft's incompetence led to the game's release being overlooked by its target audience, which now puts the studio's future existence at risk.”

“Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled. Keeper is less a game than it is a playable art exhibit with light puzzle elements. But it's short and digestible, very pretty to look at, and satisfying enough to justify playing it if you have an active Game Pass subscription.”

“Keeper is a gorgeous little package of tightly designed puzzles and cerebral platforming that showcases what makes Double Fine's games so uniquely special.”

“Keeper is an absolutely gorgeous game, but in terms of gameplay, it might be the most bland entry in Double Fine's catalogue yet.”

“The charm of just tottering along on unfamiliar legs through the world is initially enough to keep pushing you forward.”

“Keeper is strange in many ways, and sometimes crosses over into genuine psychedelia. In evaluating it as a game, some things didn’t work for me. As a piece of art and creative endeavor, it fares far better.”

“Keeper is Double Fine at its most confident, presenting a visual feast and a heartfelt tale in a detailed, complex natural world.”

“Keeper has one of the most bizarre gameplay concepts in recent history. Does this uniqueness lead to an interesting game?”

“The puzzles are dead easy, and there are some camera/control/performance hiccups at times, but it's still a title that truly takes you places that will amaze you by the end if you're willing to stick with it.”

“A laudable achievement in terms of visual design and general ambience but the complete lack of challenge, and short length, reduces its overall impact.”

“Keeper captures the essence of Double Fine, packaged in a heartfelt and surreal world where you never quite know what will happen next. The gameplay regularly surprises, but the lack of challenge in even the more elaborate puzzles is a bit of a drawback, along with not being able to control the camera.”

“If you're in the kind of mood to think about the nature of the universe, Keeper is the story to check out. It's hard to imagine a living lighthouse is capable of bringing out emotion in people, but that's what makes this game a Keeper.”

“Double Fine has done it again with Keeper, one of my highest rated video games of the year. Keeper will keep you guessing the entire time and in the best way possible, with outstanding visuals and an engrossing story that keeps you engaged without ever uttering a word.”

“Overall, Keeper is a pretty uneven experience. The first act doesn't offer much in terms of excitement beyond the initial wow factor of its gorgeous environments that are teeming with life and interesting vistas. Things pick up in the second and third acts, but Keeper takes a little too long to get to the good stuff. Outside of the basic puzzles and a short platforming section, the first few hours could have done with a little more to keep the player interested. That said, for those who do manage to stick with Keeper, you will be rewarded.”

“This whimsical action-adventure game sees you stomping through nature as a life-giving lighthouse – and it only gets weirder from there”

“Double Fine is back, and this time they're putting you in control of a sentient lighthouse.”

“Psychonauts studio Double Fine returns with a surprising, shapeshifting adventure of captivating wonder and beauty.”

“Exploring Keeper’s surreal world is a feast for the senses, with every detail from its propulsive score to its Seussian flora and fauna pulling me deeper into its tale.”