Keeper (2025)

I'm finally getting around to trying to write about Double Fine's Keeper. By no fault of the game itself, I was led into a state of writers block when I played it back in February.

Microsoft, who acquired Double Fine Productions in 2019, has been described by the BDS movement as "perhaps the most complicit tech company in Israel's illegal apartheid regime and ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza." Microsoft was added to the BDS Movement's boycott list just three months before the release of Keeper. In adding Microsoft to the list, the Palestinian BDS National Committee called for the boycott of Microsoft gaming products in three ways: (1) the cancellation of Xbox Game Pass Subscriptions; (2) the boycott of 'flagship' Microsoft franchises Candy Crush, Minecraft and Call of Duty; and (3) the Boycott of all Microsoft Gaming products--an umbrella which Double Fine sat squarely within.

My execution with this has not been perfect, as this little blurb highlights. Still, I have tried in my own way to heed these calls. The BDS movement has been endorsed by thousands of scholars, and is supported by nearly 90% of the Palestinians living within the occupied Palestinian territories. Within two months of being added to the boycott list, the movement already saw signs of success in it's pressure campaign. Namely, Microsoft made the unprecedented decision to block Israel's use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians. Still, the BDS leaders suggested leaning into this momentum, calling for increased global BDS and shareholder pressure until Microsoft adheres to international law.

Microsoft hasn't exactly been nailing it in terms of Xbox releases the past few years, but as a long time Double Fine fan that was sold on the premise of Keeper, not resubscribing to Xbox Game Pass or purchasing Keeper directly was at least a minimal exercise of restraint. Still, in February of this year, I was sent code for Keeper without cost. I was conflicted as to what to do with that access, but ultimately decided to give it a look since no money had changed hands here. So I played through the game, I had a really good time, but then I felt like I had to bite my tongue for the most part. Any positivity expressed around the game could influence others (within my admittedly miniscule circle) to seek the game out. So I sat on any sort of endorsement. I had been trying to write more about the games I play, as I play them. This self-induced speedbump took the wind out of those sails, but then in July of 2026, Double Fine was released from Xbox Game Studios, becoming an independent studio again. If this project of mine was going to get back on the rails, this was the opening for my own course correction.

So, Keeper. In the game, you are a old forgotten lighthouse, which for reasons beyond your comprehension is gifted the ability to walk. I suppose a light house is two things: light and house. Here you have direct control over your light, but then you also serve as a house for your bird pal "Twig." As the game progresses you enjoy a symbiotic relationship with Twig. As you navigate throughout a poisoned world, you--through your light--provide safety and a dwelling to Twig. Meanwhile, Twig acts as your physical connection to the immediate surroundings. The game plays out as the two of you make your way across the harsh environment, trying to find the source of the world's infection. As you progress, you comfort and aid one another in your fight against the elements. Visually, the game is stunning throughout. Often leaning into a loud colorful art style, but willing to pull away for cinematic effect in a way that remains consistent to the underlying style guide. It's a treat to look at over its runtime, and near the end really evokes styles that will likely bring out some nostalgic emotions from fans that come to this game with a fondness for the Psychonauts series.

Admittedly oversimplifying all this, it is easiest to say that this is Double Fine's take on the critical darlings from Playdead ApS: Limbo and Inside. The story and the gameplay are deeply entangled. Yet, Double Fine is approaching this genre with their storied history of engaging gameplay and puzzle design. The story is strong to be sure, but so too is what you are doing from moment to moment. To me, Limbo and Inside are elevated by their story telling, and the gameplay is nothing more than a bridge between the story moments. Here, in Keeper, Double Fine does a much better job of marrying gameplay and story. The gameplay is as engaging, if not moreso, than the story moments that they meet. Rather than a passive experience, Keeper largely exists in an active state, but also allows the game to breathe in some meditative moments as well. Inside was seen as an evolution from the Limbo premise in its ability to vary its runtime while surprising the player, Keeper feels like a tripling down on what Inside was trying to do. Sure, the game is short (delightfully so), but it manages to pack a lot to chew on.

With gameplay and story so interconnected, its tough to talk too explicitly about this game without spoiling some aspects of it. Though to broadly identify themes, it is clearly a story of community and family, plus the lines or limits, if any, between the two. I think from the outsider perspective, it seems like it might be a game about climate change, but after finishing the game armed with hindsight it actually serves to reflect Double Fine's break from Microsoft. The bond that the studio has with its dedicated fan base, and what the studio leaned upon to see itself in tact at the other side of that tumultuous time. Undeniably, the studio, like the lighthouse, was reshaped through this process. Only time will tell what will bloom from the other end, but what Double Fine achieved here feels like a personal expression of where the studio sits in this moment.