Keylocker Review

            I won’t pretend to fully comprehend everything going on in Keylocker. At its core the game is a scathing, if heavy-handed, critique of capitalism and the systems we create in the name of perpetuating the status quo, which you play by defeating your incredibly difficult adversaries in a grid-based, turn-based system. Keylocker is an incredible game.

            It’s also incredibly frustrating.

            I have one complaint about this game and that is its teeth-grinding difficulty, mostly due to the inconsistency of the parry mechanic. When an enemy flashes white as they attack you, you’re meant to press the block button, negating all damage. Failure to do so can, in some instances, lead to you being one-hit-killed. However, sometimes, the flash is not indicative of the actual timing, which can lead to hair-pulling, want-to-quit-the-game-in-pure-rage-and-frustration moments, like the boss of chapter 5 which pits you against 13 separate enemies with incredibly different timing.

            Luckily, the developers seem to know just how hard their game is, because the ability to restart a battle is available for free at any point. So if you find yourself struggling, just start from the top. This was crucial at certain points of the game, as more enemies spawn during battles and you find what had been acceptable play isn’t anymore when 3 new enemies spawn in partway through the battle. It encourages really learning both how to play the game and how to deal with individual enemies. It got to the point where just seeing an enemy’s design, I knew exactly what my next several moves would be, like playing chess.

            I enjoyed the diversity of classes in the game. You start with four options, and halfway through the game are able to upgrade to one of three new options (a combination of your current class and one of the three others you didn’t take). The story also accounts for this, with there being clear story paths that are only available for, for example, Hackers or Terminators. I played as a Sequencer, and I’m also certain there is a significant Sequencer subplot, but I also definitely missed it (possibly locking myself out by just blasting through the early Desert zone without ever returning to the previous areas).

            Worldbuilding in Keylocker in general is just an absolute masterclass. You start out not knowing anything and are dripfed information as you progress, allowing you to piece together who everyone is, what they mean to each other, and why anything is even happening for yourself. If you manage to tough it out to the end of the game, there’s a mandatory area that gives you a full breakdown of the world’s history, as well, though it’s not incredibly crucial to the plot (and you will have pieced together most of the broad strokes yourself if you’d been paying attention).

            The music in Keylocker is absolutely phenomenal, though I’d push back on it having “rhythm-game elements”. There are rhythm sections, I think four or five at major moments in the story, but you can never replay them and how well you perform doesn’t seem to have an impact on the story or game. You also fight with instruments, but only one of your attacks uses rhythm-based button presses. Still, music is a core feature of both the game and the story, and the music itself is fantastic enough to justify such significant presence.

            Finally, I’d be remiss to not to mention the gorgeous pixel art and standout, instantly recognizable character designs. From Bobo to Epimetheus to even more minor characters like Patricia, their artwork alone sets them apart from the other cast members. The writing and dialogue is also incredible, infusing each character with a personality all their own.

            Keylocker is a phenomenal game, one I’m glad to have pushed through to the end even as I struggled at certain points and restrained myself from breaking my keyboard in half at others. If you like RPG’s at all, you should play this game. You won’t regret it.