Keeper proudly asserts its claim to be the most unusual game ever unveiled by Microsoft. The backdrop is peculiar—a vibrant, fantastical realm resembling New England. The characters are certainly eccentric, including a bird-like creature named Twig, whose beak appears to be liquid. Surprisingly, players assume the role of an animated lighthouse, equipped with tiny, small feet that help it navigate its wobbly, weeping form.

Amidst a sea of action heroes, the lighthouse emerges as an unexpected protagonist. Creative Lead Lee Petty is somewhat vague about the game’s development, preferring to focus on the character’s design, aiming to enhance the overall action-adventure experience. Despite its apparent absurdity, Petty maintains a certain intuition about it. “Light is intimately linked to life,” he explains. “You can envision the player’s actions, puzzles, and mechanisms that stem from it.”

The lighthouse’s illuminating beacons serve as the primary means of interacting with the game’s vibrant island environment. In “Unfocused” mode, leaves and tiny creatures evolve, morphing in response to the light’s beam amid a fantastic landscape. Conversely, in “Focused” mode, the light’s power is intensified, allowing large objects to transform while some materials are attracted or repelled. This forms the foundation for the game’s more intricate puzzles.

The world of Keeper is filled with psychedelic purples and lush greenery. Bioluminescent rock formations, gigantic flower heads with tree-sized tendrils, magnificent whale-like creatures gliding in the sky, and unexpected vegetation flourishing on their backs. This ecological wonder draws inspiration from 1980s fantasy films like “The Dark Crystal” and other similarly “strange” and “imperfect” works.

Real-life experiences have sparked creativity for Petty. During the Covid lockdown, he took solitary walks through the lush hills south of San Francisco, contemplating how life on Earth might evolve without human presence. He engaged with literature and films about mycelium networks, delving into the interconnectedness of ecosystems and their interdependence.

This flood of emotions and real-world reflections melded into what Petty describes as fever dreams. He envisioned “a surreal island, reminiscent of a space populated with humanity, where life evolves in wonderfully unpredictable ways.”

The game’s inception coincided with Petty’s award-winning tenure at Double Fine, the studio behind the whimsical platformer Psychonauts 2 and other unique titles, following its acquisition by Microsoft. The new management embraced his experimental ideas, providing him the freedom and resources to explore his concepts before solidifying them. The Keeper reflects this laid-back creative process, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a fantastical dream where players can leisurely enjoy the strange beauty surrounding them.

“There’s no rush, and you won’t encounter mission objectives or pop-up notifications with meta rewards,” Petty states. “You’re free to inhabit the space.”

However, an ironic twist may cast a shadow over this whimsical journey. The vibrant life within Keeper has financial backing from Microsoft, whose cloud-storage service Azure has reportedly been used to support military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement is advocating for a boycott of Microsoft and Xbox products. Recently, an open letter from members of the Microsoft-owned French studio Arkane criticized the company, stating they “do not want to be complicit in genocide.” In response, Microsoft announced it is reviewing the use of its platform in this context, claiming potential violations of its terms.

Of course, Petty is distanced from the corporate decisions of Microsoft. He emphasizes that “the nature of being part of a larger organization is complex, extending well beyond entertainment.” “Double Fine operates independently and does not necessarily endorse every aspect of the parent company,” he affirms. “Our focus is to create an outstanding game.”