The Keep - Release Date: March 16

HiddenX

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The old school dungeon crawler The Keep will be released on March 16. The devs of The Keep - Cinemax - are known for Inquisitor:

The Keep is an old-school dungeon crawler with real-time combat.



The idea behind The Keep is very simple, to bring the essence and dark atmosphere of RPGs from the past for newcomers and fans of the genre alike.

In The Keep you will embark on a quest to explore caves and mines filled with monsters to slain and puzzles to solve underneath and surrounding tower of evil sorcerer. It won’t be easy, you will die. A lot!

Features


  • An old-school first-person dungeon crawler with a modern twist.
  • Exploring and puzzle solving — the caves and dungeons are full of surprises. There will be deadly traps, elaborate mechanisms guarding secret passages, trapdoors and treasures with powerful weapons and supplies.
  • Real-time combat — a battle against enemies with a gesture based combat, but swiping horizontally or diagonally is not enough. Defeating enemies means that you have to break their defences hitting the upper or lower body or focusing on their head.
  • Every enemy requires different strategy and every weapon class offers unique combos.
  • Rune magic — you can rearrange runes on a 5×4 board and then chain them together to cast powerful elemental magic (Fire, Ice or Lightning). Runes are scarce but there are a lot of spells, so be careful to pick the right combinations.
  • 3 difficulties. The Keep will offer something for newbies in the genre, seasoned adventurers and for those who like to tackle with proper challenge—every difficulty level will have a Permadeath option.
More information.
 
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I really enjoyed Inquisitor, despite its flaws. It had an incredibly unique story and atmosphere, which made up for its somewhat underwhelming combat and level design. None of those strengths seem to be at play here. This just looks like another Dungeon Master/Grimrock clone with only a single character.
 
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Another boring Grimrock clone. In a generic fantasy setting.
 
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After many years without Dungeon Master clones, I'm happy that this sub-genre is back.
 
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Was that...the pain sound from the original DOOM that I heard in there? :)

It's an attractive enough layout and presentation; although I would admittedly prefer a full party in this type of game. I'm not sure how dynamic and interesting the combat would be long-term but still, it is satisfying to see this genre getting some attention with the plethora of games now available, arguably somewhat inspired by the success of Grimrock.
 
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Inquisitor was fantastic! A MUSTPLAY. This one is skillfully done too, especially monster animations and particle effect rule. But after Grimrock and 7 Mages there is little left in this genre if the developer is unable to THinK OutSide of The BoX.
 
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I like this genre and its a definite purchase from me.
 
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Inquisitor was fantastic!
Wasn't Inquisitor mobrespawning boredom? I remember a game with that title where I couldn't force myself to play more than an hour. Steam refund option didn't exist (and even if it did, IIRC I have it on GOG).
 
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I'm a sucker for any game with magic gestures and sign-reading voiceovers
 
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Wasn't Inquisitor mobrespawning boredom?

Inquisitor had a great story with very nice RPG-choices and on top you had to use your head. Although, combat was so bad I stopped after act 2 me thinks. If it had turn-based combat with few but more meaningful fights it could have been a hidden gem at least.
 
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I never played Inquisitor but would be interested in The Keep. It would have been nice to be given a character gender choice.
 
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I never played Inquisitor but would be interested in The Keep.

After you finish The Keep I know of at least 10 another shameless clones. Or you can do yourself a favor and download the Master Quest for Grimrock I, maybe there's for the sequel as well.
 
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After you finish The Keep I know of at least 10 another shameless clones. Or you can do yourself a favor and download the Master Quest for Grimrock I, maybe there's for the sequel as well.
Thanks for the tip, I've played Grimrock and even have Stonekeep installed atm.
 
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Thanks for the tip, I've played Grimrock and even have Stonekeep installed atm.

If you haven't played Grimrock II yet, I can't recommend it highly enough. I loved the first one, but the second one plays with your expectations, adds fun outdoor areas, and includes multiple planes for combat encounters. It's basically an ace sequel.
 
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