This game was originally covered as part of our Nindie Round Up series that sought to give coverage to a wider breadth of Switch eShop games beyond our standard reviews. In an effort to make our impressions easier to find, we're presenting the original text below in our mini-review format.

A dungeon crawler with a retro influence, the mechanics of The Keep might seem a tad daunting at first, but once you’re established, it becomes a fairly fun romp that experiments with its tropes. A port of the 2014 3DS game, it has a decent magic system but is hindered in equal measure by a slightly clunky combat system.

The gameplay is largely a success, with clever level design being a clear highlight. The story, however, is incredibly stock and uninteresting, especially when narrated through poorly-acted cutscenes. Additionally, the decision to make the character an unnamed male avatar without any kind of character creation is disappointing.

The objective of each level is your standard dungeon crawler fare, as you defeat enemies to reach the dungeon’s end while grabbing as much gear and collectibles as you can for the next stage. Helpfully, The Keep gives you the opportunity to go back and clean up anything you might’ve missed the first time over, telling you how many items, enemies, and other objectives remain when you reach its end.

As for the interface, the use of pop-up windows for your magic, map, and inventory is a great feature that allows for hotkeys that make for a much simpler alternative to continuously pulling up the main menu. However, many of The Keep’s best features tend to feel like they’d be optimised for PC and the use of a mouse. This becomes clear during combat, which opts for a real-time, line drawing model, as opposed to other crawlers like Crimson Keep that take a more contemporary approach. This makes combat feel a little stilted, though, crucially, not unplayable once mastered. Perma-death can also be toggled on at the start of each playthrough to offer a challenge to more seasoned crawlers. However, only one save slot is frustrating.

The Keep’s aesthetic is simple, paying homage to its retro influences, such as the legendary Dungeon Master. The graphics are basic but serviceable and aid the nostalgic, retro vibe it aims for. The sound design is again, fine, but nothing spectacular, with fairly stock-sounding musical choices.

Overall, The Keep is fine; not the best in its league, but mechanically sound, if a tad sloppy in places. There is a great game in here, but its mediocre story and the occasional poor design decisions make it best left for true crawler enthusiasts.