The Keep

 3DS
The Keep Image
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 24 Ratings

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  • Summary: First-person dungeon crawler. Real-time combat. Rune magic. Fire, Ice and Lightning.

    Enter the Keep as an unsung hero on a quest to destroy the nefarious wizard Watrys. Explore the subterranean depths in this first-person dungeon crawler featuring real-time combat, a unique rune magic    First-person dungeon crawler. Real-time combat. Rune magic. Fire, Ice and Lightning.

    Enter the Keep as an unsung hero on a quest to destroy the nefarious wizard Watrys. Explore the subterranean depths in this first-person dungeon crawler featuring real-time combat, a unique rune magic system, exploration, and puzzle solving. This game will awaken memories of what made old-school RPG dungeons so much fun to play while you fight, hunt for hidden treasures, and avoid deadly traps. Get to know your enemies, find their weaknesses, and crush them. Experiment with magic to discover powerful spells. Only the strongest will survive.

    To defeat the seemingly undefeatable Watrys, you will need to level up your character and find powerful armor and weapons. The game controls were designed with a stylus in mind so mastering both sword and magic is a fun and intuitive experience.

    Do you have what it takes to stand against such evil? Then dont procrastinate and enter. The Keep awaits you...    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Nintendojo
    Oct 7, 2014
    83
    The touch screen combat is intuitive, the difficulty makes every battle interesting, and the levels are expertly crafted by the developers at Cinemax Games.
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 12, 2014
    80
    Well thought dungeons and elegantly utilized interface makes for a fun old-school romp. [Issue#246]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Nintendo Life
    Sep 29, 2014
    80
    Fans of classic-style dungeon crawls who appreciate some thought with their questing should add an -er to the end of this title.
  4. Brash Games
    Apr 6, 2016
    80
    The Keep is an engrossing, pocket-sized dungeon-crawler that, despite being somewhat overly familiar, is a genuine pleasure to play. If you’re on the look-out for a healthy dose of nostalgia, or hankering for a slow, methodical crawl through the cruel, dark depths of arachnid-infested dungeons, then The Keep may well be just what the witch doctor ordered.
  5. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 30, 2014
    75
    It might not be for everyone, but if you’re hankering for a good old-fashioned dungeon crawler, it’s a Nintendo 3DS eShop game worth checking out.
  6. FNintendo
    Oct 14, 2014
    70
    There's certainly a lot of qualities in The Keep and the game is not without its charms but there also seems to be an overall feeling of repetitiveness and lack of originality regarding other dungeon crawling titles.
  7. Cubed3
    Nov 23, 2014
    70
    The Keep is one of those games that is more than the sum of its parts. It does not sport the fanciest graphics out there and does not impress in any particular area, but all of its ingredients put together work in a sort of alchemy more powerful than the spells it presents in-game.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. benneh
    Sep 13, 2014
    10
    Good game, well made, clever design, good use of 3D, nice combat. feels like a cross between carmack's orcs and elves and legend of grimrockGood game, well made, clever design, good use of 3D, nice combat. feels like a cross between carmack's orcs and elves and legend of grimrock with some unique elements. love it so far.… Expand
  2. fakt00r
    Apr 15, 2015
    9
    The Keep is a well made dungeon crawler on the 3DS. It's very atmospheric and I loved to search for all secrets within the chapters. TheThe Keep is a well made dungeon crawler on the 3DS. It's very atmospheric and I loved to search for all secrets within the chapters. The combat system is good and works well.… Expand
  4. zhurah
    Sep 21, 2014
    9
    Nice game, reviews above pretty much describe what I think myself ) Also a warm nostalgy like you are playing an old pc dungeon crawler, butNice game, reviews above pretty much describe what I think myself ) Also a warm nostalgy like you are playing an old pc dungeon crawler, but enjoyable if you even never play any of it. And not expensive!… Expand
  5. Twiffler
    Sep 12, 2014
    9
    If you ever played shadow gate on the gameboy then you should be prepared for this title. I have only played about a hour and a half andIf you ever played shadow gate on the gameboy then you should be prepared for this title. I have only played about a hour and a half and enjoyed it. First off, the difficulty is well paced, plus it does have different settings even the ones to satisfy those hardcore player. The exploration feels genuine with not much guidelines for where to go, this can be a frustrating if done wrong, but so far its been a pleasure to look around. Now about the combat system, at first it is unusual with the real time fighting, but with the movement of a turn based rpg. Though it takes no time to get used to and finding out all the combat has to offer even with the real time action limitations for complex setups. I can see the potential from early on with all the different combo that can be put together. A few side notes I thought was interesting is that there is voice acting, not the best but the tone that they set works great. The option to save any wheres kinda makes it less "risky" to go places of the unknown, without that extra risk to be taken there is less consequence to be had, but there is option to remove that so no problem there. In conclusion this game is perfect for those looking for a dungeon crawlers with some challenge.… Expand
  6. Rtheom
    Jan 25, 2015
    6
    I wanted to like this game, I really did, but I kinda lost all faith when every enemy in the game mysteriously gained a self-heal ability thatI wanted to like this game, I really did, but I kinda lost all faith when every enemy in the game mysteriously gained a self-heal ability that it could use infinitely to counteract all of my attacks.

    The graphics aren't the greatest, but that's hardly necessary for fun. What is necessary and fails horribly are the touch screen controls. Spellcasting is fine, you just trace some runes on the screen, but I found the melee combat touchy at best. Far too often I'd swing and miss my enemy 5 or 6 times in a row, and I just couldn't grasp why it would only let me use the on-screen combos at random times. Maybe I missed something in the tutorial, but whatever it was, I couldn't figure it out.

    The story is a pretty standard "evil-guy-is-evil" plot, and the voice acting was a nice touch, but it feels like they spent more time on that than actually putting the game together, like they were trying to make up for what they knew the game lacked. Some of the level designs are kind of inventive and fun, but there's an equal measure of dull to most of them.

    I'd recommend passing up this sub-par effort and just finding an old copy of Orcs and Elves. It was pretty much the same game minus the fiddly touch-screen mess and plus a lot more fun overall.    … Expand
  7. kosterix
    Apr 5, 2021
    1
    The Keep. Play the demo to get an idea.
    You expected Dungeon Master for Atari.
    You instead get an unplayable game where you get stuck b/c of    The Keep. Play the demo to get an idea.
    You expected Dungeon Master for Atari.
    You instead get an unplayable game where you get stuck b/c of the controls, the menu system is unwieldy, which is a tough feat to achieve on a 3ds.
    It utterly sucks. Playing it is depressing, and for the wrong reasons.
    AVOID!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best 3DS Game of 2014
33
#33 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2014
18
#18 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2014