Graveyard Keeper Review

A quick trip to the grocery store is a common occurrence. You grab a few things, perhaps a pot noodle or two, and head home. You don't make the journey home except in Graveyard Keeper. You're struggling through the torrential rain when you are inexplicably hit by a speeding vehicle. Accidents do happen. Things are about to get even more bizarre. Instead of being in a hospital, you wake up in an alternate dimension where you are told by a shadowy figure that you are a grave keeper. Are you confused? You don't need to worry. Your new job is here.

Although your origins are a mystery, you still have a job. There are new bodies that need to be buried. Forget about your past girlfriend and life. Gerry, your new friend, is a talking skull with amnesia who acts as your mentor and explains the different mechanics that you will need to succeed in this strange land. It's not all dark themes. This is a farming sim. Gerry enthusiastically explains how actions use energy, and that that energy can be replenished by eating or sleeping. This is your daily routine.

Speaking of days, Graveyard Keeper is split up into six of them, each represented by an accompanying symbol. As certain characters and actions cannot be accessed on the same day, you'll be taught how to track the sun's movements through the weekly calendar. You'll need to wait five days before you can catch them again. This is despite the fact that it doesn't seem as frustrating in real life, but it will still be a nuisance.

Once Donkey, your friend and talking communist donkey, has taught you the basics, it's time for you to explore. Although it's easy to assume this game is simple, don't let its small-town charm fool you. Graveyard Keeper offers a vast world that gradually opens up as you go through the story, with new characters and new areas to explore at every milestone.

The game uses a top-down perspective with classically-inspired, pixelated graphics. It is in line with recent success stories in the genre like Stardew Valley. However, the game has a darker tone than that which is appropriate given the subject matter. The game's colour palette is not all black and grey. However, there is a common motif of skulls, candles and cobwebs that are woven into its aesthetic to symbolise the game's occult theme. The game's unique aesthetic is carried over to the wonderful, varied soundtrack which manages to entertain despite the repetition.

Graveyard Keeper

Graveyard Keeper's core is based on a simple principle. To unlock the next item, you must progress to the next section of dialogue. This will allow you to unlock more resources and unlock additional items. It reflects the carrot-on stick style of unlocking system. This can allow for hours to go by without you ever remembering what you did. These traits are balanced very well with very few mistakes. It harnesses a style that helped popularize the genre on platforms such as Facebook, starting with their addictive Farmville series.

You can focus on the part of the game that interests you by adding depth to the work, sleep, repeat mentality. You can progress the story through multiple paths, although they achieve similar results. The final game is more complex with complicated alchemic combinations, and the discovery of the ultimate goal to create a portal back home. Graveyard Keeper is a complex game. It's not a short game.

The lack of details in the map and the inability to track quests is one thing that frustrates. The character descriptions are limited to a single task description before being transferred to the NPC screen. This is a simplified form that only states the goal and not how to accomplish it. It is impossible to create quest markers. The map also doesn't detail key areas, including your current location, which can cause confusion. It is easy to overlook entire areas and even key characters. You also don't have access the objective system to prioritize your goals. It is not unusual to spend days working on a task, only to realize that it was an insignificant side quest that has little to do with what you are trying to accomplish.

Graveyard Keeper

You will eventually learn to navigate your surroundings and overcome this lack of direction. You will be able to stockpile all your resources and find shortcuts to the most important areas of the map. This will make life so much easier. You'll find a natural rhythm that allows you to maximize your energy and make the best use of it. Graveyard Keeper's biggest hook is the desire to balance the spinning plates, which represent the game's management systems. This will give you the resources and currency to expand your ventures.

This game is a lot of grinding. You can find yourself in a fast-paced day and night cycle, where you only have enough time to see a few logs before you feel so exhausted that you need to go to sleep. However, the game tries to keep things interesting in a very unique way. You'll quickly find that you are not only the town graveyard keeper, but you will also be given additional roles that provide new gameplay opportunities. You soon become a preacher at the nearby church, where you will be holding Mass for the spiritually poor. After realizing that your presence in the reality is permanent, you become a dungeon crawler. This makes you more suitable for dangerous types of adventuring.

Graveyard Keeper

Despite all the distractions available, one thing will keep you going through the long and tedious steps of progress. It is the mystery that brought your to this point. The desire to find the answer is what keeps you going as you move towards the goal. This is the problem: The game doesn't feel like it was meant to be completed in this manner. The game's reward is not in completion.

Graveyard Keeper is an evolution from the mechanics that made Tamagotchis so popular. A never-ending loop of satisfaction lies in the seemingly simple refilling and management of digital creatures' lives. A Tamagotchi is the best Tamagotchi, it never ends. It is the mastery of its hidden systems that brings joy and perseverance that makes it enjoyable. Graveyard Keeper is similar. You won't be disappointed if you only want an anti-climatic end. Its brilliance shines through the daily mastery and management its systems in a fleeting, but satisfying experience of a productive life.