Keeper Gamescom demo preview — Lynchian Lighthouses

Typically, in video games, we navigate their worlds through humanoid characters, sometimes animals, and very rarely as objects, with each iteration of the protagonist becoming increasingly different to control. What does the world look like when you’re a cat compared to a human? Keeper takes this thought and makes it even more bizarre by having the protagonist take control of a dilapidated lighthouse that has awoken to a vivid and silent world. It’s just you and your feathered friend, and it's up to you both to trek across apocalyptic landscapes and reach the top of a large mountain. This premise was bizarre, albeit very intriguing, when GamingTrend was approached to preview a hands-off demo of Double Fine Studio’s latest title, Keeper, at this year’s Gamescom.

One of the first points established at this presentation was why a lighthouse? Why this strange world, which is devoid of human life, and why is not one word spoken in the entire runtime? Developer Lee Petty is a recent addition to the Xbox family, having previously worked on Psychonauts and now looking to create his own project with the help of Double Fine Studios.

Without much constraint, he dived into this obscure idea which was inspired by his time during the global pandemic. Petty spent most of his time with the natural world and was astounded by how the human world had come to a standstill whilst nature continued. Therefore, the world of Keeper is vivid, beautiful, and serene, with a strong emphasis on taking the time to appreciate your surroundings. The more abstract nature of its setting is also directly inspired by the works of David Lynch and David Cronenberg.

We were able to see three portions of Keeper, including traversal, an example of its puzzles, and a cinematic scene. As the Lighthouse, you’ll be able to control its beam. For example, you can charge it up and focus it. Gameplay is also made more interesting through your winged companion, Twig. A bird that you can direct to interact with different objects. It’ll be a combination of the actions of the lighthouse and Twig that’ll help you solve the Keeper’s many puzzles. Other gameplay features include being able to glide off edges – Twig must be super buff – and even being able to manipulate time. This was showcased in one of Keeper’s puzzles, where you’ll need to use the sun cycle for patterns to match on a stone door. You can also revert Twig’s life cycle so that it becomes an egg, acting as a weight. This was one of the more exciting aspects of Keeper, as the puzzles seemed fresh and interesting.

Other things to note in the presentation were settlements inhabited by robot-type creatures you’ll be able to visit during your traversal. There wasn’t much on this aspect of the game, but I hope they’ll play a supporting role or offer some insight into the world that has been created. Paired with the mechanical inhabitants of this island, we also got to see some kind of primordial beasts that swallow the landscape. This mix of mythology and futurism was an intriguing aspect of Keeper, and I hope to discover some lore and world-building as I play the game.

Our time with Keeper was sadly brief, and we haven’t got any footage to show as it’s all hush-hush at the moment, but what I got to see was something that piqued my curiosity, promising something different. We’ll be keeping an eye on this one!

For all Keeper and Gamescom news, stay tuned to GamingTrend!