Double Fine Productions and Xbox Game Studios have released Keeper, an atmospheric puzzle adventure game in which players explore a surreal, human-free world from the perspective of a lighthouse. It offers an unparalleled creative and cozy experience.
Keeper is a special game with no spoken or written dialogue. At its heart is a forgotten lighthouse that comes to life on a mysterious island, gains crab-like legs, and embarks on a journey. The lighthouse is drawn to a mysterious mountain at the centre of the island, and players experience this journey in the game, accompanied at all times by a lively seabird. We won't reveal any more because it is this journey that makes Keeper so worth experiencing. Despite being completely wordless, the game tells a story of new life, companionship and metamorphosis that also leaves room for interpretation.
This largely linear, short third-person game takes four to six hours to complete and combines exploration and curiosity with simple puzzle elements. Players use the focusable beam of light from the lighthouse to interact with the environment, grow plants and activate objects. This can be used to uncover new pathways or guide the seabird in order to manipulate objects. Most of the puzzles are relatively easy to solve, with subtle hints provided by the camera angle and visual clues. There are no battles, no death and no failure.
Keeper, Double Fine Productions and Xbox Game Studios
The story is told exclusively through the environment and interaction with it. It feels like a modern, interactive fairy tale, set in a surreal, lucid dreamlike world inspired by the works of Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí, as Creative Lead Lee Patty emphasises. Above all, it is the game world's audiovisual impact that fascinates and ultimately makes the game worth playing. "My new game, Keeper, was inspired by the events of the last few years. Like most, I thought a lot about isolation and connection with others. I’ve always been into hiking, backpacking, and spending time outdoors with my family. During the pandemic, it became even more important to me. I wondered if the wildlife around me would be all that is left in the future. Would it continue to develop, to evolve? I thought of the mycelium, the vast underground networks that connect fungi, and how they are also used by trees to share nutrients and communicate with each other," said Lee Petty, Creative Lead, Double Fine Productions in Xbox Wire.
Keeper was developed by Double Fine Productions, founded in 2000 by Tim Schafer (formerly of LucasArts) and acquired by Microsoft in 2019. However, Schafer is not behind the game; instead, it is Creative Lead Lee Petty. Petty was the Art Director for Brütal Legend and Broken Age, as well as the Creative Lead for Stacking, Headlander, Autonomous, and RAD.
Keeper, Double Fine Productions and Xbox Game Studios
Keeper was released on 17 October 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox and PC via Steam. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, it is included in Xbox Game Pass immediately upon release. The release of Keeper marks the start of a busy period for Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios. Next up is Ninja Gaiden 4 (PlatinumGames, Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo), due to be released on 21 October 2025, followed by Obsidian Entertainment's RPG The Outer Worlds 2 on 29 October 2025. Then, on 4 November 2025, the Age of Empires IV expansion, Dynasties of the East, will be released.
Keeper is a journey into a spectacular and surreal world. Although the gameplay is fairly simple, the game captivates players with its unique artistic style and lack of dialogue.
