How Kiefer Tells a Story Without Dialogue

concierge You'll soon become a fan of Double Fine's work, and one key aspect of the storytelling will help make it stand out. concierge It will give players a wordless story., Crossing the border between reality and dream-like surrealism.

It comes from the mind of Double Fine, the studio that developed games such as: Grim Fandango and psychopathA surreal title with light gameplay and surprising situations is coming. concierge You'll come across an abandoned lighthouse left in ruins long after the time of man, and along with the ability to walk and think, you'll have the desire to explore the mysteries of its dreamlike surroundings. Game Rant caught up with creative director Lee Petty to discuss how the team handled the challenges of wordless storytelling.

Double Fine's Keeper will tell the story without dialogue.

Keeper (2)

Going without communication, whether written or spoken, fits well into the video game tradition, dating back to early arcade games such as: table tennis. Previous video games were often accompanied by text, either through on-screen words or manual instructions, but it took some time for spoken dialogue to become the norm. But as the scope of storytelling in games expands, games that don't use words at all are increasingly neglected.

Petty addressed this issue in some ways, explaining how distinct the work is. concierge It has been compared to the following game series: psychopath. Plus, he talked more about starting a silent project and what it actually looks like.

“I think it was the beginning of the pandemic or something. There was definitely a quietness in the world during that time, although it wasn't necessarily pleasant for a lot of people. I thought it was right to capture that, and I really wanted to elevate the visual and auditory aspect because the sound effects and music in this game are fantastic. When someone loses their senses, it uplifts other people. It's kind of an idea. “If I push the reading side of my brain down a little bit, I can be more present in the world and more emotional than I think I am.”

Keeper (3)

Plus, Petty went on to discuss how the gameplay works. concierge We aimed for a silent approach. Petty explained that development wasn't as simple as adding or removing words, but rather wordless storytelling was built into the game almost from the ground up.

“We decided very early on that there would be no dialogue. I had some early therapy, including writing the dialogue, and probably trying to figure out how the lighthouse would speak. But I'm really glad we didn't. There are other games that don't have dialogue, but I think it gives it a really special feeling when you play it. concierge. Even the dramatic moments have an almost meditative feel. “This is an important ingredient for a unique experience.”

Dialogue has been eliminated from many games in recent years, but few have emphasized the concept as much as dialogue. concierge have. As Petty emphasizes the emotional resonance that comes from eschewing common conversational conventions, prospective fans can easily have the opposite experience. fortunately together concierge From day one of Game Pass, players will have quick access to games and an easy path to immerse themselves in the bizarre experience.


Keeper Tag Page Cover Art

system

PC-1

xbox-1


released

October 17, 2025

ESRB

Anyone over 10 years old / fantasy violence, animation blood

publisher

Xbox Game Studios

number of players

single player


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