The Keeper is a first-person indie game developed by Comp-3 Interactive. In this puzzle game, you control a fishermanwho crashed on a lonely island populated by a lighthouse. With your wife and daughter missing, you must unravel the mystery and find your escape.
More than mystery, The Keeper also features horror game elements that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you play. However, as with most indie games, the gameplay is very short. You can even finish it in a few minutes. Adding insult to the injury, the replay value is not that high.
The Keeper is a game created for a Game Jam led by the Haunted PS1 community, Summer of Shivers 2021. Here, you control a fisherman who is unfortunate enough to land on a lonely island populated by a lighthouse. In the game, you wake up on your fishing boat after a night out at sea. However, your journey home does not go well, and your boat crashes on the island.
As in any indie game of the genre, the gameplay is simple. Each session consists of exploring the island on your quest to solve your puzzling situation. The controls are simple. WASD allows movement, while LMB lets you interact with items. RMB enables you to focus, and the I key lets you see your inventory. Finally, the space bar allows jumping while the C key lets you crouch.
Graphically, the game is impressive. It shows a visual style similar to Sony's 32-bit console games. The combination of the mystery and foreboding horror is also enough to give you chills as you play. However, as noted, the game is very short. You can even finish it in one sitting. Worse, once you solve the puzzle, nothing is pushing you to play the game again.
Overall, The Keeper is a good game if you are into the puzzle horror genre. The game offers an interesting plot that provides a great experience. The gameplay, while simple, managed to remain entertaining throughout the session. Moreover, it is well-designed that it could pass as a PS1 game. However, as with most indie games, the entire session is short and can be finished in a few minutes.
