Under Microsoft's management, Double Fine has created their most peculiar game to date, with future projects promising even greater risks: "More daring endeavors lie ahead for us"
Double Fine, the renowned game development studio, known for its unique and creative titles, has announced its latest project - Keeper. This game, acquired by Microsoft in 2019, is set to be unlike any other in Double Fine's portfolio.
Despite the acquisition, Tim Schafer, the studio's founder, assured fans that this wouldn't impact the kind of projects Double Fine made. However, the focus on Microsoft's GamePass has had an impact, allowing Double Fine to be more creative, take more risks, and produce games for the platform.
James Spafford, the director of marketing and communications at Double Fine, stated that this focus on GamePass allows for more experimentation and less pressure to choose mainstream games. This is a significant advantage, as it ensures that Double Fine's more niche experiences are less in competition with more mainstream, broad appeal offerings.
Keeper, one of the new projects, is visually and conceptually unlike any other game. The game features a living lighthouse as the protagonist, accompanied by a mutant bird friend. In some sections of the game, the lighthouse can control the flow of time, reversing back to past events or fast-forwarding to the future. In other sections, the lighthouse gets covered in sticky candy floss, allowing it to float through the air across bubblegum fields.
The living lighthouse's light beam causes changes in the environment, such as making rock creatures withdraw or forcing back shadowy tentacles. The gameplay in Keeper is described as lightweight, with only simple puzzles and gentle wandering.
Robin Valentine, formerly the editor of PC Gamer magazine, is writing about Keeper. Robin, who has a lifelong love of PC gaming, is channeling his devotion into writing features, news, reviews, and hot takes for the website. He expresses hope that Keeper will have the 'wow' moments he is looking for.
However, Robin also has concerns about whether the new, weirder era of Double Fine will lead to better games. Citing previous games with strong ideas but undercooked mechanics, he suggests that if Keeper does not meet his expectations, he may not enjoy this new era of Double Fine.
Meanwhile, other developers, such as the team behind Hardspace: Shipbreaker, are also benefiting from the freedom offered through Game Pass. This freedom allows them to implement their peculiar ideas and plan several games within the same universe.
With GamePass, players can try out games without the risk of buying them first, which frees up Double Fine to create more unusual and experimental games. As we await the release of Keeper, it's clear that Double Fine is continuing to embrace its creative freedom with unique ideas.
