Review: Bay Area hikes an inspiration for a walking lighthouse in Keeper'

"I've been a longtime hiker and backpacker, he said. I live in Almaden Valley. There's a quicksilver mine. There are a lot of hiking trails and machinery. He said being out in nature helps him process and think, and in that South Bay environment during the pandemic, he picked out details along the trails. The machinery from the mines and the unpleasant quiet. That hike and others trips led to a project, in which players control a walking lighthouse."

"UNUSUAL CHARACTER: The protagonist for Keeper is unusual, and it takes players time to connect to such an odd world. It's a place where humanity is gone, but the ruins remain, and in our place, other creatures flourish. Players discover this as they trundle through a six-hour campaign that lacks dialogue but boldly conveys a story through the environment and achievement blurbs. Keeper puts players and the protagonist in the same boat as they figure out the gameplay of exploration."

Inspiration came from the Bay Area outdoors, including Almaden Valley trails, a quicksilver mine, and mining machinery. Players control a walking lighthouse that traverses a ruined world where humanity is gone and other creatures flourish. The game runs roughly six hours and conveys story through environmental detail and achievement blurbs without dialogue. Gameplay uses a fixed, cinematic PlayStation-era camera; the left analog stick moves the lighthouse and the right stick aims a Fresnel lens that fends off shadowy creatures and unlocks parts of the world. Feathered companions called Twigs assist with winding levers and grabbing objects.

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