From the beginning of when I saw the trailer, Keylocker had me hooked as a concept. It talked about having inspiration from games like Chrono Trigger, Mega Man Battle Network, and Final Fantasy VI.
Game Name: Keylocker
Platform(s): Xbox Series S|X (reviewed On Series X), PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Developer(s): Moonana
Publisher(s): Serenity Forge
Release Date: September 18th, 2024
Price: $19.99
Keylocker grabs you immediately with its charm and artistic aesthetic. Set in a captivating cyberpunk world, the game introduces Bobo, a doppelganger or a cyborg body downloaded with consciousness. Imprisoned for playing music—an act outlawed in this cyberpunk society—she discovers that her music can deplete or rejuvenate buildings and bodies by providing an excess of electricity. Now, Bobo takes it upon herself to bring more music to the world, with the help of a variety of bandmates you can find throughout the game. Experience the unique blend of retro-inspired gameplay and music mechanics that make Keylocker a standout title.
Rocking The Satelite Government
You can choose a class for Bobo immediately upon starting Keylocker. There are various offensive and defensive classes, each with unique abilities and ways to build them. In my playthrough, I chose the Samurai class, which is a defensive class focused on countering attacks close to yourself.
Once combat initiates in Keylocker, you are placed on a grid. On your turn, you can move, use a skill, or use an item. When you initiate an offensive skill, you must press the A button when your character flashes. Timing is key; if you do it correctly, you increase the damage the skill can inflict.
During an enemy’s turn, they can also move or perform a skill. If you press the A button while they are flashing during their offensive skill, you block the hit and take no damage. Some skills have multiple strikes, and you must press A in sync with their flashes to block the entire skill.
The items you have access to in Keylocker add an extra layer of challenge due to strict limits. You can carry a maximum of three of the same item type, preventing you from spamming healing items during combat encounters. You can find barrels and other item types to increase the maximum item limit on an item-by-item basis.
Certain boss fights feature a Satellite Resonance link. When this occurs, a line crosses between the satellites, lighting the tiles in the grid green. You need to have at least one character standing on the green tiles to inflict damage on them.
These boss fights can be tough. Even if you successfully block most direct attack damage, the green tiles deal constant unblockable damage to any characters within them. This mechanic serves as a damage-dealing check, ensuring you can inflict enough damage on at least one of the bosses.
Sharing Its Inspiration On Its Sleeve
The greatest asset of Keylocker is its stunning art direction. Each character design is unique and colorful, ensuring that when you see the full cast together, each character has a distinct design and silhouette. You also encounter a wide variety of enemy designs, ranging from pyramid heads to horse rook knights.
The pixel art in this game is gorgeous, making your eyes glaze over with the passion and creativity displayed on screen. Each area has its own vibe and setting based on your location. Whether you’re exploring the sewers or traversing the desert, every place is crafted with meticulous attention to detail.
The Grind
Keylocker is not a game you can easily ease into; it is tough. If there’s one thing I would say about the class system and gaining keys to level up your skills, it’s that it follows a high-risk, high-reward approach. Each new enemy you encounter will be a learning experience. Some enemies will fight with skills that flash their character sprite, while others use attacks that require you to input the correct buttons at the right time to block the damage. Each encounter can be challenging if you’re unfamiliar with the enemy’s move set.
After each battle, you earn keys that unlock skills in the designated skill tree. Instead of a traditional leveling system based on experience points, you upgrade each skill individually. Some classes increase their Electric Points, which act as a barrier that mitigates certain strong attacks, while others focus on Life Power, representing the character’s overall health. You can also specialize in Electrical Attacks or Power Attacks. Electrical Attacks generally deal more damage but are less effective against opponents with stored Electric Points. Power Attacks can inflict direct damage to the enemy’s Life Power but may cost the user some of their own Life Power. For instance, the Samurai class can expend Electric Points to increase the damage of a counterattack.
Overall, this high-risk, high-reward gameplay works phenomenally, forcing you to strategize carefully to avoid using your limited items. However, the addition of the Satellite Resonance mechanic can feel somewhat unfair. With constant, unblockable damage, you can’t outheal it with your very limited supply of items. If your character is built around the Samurai mechanics, for example, it requires patience to set up for countering powerful offensive skills, but the ongoing depletion of your Life Power makes this difficult. I found myself grinding keys to level up my Life Power, allowing more time to prepare.
The Encore
When all is said and done, Keylocker is a challenging game to evaluate. It boasts a phenomenal balance with its high-risk, high-reward mechanics that mostly flow splendidly. However, boss fights aren’t difficult in a traditional sense; when the Satellite Resonance comes into play, it feels excessively punishing. Everything you learned about timing and blocking can be undermined by a single misstep—losing one Life Power can force you to restart a lengthy fight. Unfortunately, there’s no easy mode in Keylocker to make these fights simpler; it only adjusts the timing margin for skills.
Beating the boss fights is satisfying, yet they can also be frustrating, often deviating from the expectations the game sets. If you’re considering trying it out, keep in mind that you won’t encounter the Satellite Resonance aspect until around the five-hour mark. Despite these challenges, I believe there is much more to love about this game than to dislike. Especially at a $19.99 price tag, I think it is a very worthwhile price for a phenomenal game like this one.
Keylocker releases September 18th, 2024 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
Review Disclosure Statement: Keylocker was provided to us by Serenity Forge for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.
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Summary
Keylocker is a phenomenal game that has a high-risk high-reward playstyle. It can have some frustrating mechanics at times but the story, characters, and the writing are well worth the playthrough.
Pros
- Gorgeous Pixel Art
- High-Risk High-Reward gameplay is fun and satisfying
- Unique Character Designs
Cons
- Some mechanics can be frustrating.
- Having all your characters use the same key stockpile makes it difficult to balance the party.
