Keen Demo

Saving the world from evil forces is a common theme in video games, but it can get pretty stale after a while if the writers do not add anything new or interesting to the story. It’s also important to present the plot in an intriguing way to captivate the players, otherwise they might get bored before the good part comes up. To top things off, there’s also the gameplay to consider, so the overall task is quite challenging.

Keen is a part action, part puzzle and part strategy game in which you play as a young girl trying to save the world from an evil corporation. The game features simple gameplay mechanics and colorful graphics, but the difficulty level is quite high, especially after you deal with the introductory stages. In short, the goal is to clear levels by killing every enemy and navigating a maze at the same time.

Kim is the main character of the game, and she has to ability to dash forward using her magic sword and take out all the enemies that stand in front of her. Unfortunately, she cannot stop dashing until she reaches a wall, which makes the mechanics a lot more challenging. Hence, it’s important to calculate your moves beforehand, because you also have to navigate the maze at the same time.

Although a gamepad is recommended to get the most out of the game, you can enjoy it with a keyboard as well, given the fact that the action is not particularly fast-paced. You can actually move as quickly as you wish, but it’s not mandatory in order to pass most of the levels. There are powerful items you can find along the way, as well as special abilities that can be unlocked later on.

Boss fights are part of the experience as well, and the encounters usually precede an environment change, since there are quite a few of them. Besides classic dungeons, you also get to visit catacombs, laboratories and military bases, where you find different types of enemies. The graphics reflect the changes as well, so boredom is out of the question in this regard.

In the end, Keen has all the right elements required in order to keep you busy for a few hours, and it’s actually enjoyable enough over multiple playthroughs as well. Hence, the combination of action, strategy and adventure should be a sure hit with most players.