By: Maizie Hughes and Avi Zmira
Category Archives: Tech/Games
‘Resident Evil Requiem’ review
By: Weston Halgunseth
Warning: This review contains spoilers
‘Resident Evil Requiem’ is a crazy new game. It manages to mix scary moments with the kind of fighting that you would find in games like ‘Doom’. What makes it special is how it uses 2 different characters to tell its story. This keeps the game feeling new and exciting from the beginning to the end. If you love good jumpscares, epic boss fights and crazy lore this game is exactly what you need to try.
The feel of the game
The coolest part of Requiem for me is that you actually get 2 games in one basically because of the 2 main characters Grace and Leon.
When you are playing as Grace most people choose to play in first person POV. Grace isn’t trained at all and is only an FBI blood analyst that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her parts are all about just survival, walking through shadows, hiding from monsters, and solving puzzles. It was always super intense for me because every time an enemy showed up it was a jumpscare. Also, the flashlight would be very dim and most of the time unusable. Pair that with the low ammo and the low supplies for crafting and it makes a good mix for a survival horror game.
Then with Leon’s POV most people choose a third person POV. Leon is experienced in bioweapons and knows how to deal with them with 20+ years of experience. Leon is strong, fast, and smart even though he’s infected carrying heavy weapons such as a shotgun, rifle, sub machine gun, etc. Leon also shows his strength when he’s fighting things 2-3x his size with only basic weapons and an axe, and he also shows his strength with his ability to parry almost anything to a simple punch to a car. All these things together makes his parts feel like a perfect fighter game with a hint of horror.
These two POVs make a perfect mix for a game showing experience, skill, and aging; giving the game a rocky feeling.
Aspects of the game: A world that looks and sounds real
The game looks beautiful in a dark, creepy way. It takes place in the ruins of Raccoon City after its bombing 20+ years ago and its details in the atmosphere are impressive. You’ll walk through streets with vines growing up broken buildings, and rain puddles reflecting showing the details and thought put into the game.
But the sound is what actually kept me up at night. You can hear the wind whistling through broken glass, heavy thuds of footprints on the floor above you giving you a smooth gameplay. An enemy called “the girl” stalks Grace through a hospital. She doesn’t scream or anything loud she just whispers and mumbles when chasing you. Hearing her sounds coming down a hallway is terrifying.
Why it’s worth your time
The story lasts about 15 to 18 hours which feels just right because most games like this are short but this game ran on for so long it made me feel like this was multiple games. While you do repeat a lot of the same areas a lot, there are a lot of moments where new enemies show up so the player isn’t bored of the same area while keeping them on their toes.
‘Resident Evil Requiem’ is a gem. It’s rare to find a game that is a terrifying experience and a fun action game at the same time without feeling boring, but this game nailed it. Other games that have done this are ‘Doom’, some Roblox games and that’s about it because it’s just so rare and hard to make a game like this.
My personal review
If I had to rate this game on a scale of 1-10 I would simply give it a 9/10 just because the fact the game looks and feel are something I have never seen in any other game from things like simple decay on furniture to the entire city. The look of ruins being portrayed perfectly makes the game perfect, also the lore makes fans of ‘Resident Evil’ happy because there is so many Easter eggs from earlier games such as ‘Resident Biohazard’, ‘RE3’, etc with things like the collectibles to Mr. X and Mr. Tofu which is a playable character in ‘Resident Evil’.
My favorite character
My favorite character is Grace even though it was fun to play Leon it was fun to have a game so good at showing the horror side of a game so well.
Scariest part
I think the scariest moment of the game was with the beginning of the hospital with “the girl” stalking or chasing you and you’d have to run into the light to be safe, and all around just a horrifying part of the game.
Least favorite thing
My least favorite part of the game is at the end when Zeno, a look alike of Whesker was about to fight Leon, but lost his powers and then getting taken out by Victor Gideon. I didn’t like how we didn’t get to fight Zeno. I wish I could but I understand why they choose to do that to show the new anti-virus to us.
The ethical concerns about the development of AI
By: Calvin Westin
The story about Prometheus, where fire stolen by a mythical figure from the gods became a symbol of the destructive and bad side of progress. While giving humankind a tool for making civilization and ruling the world, the fire itself remained uncontrollable. Mary Shelley used this same idea while creating the book of Victor Frankenstein, whose creation had made something too powerful to stay under its creator’s control, similar to fire in ancient times. And now, as the development of artificial intelligence technology progresses at a fast speed, it seems humans are once again following this pattern. By publishing these powerful artificial intelligence algorithms, companies like OpenAI are committing theft of fire, therefore risking disruption of domains of human intelligence.
People are also worried that our current safety rules aren’t enough to keep up. In Chapter 5 of Shelley’s book, Victor Frankenstein’s sadness creates an unsettling relationship. Having brought the monster into being, Frankenstein goes on, “This was then the reward of my curiosity; and I became myself capable of bestowing existence on whom I had created. Perhaps a corpse would be reanimated; galvanism had give tokens of such a wonder.”
This story is a major warning for us today. Scientists like Geoffrey Hinton believe that computers will soon beat humans in terms of dealing with data analysis and handling data. Once developers lose control over the results produced by the machines, there will be serious consequences following after that.
Consequently, it appears to be time that IT professionals start actually managing and executing their responsibilities more effectively. New tech isn’t an excuse to do sketchy stuff in this field, so experts working on AI really need to follow some strict safety rules while they’re doing their research.
In the end, the people who create anything have full moral responsibility for it.
Pros and cons of AI
By: Janessa Castro Cruz
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that makes computers and machines to simulate human learning, creativity, thinking, and problem solving. They understand and respond to human language and learn from new information and experience. AI is able to make detailed recommendations and act independently, replacing the need for human intelligence. Over the years, AI’s popularity has risen and some believe that AI shouldn’t be used and should be banned, and others believe it’s a great tool and should be more available. There are lots of pros and cons of AI.
PROS: Some benefits of AI is that you can work faster, as it can generate outputs faster than the human brain and body can process information. You could work smarter when using it, and the machine can make mistakes but it’s more often in humans. There have been research studies that show AI-assisted reviewing is more accurate than basic human reviewing.
CONS: AI could create a lot of deep-fakes, causing fraud, theft, scams, and more. It’s possible that AI can create fake representations of real people and events. The tool is now in the workforce and has caused people to lose their jobs also causing mass unemployment. The school system is now disrupted; students rely on AI to do their work for them, cheat on tests, and more meaning they aren’t learning anything. It also consumes a lot of water, making it harmful to our earth. Data centers powering AI are predicted to consume over 426 billion liters of water annually by 2030
I don’t think AI should be used, especially in the school system and in jobs. If it’s affecting students’ education and doing the work for them then they aren’t learning anything. It’s also causing people to lose their jobs and they shouldn’t allow that to happen. I believe that AI should only be used to brainstorm ideas and help with research and reviewing.
The shift in the digital
By: Weston Halgunseth
Introduction
A few months ago, in St. Paul, classrooms shifted from desks and whiteboards to beds and sleep. This change sparked a huge debate. While some students thrive in a digital space, others find themselves struggling with online learning. In my view, the overall effect of online learning on students is that it is mostly good but a lot of it gives a bit too much leeway.
The good of online learning
Online learning has some great benefits that help students feel better. You can sleep much more because you don’t have to wake up early to catch a bus or be in school on time. This helps you feel rested and gives you more energy to focus on your lessons, unlike what normally happens where you feel fatigued for the first 20-30 minutes of class. You usually have more time to finish your tasks so you don’t feel as much stress. You can learn at your own speed instead of trying to keep up with a fast teacher.
The bad side of online learning
Online learning has some good parts but it also has problems. It is hard to try your best when no one is watching you and it is easy to forget your assignments without the teachers reminding you. If you get stuck you have to wait for an email instead of getting help right away. It is also lonely because you don’t see your friends at lunch or in the halls making it so your social skill starts to go down. Because students feel alone and bored they don’t learn as well and their grades often go down. Even though computers are helpful, being in a real classroom is usually better for most people.
My own experience
Back in 2020, when COVID was a big thing, I was stuck at home for a year and in that time I experienced a lot of the things I talked about such as the lack of motivation, loneliness feeling, less stress, and grades dropping. In that year, I’ve noticed that my knowledge with most of the stuff I learned before the online classes was really rusty and foggy and it took me a bit to catch up to where I should be in math, science, etc. Like in math, when I got back, I was struggling bad and didn’t get a hang of it until I started getting help after school from friends.
I also noticed that online learning made it hard to keep my friends. A lot of my friends I had in 5th grade I lost when I came back because I hadn’t talked to them for a year or so, and overall online learning wasn’t the best experience for me. It ruined my ability to socialize, my knowledge went down and a lot more.
The verdict
The shift to online learning is a double edged sword. On the positive side the ability to sleep in and the freedom of more time to submit assignments greatly reduces my and many others stress allowing students to learn subjects at a pace that actually works for them.
However, these benefits are often ruined by the lack of motivation and hands-on help. Without socializing, students feel alone and lonely which can lead to a grade drop and people getting less educated because they aren’t truly engaged. Ultimately, while the flexibility is great online learning only works if we can find a way to bring back the social and strictness sides of a physical classroom.
AI’s impact on education
By: Karl Salkowski
As artificial intelligence continues to become more and more widespread and accessible, it only becomes more prevalent in our day to day lives. Every year AI plays a larger role in public education, but it is not always constructive. Although AI can be used to enable student creativity, it comes with the risk of over dependence. With artificial intelligence models becoming more aware and accurate it becomes harder to distinguish between human and artificially created work. New systems such as ChatGPT Zero and Turnitin have gained popularity as systems able to verify human work, but they aren’t always accurate.
AI can help students understand difficult concepts, simplifying details through instant feedback and explanations. However, AI can also be used maliciously in order to pass off assignments as student work. Over time many students become over-dependant on artificial intelligence leading them to fall behind.
AI has changed the landscape of education, forcing both students and teachers to adapt very quickly. Many schools use certain firewalls and tools to ban AI software on school WiFi, while others have opted to create policies on constructive and safe AI use. Many use these strategies in conjunction, such as Highland Park Senior High, which has chosen to block less trustworthy cites, while also integrating an AI responsibility policy.
AI forces educators to rethink how to assess students, figuring out new methods to preserve academic honesty. As AI continues to integrate more with our lives, students will continue to rely more heavily on artificial intelligence and online resources. This makes it significantly harder to judge whether student work is genuine or manufactured. In my own experiences, many of my teachers have decided against more traditional testing methods and started using new types of essays and activities that are harder to cheat on.
When used responsibly AI can be an incredible resource for students, but it is likely that most students have already developed an over dependence on it, leading to more of a struggle long term.
The addition of Squirm to ‘Dandy’s World’
By: Maple Graham
‘Dandy’s World’ is a mascot horror game on Roblox, taking place in the abandoned Gardenview Educational Center and Museum. Gardenview was an attraction for children, housing real, living counterparts to their respective characters in the show. It additionally doubled as a studio for working on episodes. It closed in 2002 after 14 years of operation because of an incident regarding the living main character. The game itself takes place after this “incident,” where you play as the various characters known as “Toons” that are still stuck in the facility. Your primary goal is to complete as many floors as possible by filling up machines with ichor to power the elevator, while avoiding malevolent versions of the cast—known as “Twisteds”.
On February 27th, ‘Dandy’s World’ released a new minor update, adding a new Toon, a new area to explore, and an achievement system. This update had a lot of expectations from the community—the development team finished a recent rework of parts of the game to allow more complex things in future updates.
The new Toon, Squirm, was met with positive feedback. His character is fun to play—his ability to eat books off of nearby shelves for a machine boost is something no one expected; I hope the development team continues to make characters with unique special abilities.
Squirm’s personality, however, was controversial among fans when he released. His entire character revolves around being sad, scared, and miserable all the time—like Shrimpo, another Toon revolving around another negative emotion: anger. I think his character, while annoying, is what ‘Dandy’s World’ needs. Shrimpo being the only antagonist in the entire show was disappointing to me, and while Squirm isn’t mean compared to Shrimpo, his rollercoaster of emotions brings out scenarios previously unexplored in dialogue.
Squirm, like all other characters, has a “Twisted” version acting as an enemy to all players. His Twisted is unique and changes up gameplay when active on a floor—hanging down from the ceiling and dropping down to grab any players that make the mistake of coming too close. This is particularly harmful to “distractors,” a role tasked to lead enemies away from other teammates so they can work on powering the elevator without issue. Distractors are common within experienced teams, so a new strategy to deal with Squirm will be necessary.
In ‘Dandy’s World’, there’s 4 rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Main Character. Squirm’s major flaw (which isn’t even the Toon’s fault) is his rarity—being a Rare Toon. The rarity system in ‘Dandy’s World’ is far from perfect, and Squirm’s existence is detrimental to his rarity tier. Players need to encounter Twisted Squirm to get research on him to unlock his playable Toon variant and his Trinket (Trinkets are unique equippable items that give you different perks).
The game determines how rare a Twisted is through a list system, with each rarity weighted differently. This system works like a deck of cards; every rarity has a set number of cards in that deck: 75 Common cards, 25 Uncommon cards, and 8 Rare cards. For each Twisted to spawn on the floor, a random “card” is drawn, and a random enemy is then spawned from the card’s respective rarity. Main Character cards throw this system into a loop—every 5 floors, 4 Main cards are added to this hypothetical deck, with every other rarity not scaling with the Main Characters.
For example, when starting the game, there’s a 7.41% chance that when an enemy spawns, it will be Rare. Once you get to the 5th floor, this chance decreases to 7.14% because Main Characters are now in the “deck”. At the 10th floor, Main Characters are now as common as Rare enemies (both being 6.9% with every enemy spawned). This trend continues, with the Main Characters later becoming the most common enemy; even more ubiquitous than Common Toons themselves!
And the chances mentioned above are only for rarities. After that, each character in the rarity tier has an equal chance of being chosen. In Squirm’s case, he is 1 of 7 Rare characters. That means the 7.14% chance on floors 1-4 doesn’t represent his true spawn rate in an accurate way; he has a 1.06% chance of spawning as an enemy then! This percentage nosedives into chances less than 1% starting on floor 5—making his encounter excessively rare.
Having the additional information that Twisted Squirm must be encountered to acquire his character and trinket, and that he’s part of the rarest group in the entire game, you can see how the community was annoyed. This problem showed itself before, during the Halloween and Christmas events, where limited-time characters were added to the rarity pools, indirectly making all characters rarer for the duration of the event. Eclipse and Coal, the two Rare characters in each event, were notoriously hard to find. Parallel to Squirm, many said the only challenge to getting the Rare event Toons was luck itself.
What differed from the event updates compared to now is the misinformation. I have seen conglomerations of fans saying that Rare Toons (specifically a Toon named Blot) were removed from the game via a “glitch.” This is not true—I have talked with many people who have all encountered him during the newest update, and the developer team itself has not claimed this is true. The only reason why people may think this way is because all Rare Toons have a 1.06% chance of spawning at most, giving the illusion to casual players that some Twisteds may never show up.
The development team addressed this on March 5th with their Easter event teaser, stating that they completely changed how rarities work and gave a short table of percentages from a sample of early floors. This system is far from simple; I tried extrapolating data to get a general understanding of how it works, but I could find little correlation between data points. One thing I could predict with certainty was that Rare toons will have an extra added weight of 2 (2 more cards, if you’re still following the example from earlier), raising their starting chances from 7.41% to 9.09% in the new update!
Overall, Squirm’s addition was a net positive, but the surrounding hype was dampened partly from his dislikable personality and from his initial Twisted rarity at the time of the update.
The new area, the library, is a new map that can be randomly encountered from the start of the game. It has a center with shelves rotated every which way to create asymmetrical, tight spaces to navigate—and outer areas that are more open and predictable. This map is tied to Squirm through various bits of lore throughout the floor, and also meshes well with the rest of the characters. From what I have seen, most people enjoy the map and have no qualms with it.
The community was additionally surprised with a rework of another area, the gift shop. Whereas the library was received positively, this rework came across as unnecessary to many. Not only did it change the shop’s entire layout, it also made the entire area much more spacious; the area was already spacious enough to many. Personally, I like the reworked gift shop, but removing the old gift shop was a bad idea. The rework would work better as a variant of the gift shop—more variants of newer maps are needed for variety.
Finally, the developers added an achievement system as a smaller part to a new menu, the journal. The journal sets up future updates with a few locked sections, such as a dialogue viewer, and other collectible menus. The achievements are a welcome addition to the game, with 25+ different challenges for players to beat! They hit the mark with optional achievements, such as beating a challenge floor with the weakest character in the game, to getting chased by 6 enemies at once. There are also plenty of benchmark achievements that players can get through normal gameplay.
While most of the achievements are wonderful, the ranking system that goes along with it is so unbelievably unbalanced. For example, according to the game, it is harder to complete a floor under 1 minute than getting to floor 50—getting to just floor 20 has been widely considered being a difficult task by the community even before the update, while completing a floor in under 1 minute is easily attainable during the beginning of runs if you have at least 4 people.
A floor 100 achievement was also added, with that being the most debated addition the update brought. Only a select few people have ever gotten to floor 100, and the people that did it spent hours, even days on a single run. Some think the removal of the achievement would benefit the game, while others think an optional challenge that doesn’t affect gameplay isn’t that bad.
In summary, the new ‘Dandy’s World’ update was taken well, with the community enjoying the grand majority of it. I’ve been working on catching up with getting everything in the game, and while the new achievements are quite an obstacle, I’m not discouraged in the slightest to continue playing the game.
BIRD GAME 3 META ANALYSIS (JOYSTiCK Reviews Special)
By: Daniel Kendle
Hey, gang! I’m Ms. Smeegle, and I’m filling in for Mr. Whatshisname for this review. I hope you enjoy!
‘Bird Game 3’ is among 2025’s most popular games, hitting Steam shelves to a collective peak of 1.2 million players. The game is a match-based multiplayer experience where you take control of a bird as you fight for your team, steal eggs, and battle foes. It’s reminiscent of games like ‘Overwatch,’ ‘Marvel Rivals,’ and ‘Apex Legends,’ being a 5V5 first-person experience against other online players. The difference, of course, is that ‘Bird Game 3’ is the world’s first FPP: First-Person Pecker.
Obviously, the game hasn’t been out for super long, so it’s hard to definitively say which birds are best and which are worst. As of January 2026 – the time at which I’m writing this – we’re currently in the midst of Season 4, Regulation E. In this regulation, the following birds have been banned from ranked play:
- Phoenix (banned to Ubers)
- Wood Duck
- Emu
This narrows down the full list of usable birds to a solid 22: not the largest-ever roster for a Regulation, but a good one still. It’s also nice to have some birds from Season 1 and 2 finally become legal again, like Rooster and Titmouse.
After combing through various different websites, it seems the most popular bird online is Bald Eagle, with about 38% of registered teams having one. Makes sense; for being among the last S-tier birds not already banned in Ranked. It’s stat spread is great, with a ⅗ in HP, ⅘ in Offense and Defense, and ⅗ in Swiftness. Sure, it doesn’t spec into any of its highest stats completely, but opting instead for a more neutral playstyle is beneficial for a Carnivore-built bird. Its Bird Power, ‘Patriotism,’ is also pretty based, temporarily-maxing out its Special Move meter whenever an egg is stolen from their nest.
Besides Eagle, other notable birds include Opium Bird and Hummingbird, which’re hardly surprises. The latter in particular has been a mainstay pick for team comps since even Regulation B in Season 1, due to its stupidly-small hitboxes and Special Attack cooldowns. ‘Nectarite’ sucks, but the Bird Ability can be easily-circumvented through user “NBok43’s” recently-discovered Pollenport glitch. I imagine it’ll be patched soon, but for now its continued letting Hummingbird remain a meta threat.
Some nerfs to birds have also affected the player base, for better or worse. Birds with ‘Bug Boost’ for a Bird Power have had a severe drop in usage: its effect previously let Insectivore builds gain a temporary 1.5% Defensive boost upon eating 10 insects, but now, in addition to the requirement being 20 insects, the boost is only 1.2%. Oxpecker, Swift and Woodpecker users have become a rare sight only because of this. Another nerf is to Penguin, with its unique ‘Flipper Fodder’ Power now only letting it release 5 “Penguissiles” at a time as opposed to 7.
Overall, the changes made to ‘Bird Game 3’ in its newest Regulation have been net-positive for most. The Ranked meta has never been healthier, with more and more birds actually seeing competitive viability. With this most recent patch, I can only hope that the game continues to soar from he-
“Doctor, look! There! Her pulse is rising, I think she’s regaining consciousness!”
“We can’t lose her again this time. Hector: fetch front desk support. We’re gonna want to alert her family.“
Wh…wha? What’s going on?
“Ma’am? Ma’am, this is doctor Mackenzie of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. You’re going to be alright.”
Mayo Cli…w-why am I-!
“Ma’am, you were in a car crash with your wife and son 46 hours ago. They perished in the wreck, while you stayed in fatal condition. We need you to relax, please – Marjorie, hand me the anesthesia.”
They died? But I-I didn’t even see anyone else driving! I couldn’t have…have…
“No one could’ve. It was a freak accident: a couple of drunk teenagers T-boned your vehicle on Interstate 430. Your relatives wanted hospital personnel to tell you all this when you woke up.“
…
“I’m…I’m sorry for your loss.”
…Janus…
“…thank you. Ma’am, I need you to close your eyes again and count to 20. Everything is going to be okay.”
New York Times Games
By: Charlotte Aver
Wordle has been around since COVID when Josh Wardle created it as a gift to his partner. He was inspired by the Spelling Bee and Crossword by the New York Times. The game grew in popularity throughout the pandemic leading Josh Wardle to sell the game to the New York Times where it could join its inspiration to be played everyday. Wordle is a five letter word guessing game where you have six chances to get the word right, and as you play the game gives you hints as to whether or not you are close. I would rate this game a solid 9/10 because I play it most days and it is a fun way to wake up my brain.
Connections is probably my favorite New York Times game. It was developed for about a year before being released to the public in June of 2023, as time went on it rapidly gained popularity, and in 2025 it had 3 million daily players. It is where you have 16 words and 4 groups of 4 that you have to find. It varies in difficulty level but typically is not too hard if you think through it thoroughly. I would rate this game 10/10.
Spelling Bee is a game where you are given 7 letters to arrange into words all using the center letter. This game takes a long time and a lot of critical thinking to complete. I often start this game and continue going back to it throughout the day. I would rate this game a 7/10.
Sudoku is a previously existing game and needs no introduction, it is just digitized. I personally don’t like sudoku and this game doesn’t show the same creativity as the others so I will give this game a 5/10.
Strands is a very fun game that can be incredibly difficult and is probably only possible to work in the digital form. Strands is a game where you have a bunch of letters laid out in a grid and a theme. You need to find all of the words but the twist is that the words are not in straight lines and they wind around the grid making it harder than a plain word search. I would give this one a 7/10.
Pips is the newest addition to the New York Times’ games and is very fun. Pips is a game where there are dominos and certain spots for the dominos to go, but they have numbers on them to indicate where each domino goes. It takes a bit to understand but once you do it’s incredibly fun. I would rate this game a 8/10.
There are a few more games but you have to subscribe to have access to them so I will not be rating them.
JOYSTiCK Reviews Ep. 21: ‘Keeper’ – It’s a Keeper!
By: Daniel Kendle
Hey guys, welcome back to JOYSTiCK Reviews, nominee and winner at the 2025 Webby Awards for ‘Best Reason to Switch Browsers.’ I’m flattered, honestly; it feels good to beat IGN’s decades-long win streak.
‘Keeper’ is a light puzzle-platformer released for Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2025. You play as a sentient lighthouse exploring an island, all the while accompanied by a green bird friend. I emphasize the “light” used in both genre descriptions, as ‘Keeper’ primarily focuses on art design, atmosphere, and story. It’s a dialogue-less story, told through lucid imagery and sights.
But how good is the game at telling this story? Does the lack of language hinder this game, or help it? Should we have cast Sam Rockwell as a sentient lighthouse after all? As always, let’s find out.
. . .
‘Keeper’ has a runtime of around 3-4 hours, per my estimations. As such, it’s a bit hard to discuss the story thoroughly without delving into mild spoilers. While I won’t be giving away the climax and ending, I’ll still be mentioning key plot moments throughout my review.
The game follows a typical 3-act structure, loosely-akin to the Hero’s Journey story outline. You begin the game on the beach, learning to control your limbs as you walk around the shore of the lighthouse. You then meet this green bird who’d just escaped this evil magic energy, and after teaming up, the 2 of you head into the thick of the island to find a way to stop the magic’s spread.
After that introduction, the game’s plot mostly sticks to a location-by-location chain of events. Events in the story are usually tied to the area you’re in: for example, you eventually come across this town themed around automatons and the sun and moon. Here, you have to solve puzzles to open a locked path that prevents you from continuing forward.
This is a solid way to structure a wordless story, in my opinion. Having plot events control what the characters do instead of the other way ‘round helps keep the pace steady throughout. It also prevents instances of the characters having to somehow try to convey information without speaking, a task harder than it may seem. Emotions are instead at the forefront of the lighthouse and bird’s arc, a much easier area of storytelling to show without speaking.
Each area in the game serves to progress both the main duo’s bond and their reason to find the source of the dark magic. Throughout the many habitats, instances of the energy (represented with swarms of insects) scuttle around in recesses and crannies, scattering with your presence. As their presence grows with time spent on your voyage, your drive to eradicate them grows in tandem. That, and your friendship with the bird, and the eventual chick it raises.
I’ll stop here to not spoil the ending, but the second half of this game goes in a very weird, quirky direction. While it did get tedious at points, the end result is an experience unlike little else from this year. The final scene right before the credits was my particular favorite, letting psychedelic elements of past scenes come full-circle. It’s absurd, yes, but that’s what makes ‘Keeper’s’ story work so well.
The graphics are also lovely to look at, and the game probably has my favorite art direction of 2025. Environments are delicately-designed and detailed, leaving little to no speck of the map unpolished. Some parts of the game – vistas in particular – led to me sitting for a moment, admiring the view. When a game allows the player such liberties like these, it’s truly special.
The character design is top-notch, too. The lighthouse and bird have very charming, cartoony appearances that synergize with the bizarre world they inhabit. They’re well animated, too – another plus on top of this game’s visuals. Everything in the game is well-animated, actually! Flora and fauna have plenty of life to them, shown through interesting and eye-catching movements. I mentioned earlier that dark magic is represented through flying swarms of bugs, which is a unique way to visualize “evil energy.”
As you can see, ‘Keeper’ thrives on its presentation and storytelling. But does it falter anywhere? Well, there is one aspect of the game I find lacking: the puzzles. Most are inconsequential, small affairs that don’t extend to more beyond simple roadblocks. Solving them doesn’t grant a “eureka!” moment, instead a mild satisfaction from being able to keep progressing the story. They aren’t bad necessarily, but definitely lackluster compared to surrounding parts of the game. In my humble opinion, they could’ve had a bit more love shown onto them.
That’s a mild complaint, however. To conclude, ‘Keeper’ is a lovely game, one with a heavy focus on immersion and atmosphere. It handles these areas expertly, crafting a brief, magical experience that cements itself among 2025’s best games. I give it an 8/10, and urge you to check it out if you haven’t.
‘Keeper’ is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 