Filip Brož It's probably no surprise that I'm an iOS game lover. On the contrary, I play games on the MacBook very sporadically. When I actually start playing something, it has to be worth it. Recently, I was just browsing the selection of titles on Steam and I was interested in the Czech dungeon crawler The Keep from the Cinemax studio. I tried the demo and it was clear. The Keep is a tribute to the good old dungeons led by the legendary Legend of Grimrock series.
The game was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS console. Three years later, the developers also released it on PC. It's nothing new, but it's worth mentioning anyway. Stepping dungeons are a subgenre of role-playing games. In practice, it looks like the environment is divided into squares along which the protagonist moves. I remember in elementary school when we played similar games we used checkered paper to draw a map on. It was easy to get caught in some magical trap, from which we searched for an exit for several hours.
Luckily, I didn't have a similar incident with The Keep. I like that the game is not difficult at all. Passionate players can finish it even in one afternoon. However, I personally enjoyed the game and tried to find as many secret stashes, spells and items as possible. In the case of old walking dungeons, I was also used to taking some companions to help me, i.e. a group of characters with different focus. At The Keep, I'm on my own.
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In the beginning, you start out as an ordinary person who decided to kill the villain Watrys, who looted the powerful crystals and captured the villagers. The story takes place between individual levels, of which there are ten in total. You start in the castle premises, from which you can reach the dungeons and the deep underground. Different types of enemies await you around every corner, from rats and spiders to knights in armor and other monsters.
Along the way, you slowly improve your character, not only from the point of view of weapons, armor, but mainly abilities. Combat and magic are the most important, and you have to improve your strength, intelligence and dexterity as you play. These affect the amount of mana, health and stamina. You can also choose to focus more on melee or magic. Personally, a combination of both has paid off for me. Each enemy is treated differently, some will fall to the ground when hit by a fireball, others will be knocked down by a well-aimed headshot.
To move in The Keep, you use the navigation bar, where the hero moves step by step. In the combat system, you also have to think about how to make sure that someone doesn't corner you by accident. Definitely don't be afraid to back up, swerve to the side, and replenish your precious life in the process. In the end, it's up to you whether you become a bloody warrior who cuts your way or a powerful sorcerer.
You invoke spells and combat with moves on the board, and you also cast magical runes. You have to compose them as needed. Again, I advise you to have everything prepared in advance. Once the enemy is engaged, there is a lot to do. I played The Keep on a MacBook Pro and initially used only the touchpad for control. However, in the third level I realized that I am not that fast, so I reached for the mouse. Combinations of attacks and spells take practice and practice. Luckily, there's a simple tutorial to get you started.
The graphics will please all fans of the nineties and the old style. Each level is riddled with various secret hideouts that contain valuable treasures. They can save you a lot of trouble in the end, so definitely don't ignore them. However, you have to notice the details on the walls. The Keep is also provided with Czech subtitles. The game can thus be enjoyed even by people without adequate knowledge of English vocabulary. The icing on the cake is the resolution of up to 4K, which you can set every time you start. That way I properly ventilated my MacBook and I couldn't do without a charger while playing.
After each completed level, you will be shown a table with statistics, i.e. how many enemies you managed to kill and what you discovered. You can then choose whether you want to continue or research for a while. The Keep also offers a bit of a trickier puzzle here and there, but it's definitely not over the top like the Legend of Grimrock series.
Each item in the game usually has a purpose, including a simple stone or beam that will serve you in heavy darkness. You can adjust the pace of the game as you like, and you can save every step immediately. You never know what awaits you around the corner. The music and detailed graphics are also pleasant. The offer of spells and magical runes is also varied, from which you will definitely choose some favorites. I can recommend The Keep to both seasoned and complete beginners. If you are interested in the game, you can buy it on Steam for a solid 15 euros. I guarantee you it's money well invested.
[appbox steam 317370]
