The Keyper by Cool Lemon Club
Year: 2023
Platforms: Playdate (Catalog, itch.io)
Did you ever spend a merry hour or two as a kid drawing long, looping mazes out on paper? Wriggling worm-like labyrinths that barely forked, but hypnotised you with their never-ending curves that seemed to go on forever?
The Keyper on Playdate took me back to those days. Its itch page bills it as a “narrative exploration”, and I definitely felt myself being pulled into the twisting world it sets out, opening up one screen at a time, floor-by-floor, as you find your way through a mysteriously expansive building.
I picked up this game largely because I’m interested in what others are doing with Pulp development on the Playdate, and also because it’s, well, as cheap as chips. I wasn’t really sure what to expect other than that – and in some ways, maybe that’s the best way to go into this one. (Can you tell I’m trying to review this one passionately without giving too much away yet?)
I’m not going to lie, there’s a lot of backtracking to the Keyper, and if you’re not a fan of exploring and prefer to just GET THINGS DONE, then maybe this isn’t a game for you. Personally, I started to realise that the twists and turns that weave the screens together were integral to the game itself, and that the feeling of being lost is just a challenge to finding yourself and your way around: The sense of confusion mirrors the same sense of uncertainty whenever you start a new job, and as you gradually master the layout, you really feel like you’re coming to understand the building you’re in.
And the building is an amazing one. The more you explore, the more corners you find. And each corner is filled with a charm all of its own, all spliced together through a larger thread. Without going into too much detail, the novelty value of reaching something new is always matched by a real love for the characters you encounter. From shopkeepers to loners, and from treasure hunters to world leaders, everyone is different, but united just by being here.
At its core, this is a very simple fetch-quest maze setup, and sure I encountered some very minor bugs and moments that could have been slightly more polished in there. But it hooked me, and even after the ending rolled, the walkthrough, comments and other players helped me dig out the last few secret corners I’d missed.
Right now, The Keyper is ridiculously priced at just $3, and was even on sale recently for just a single dollar. It’s a steal for that, and one of the best ways to while away a few hours and escape from the world.
This is one maze that wraps itself around you until you’re glad you no longer know where the exit is. It is, indeed, a “Keeper”.
Leave a Reply