Online, Nov 2021
I’d like to say there are no words to describe this game, but, firstly, that would rule out writing a review of it, and secondly, it’s not true. There are plenty of words, they’re just not ones I ever expected to use of an online escape game, particularly in combination: starting with ‘puppets’, ‘mushrooms’ and ‘musical’. ‘Wacky brilliance’ ought to be in there somewhere too.
In concrete terms, this is a remote avatar game, but instead of guiding a human host around a room, you’re guiding a hand puppet (the Keeper) around a series of exquisitely crafted dioramas, interacting with other characters and solving puzzles as you go. There is an evil Mushroom King baddie and an epic quest storyline with more than one possible ending, and also musical interludes where the game is punctuated with songs (all original to the game, of course).
You’ve probably figured out from that that The Keeper is startlingly unique, and that’s true. But more importantly, it takes that zany concept and executes it so very skilfully. The characters are appealing, the story engaging, the songs entertaining. I’d compare the quality of the scenery to professionally produced puppet TV shows from the 80s, but to be honest it has most of them beat; the homemade style looks charming not cheap. The camera is fixed viewpoint but the game manages seamless scene transitions nonetheless. And the puzzles are consistently clever and pleasing, starting off at a decently accessible difficulty level and smoothly ramping up to a satisfying degree of challenge.
It’s remarkable that the whole experience is run by a single host. Operating it must require physical deftness on the level of playing a one man band, and his energy and humour were an important part of what made it work. There’s an obvious element of suspension of disbelief, but I found that part of the fun, feeding into some of funnier moments. And by taking place in this miniature puppet world, it allows some creative out-of-the-box solutions in a way that I’ve only really seen before in audio-only games; you get both a real physical environment and also the freedom of a game world built in your imagination.
Headlock had already made a name for themselves with the remote avatar games they created over pandemic lockdowns, but The Keeper and the Fungus Among Us reaches another level. It draws together many of the best innovations developed in other live online games, mixes them in with its own wholly original concept, and turns that into something that’s quirky, fresh and full of charm. On release it rocketed straight to the top of this site’s play from home charts, and its success is thoroughly deserved. I’m wary of over-hyping it in a way that blunts players’ enjoyment, since at heart it’s a modest game that shouldn’t be over-burdened with expectations; but that said, it’s lovely from start to finish, and even if you don’t normally play online games, or have given them up in favour of physical ones, you should make an exception for this one. 