Cave Coaster
Cave Coaster
Game
Game2017
The Keep
Developer CINEMAX GAMES
The Keep is a role-playing video game developed and published by Cinemax. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
147 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Oct 29, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
60
Fresh
53 positive · 36 negative
95% range 49–69%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 53 | 36 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 7 | 5 | 43 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 1 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
55 of 92 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
60% recommend · 53 yes, 36 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 89 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (133 of 190 positive).
Players say The Keep is a competent but unremarkable dungeon crawler reminiscent of Legend of Grimrock. [1][2][3] Some find it too short and limited by a single save file and inability to revisit levels. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
This game feels like a mobile game port, but actually it's a Nintendo 3DS port. It might be a decent game on handhelds, and it might be even a decent game on mobile devices in the future, but on PC with so much competition and quality games, I can't really recommend it. Good Magic system - creating spells from runewords is kinda standard. But placing them into a grid yourself is awesome, and I absolutely loved it. …
- [12]
Controls were just too clunky and swipe-to-fight mechanics just not good on pc. The graphics were OK but the gameplay is stultifying.
- [1]
The Keep could flippantly be described as Legend of Grimrock Lite. It's a first-person, grid-based dungeon crawler with a single character and real-time combat. If you're looking for Might & Magic-style turn-based combat, you have the wrong game. The DNA on this one goes back to Dungeon Master. The Keep is a decent length, you could likely finish it in under 10 hours unless you're looking for all the secrets. You …
- [2]
This is one of those games where I'd really like there to be an "OK but not great" button. There isn't anything in this game that isn't done better by Legend of Grimrock, so if you loved that game then this would be a decent budget version. It's OK, it's not bad. The gameplay is OK, it's not great. Buy this game and you will be OK
- [3]
Competent dungeon crawler. While not as good as Grimrock, still a welcome addition to the genre. Has cool rune system for casting magic and directional hit system with melee. Both quite good.
Summarised from 34 of the 136 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
The crowd is split on The Keep: 53 recommend it, 36 don't. Which camp are you in?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game has received generally positive reviews from critics. The average review score is 77% NintendoDojo gave the game 83%. It praised the gameplay, most notably the combat system. The challenging difficulty and puzzles also got a positive response. On the other hand, it criticised the lack of an automatic save feature and level design as every room looked the same. RPG Fan marked the game as a miniature clone of Legend of Grimrock but rated it positively at 70%.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 147 · most liked firstThe Keep could flippantly be described as Legend of Grimrock Lite. It's a first-person, grid-based dungeon crawler with a single character and real-time combat. If you're looking for Might & Magic-style turn-based combat, you have the wrong game. The DNA on this one goes back to Dungeon Master. The Keep is a decent length, you could likely finish it in under 10 hours unless you're looking for all the secrets. You can add another hour or two to that by forgetting to hit Quicksave (F5, by the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game feels like a mobile game port, but actually it's a Nintendo 3DS port. It might be a decent game on handhelds, and it might be even a decent game on mobile devices in the future, but on PC with so much competition and quality games, I can't really recommend it. Good Magic system - creating spells from runewords is kinda standard. But placing them into a grid yourself is awesome, and I absolutely loved it. You're trying to cram as many useful spells into the grid as possible,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pam Grier, John Cusack and more run the con game, Seijun Suzuki and Michael Mann take us to the underworld and The Keep, and Jennifer Lopez collabs with Tarsem in 4K in our latest Shelf Life highlights from Katie Rife. boxd.it/2nk
neutral · AI labelView post →The review will be updated soon! From the first hour of gameplay I must say that the game is nice. It makes you feel like you are back in old days of Dungeon Master 1. Graphic is OK. Gameplay is OK for the port from 3DS. Temporarily SCORE is 70 / 100. Full review soon! https://tdgameclub.com
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Keep Driving demo is back online! We're taking part (and nominated) in @indiecade.bsky.social starting today! If you're one of the 140k people who wishlisted our game (🔥holy shit!!🔥) but didn't get to play the demo during Next Fest, now is your chance! #steam #indiegame #kjeepdriving
neutral · AI labelView post →I enjoyed this game as a fan of other dungeon crawls of this style, the exploration is interesting, the graphics are simple, the battles take some thinking, but not much different than others of this type, gear is easy to find if you make sure to clear the levels... and at the end of each level it scores you for secrets and monster kills, if you leave without 100% there is no going back, door up is locked. Some nice features... many of the monsters eat/drink/cast to heal, if you don't stop them…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of those games where I'd really like there to be an "OK but not great" button. There isn't anything in this game that isn't done better by Legend of Grimrock, so if you loved that game then this would be a decent budget version. It's OK, it's not bad. The gameplay is OK, it's not great. Buy this game and you will be OK
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Controls were just too clunky and swipe-to-fight mechanics just not good on pc. The graphics were OK but the gameplay is stultifying.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just finished this game and i am rly happy, sad and frustrated at same time. I bought this game because I am DM generation kid and 2nd reason was to support our Czech developer team (i bought it on sale .. shame on me). So let me say a bit about my experience. Pros: Clasic oldschool dungeon crawler. Story is told in nice and gentle way after every level. Easy to play. Fights, magic, secrets .. petty much everything you want from game like this. Cons: Most frustrating thing about this game is,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →!!RELEASE DATE ANNOUCEMENT!! Keepers of the Keep is releasing in early access on June 12, 2026! Wishlist the game today to get notified when it launches at the start of the summer! 🎲✨
neutral · AI labelView post →I wasn't upset about Veilguard not using the Keep, especially since the devs intended for the new game not to contradict past player choices. The big reason I wasn't so bothered about it is most choices didn't matter anyway save for a specific few & they never changed the plot of the next game.
neutral · AI labelView post →it's funny that they put vertin in a shooting-like game in the Keep PV considering she managed to shoot schneider right into where her heart is supposed to be assuming that she's someone who held a gun for the first time
neutral · AI labelView post →I was really looking forward to this game too. Well I have to say that this game is really bad, I mean bad. I have a lot of dungeon crawlers games like, LoG and LoG2, The fall of the dungeon, Dungeon Kingdom and The deep paths. just to name a few. The Keep needs a lot of help as of right now, yes I know it's EA but still not worth the price they are asking for. Sorry guy's wait untill price drop.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Co-op dungeon crawler Barony gets a big free expansion with the Keep Your Secrets update
neutral · AI labelView post →The Good The game has an interesting spell system where you arrange magic runes on a checkerboard and then draw lines over these runes to cast spells. It works fairly well and allows some creativity on how you place the runes to make certain spell combination work. Combat is real time, you draw lines which attack specific parts of the target, depending where they were drawn. By attacking, you get combo points which let you execute a combo by drawing a more complicated line. The Bad You only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On my mind because our Friday night game has finally left the Keep and are en route to the Dales, so our GM has prompted us for our wishlist, which has in turn lead to my closest read of the 5.5 magic items to date, and my impression has been (mostly) positive.
positive · AI labelView post →The Keep Driving soundtrack is something I absolutely fuck with, actually. I don't normally care for game soundtracks but this is stellar.
positive · AI labelView post →I'm not that worried about EA decommissioning the DAI PS3 servers. I'll probably make a couple of extra Inquisitors on xbox and PS just in case they eventually ditch the Keep, but...my first playthrough was without the Keep and I still loved the game. Nothing will keep me from DAI 😌
neutral · AI labelView post →TL;DR: Not recommended unless you : A - Get this for almost free B - Are a hardcore dungeon crawler C - PICK UP EVERY ITEM IN THE GAME AND BRING IT WITH YOU I play a lot of this style of game and, generally, love them. For $1.99, you bet I was going to check this out. It's a simplistic but pretty and reasonably streamlined game with a few frustrating quirks and generally poor level design. There is almost no handholding here - The Keep seems to assume that you are familiar with this type of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got a chance to interview @kinja.bsky.social here! Great conversation about game development, queerness, and the process of releasing their latest game, Keepers of the Keep! youtu.be/emPY2QCCLjw
neutral · AI labelView post →I originally down voted this game after playing the demo, because of the clunky "mouse swiping" battle system, but I had to get it on sale for $3.74! I cannot complain. I just played for almost an hour and didn't even know that much time had passed. I like it much better after minimizing all the windows that can be on screen at once. I didn't know you could do that when playing the demo. It sure helps gameplay immersion! The nicest feature is the ability to save the game at anytime! You do…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Altina learning that she too is capable of feeling emotions through the entire game only for her to feel jealousy when picking Tita in the Keep chapter 4 /j
neutral · AI labelView post →The Kickstarter: Take II for Keepers of the Keep is LIVE!!! If you know a friend, creator, or community that would like this game and likes dope ass physical merch for indie games, then TELL EM ABOUT IT! Support the campaign RIGHT NOW!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/kin...
neutral · AI labelView post →Genuinely amazing to watch The Keep in a proper transfer and not some decrepit rip that looks like there visual equivalent of a game of telephone. Still obviously Mann’s weakest but now I can enjoy all the exploding Nazis in their full glory.
neutral · AI labelView post →A sweet dungeon crawler in the vein of Grimrock, if you liked that game you will surely enjoy this one. Pros: Cool magic system Puzzles and secrets Cons: A bit short (~6 hours)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →F. Paul Wilson's THE KEEP as a survival horror video game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Keepers of the Keep (Demo) Developed by KINJAKO 🎲 The game has a currently running Kickstarter campaign that concludes on June 18th.
neutral · AI labelView post →Looking for a last minute Christmas gift? @vortexbooksncomics.bsky.social has the board game for the Michael Mann film (based on the F. Paul Wilson novel) THE KEEP. Ages 10 and up! Fun for the whole family!
neutral · AI labelView post →This is a good game, if I was playing on a touch screen. Its hard to do the zig zag of the combat system with the mouse. Its doable just a lot of restarts. It seems random if your spell or melee will work or be blocked. But if you want a hard dungeon crawler - buy this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game itself is mediocre, gameplay is ok, but hardest impact makes the fighting system, you can make basic melee, but doing complex is almost impossible. The game has been ported from Nintendo 3DS, but I think the group has lacked skill to do it properly on PC, for example you can create the pattern needed for the melee combo, but game doesn't register, so they could have left it off and use simple button to unleash the power, second the lack of mana and stamina hinders all combat in hard…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Because of the clunky controls for combat, I really can't recommend this game on PC. It's a great game on 3DS though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you loved the old school style dungeon explorers then try this, realy good fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Panthers are bringing back an all-timer on Sunday. Early team kick returner and special teamer Michael Bates is the Legend of the Game, and will hit the Keep Pounding drum going into the fourth quarter. He's one of four All-Decade players in team history. www.panthers.com/news/legend-...
neutral · AI labelView post →TOMORROW'S THE BIG DAY!✨ You can follow the Kickstarter for Keepers of the Keep RIGHT NOW! The campaign goes live TOMORROW, where you can support the development of the rest of the game! Check out the link and stay updated!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/kin...
neutral · AI labelView post →You can probably take the Keep as is & plop it into any game. At the very least you could take the layout & populate it with unique characters & goings-on of your own imagination to create a stronghold unique to your own game.
neutral · AI labelView post →YouTube recommending me a video that's like "Why Veilguard doesn't feel like a Dragon Age Game" SHut uppppp we KNOW why, it's because they abandoned the Keep and the fighting is a LOT more involved than in any other game, that's why Veilguard's still a great game
positive · AI labelView post →This game comes highly recommended. And yes, I have finished it. See my indepth review at: http://crpgrevisited.blogspot.se/2017/04/the-keep-review.html
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really good game for all dungeon crawler oldschool . A good port from the early 3ds version. Very good ctrl for the pc version. If u like game like Dungeon master, Eye of the beholder but with a real time combat this game is for you ! And for the little price its a a real bargain :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm glad I paid around 2€ for this. It's an abandoned poorly made port that takes about 10-15 hours to finish. You can't even see or re-bind the controls. The mouse lags a lot and it only improves if you lower the graphics quality. If you missed something, you cannot go back to a previous level/chapter. I missed 2 secrets in 30+ and I'd have to start the game from the beginning if I wanted that achievement. Saving and loading dont always seem to work as intended, in my case. The puzzles are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They should have really called it “Tiny Keep”. Except TinyKeep game is already a thing and it's even presented in Steam (no, it's not good either, don't start looking for it). But still, this “keep” is so tiny that it's hard not to think about that. Only ten little floors, which can be finished in about five hours. Let's just say that for $14.99 / £12.99 I've totally expected more. Way more, actually. The Keep is one of those games that end up leaving you with “Wait, that's it? That was the end…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Keep is a grid-based dungeon crawler (think Legend of Grimrock) originally released on the 3DS. As opposed to the four-man party in LoG, with each character having a speciality, there is only one-character here of a generic class. Pros: Game is short enough. Rune system for casting magic is unique and fun. Cons: Character attributes are boring. At level-up you get three skill points to spend on strength (life, melee damage), dexterity (health regen, stamina for melee swings), and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This dungeon crawler is a port from Nintendo 3DS and this explain why game have strange controls. Unfortunately this doesn't explain why this game is so boring and bland. Legend of Grimrock is better in every possible scenario.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A little Dungeon Crawler game nasty developed. The graphics of monsters are middling and backgrounds are rude: few varieties of walls with the same module design each; so places looks very dull because there are barely furniture or decorative motives: most are empty. At least runs without bugs. The mechanics is too simple: player has 3 parameters wich can be upgrade by experience levels like any action-RPG, but there isn't skills; max level is 10, thats all. The combat system is original,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There's an age old saying that applies to this game - Keep it simple, stupid. At every turn the designers found unnecessarily convoluted ways to program how combat and magic works, making for the most awkward playthrough.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Am I the only person not able to connect Inquisition to the Keep? I was trying to make a new game save but it would only give me the default option. Keep is working for me & I was logged in for the game but custom state option wasn't available.
negative · AI labelView post →Something that strikes me here is it would get rid of shared experiences. Like people being mad at the end of Mass Effect, or everyone who's played it reminiscing about the Keep on the Borderlands. If every game I have is personalized to the nth degree, that's gone.
neutral · AI labelView post →I ran a The Keep 2 game at grogmeet as a sequel to The Keep. It was a lot of fun. (though stressful)
positive · AI labelView post →It's only the PS3 multiplayer servers, which I honestly forgot the game even had multiplayer. It'll be a dark day when the Keep servers go down though.
neutral · AI labelView post →This Saturday at 1pm is our Guildford Game Workers Social! Join us at the Keep pub for drinks, snacks and games! Non-members are welcome, as are folks from outside Guildford who are up for the trip! Register for free here: luma.com/r6kqe5cl
neutral · AI labelView post →remembered today about the board game based on THE KEEP (1983)... I must play it some day
neutral · AI labelView post →https://youtu.be/C7nosiOB23Y Heavy signs of mobile development weakens the desktop play feel.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great concept but I think the swipe to attack mechanic is better on a small touch screen then using a mouse.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This looked promising and fun because i relaly enjoy dungeon crawlers, but this its really a big let down. The controls are kinda clunky and the swipe fighting mechanic is so awkward. The music is enjoyable along with the visuals other than that i really cant stand playing this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The keep also doesn't seem to recognize pt's that have been modded, so if you use game mods your choices need to be manually picked, which I did anyway because the Keep is prickly in general.
neutral · AI labelView post →Did you know there’s a “The Keep” board game? boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/97...
neutral · AI labelView post →A very interesting game. Had to get use to the controls and the fighting mechanics. Decided to do something silly and walked into a spike trap :(
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a 3d-grid dungeon crawler that is linear and not very immersive. You have ten levels to run thru, three stats to dump points into, three weapon types that produce three different weapon combo attacks. I think there are maybe 4 or 5 different types of monsters. The first time I played thru on hard. The second time I did it on ironman mode but on easy just to grab all the achievements. I felt it was better on ironman mode as you actually had to restart the level if you mess up.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Competent dungeon crawler. While not as good as Grimrock, still a welcome addition to the genre. Has cool rune system for casting magic and directional hit system with melee. Both quite good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm trying to play Dragon Age Inquisition, the game (on any platform linked to an account) can't connect to the Keep at all and EA support, after dumping a solution on me to test have left me with an 'issue isn't supported by advisor's' message?? Are world states now unplayable w'out mods??
negative · AI labelView post →Agreed. The Keep is exporting, but nothing is talking to the game. I really hope an easy world state builder (with the lack of AI help) gets made. The older world save editor is what I use, but I understand why that would be an overwhelming option for some.
negative · AI labelView post →
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