Keepsake

aka: Keepsake: An Unforgettable Adventure, Keepsake: Aventures à Dragonvale, Keepsake: Il mistero di Dragonvale
Moby ID: 21329
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Description official descriptions

Lydia's first day of school at the Dragonvale School of Magic doesn't turn out as she expected. The hustle and bustle of busy teachers and new students is normal during the orientation day. She is excited that she will again see Celeste, her childhood friend from many years ago, who is also attending Dragonvale. Anticipation and excitement quickly change into worry when she finds a completely deserted school. The only trace of people is an old puppet she finds on the floor - a gift once belonging to Celeste!

You play Lydia in 3rd person perspective during this point-and-click adventure game. Help her discover what happened by exploring the vast rooms and corridors of Dragonvale. She will not be totally alone during her adventure. There will be interaction with other people (and creatures), puzzle solving and inventory objects to find and use.

Other features include an original digital soundtrack, sound effects as well as dynamic lighting and atmospheric effects.

Spellings

  • Keepsake: Тайна Долины Драконов - Russian spelling
  • 纪念品 - Simplified Chinese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Windows version)

140 People (84 developers, 56 thanks) · View all

Core Team
Lead Programmer
Lead Integrator
Authors
Lead Designers
Script Editing (English)
Art Director
Technical Director
3D Modeling and Texture Artist
Additional 3D Modeling
2D & Promotional Artists
Lead Animator
Animator
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 70% (based on 38 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.5 out of 5 (based on 25 ratings with 4 reviews)

Great Game

The Good
The Game Graphic are very beautiful. The Sound & the voice acting of the game is also superb. The Game contains great backgrounds and stunning scenery. The story of the game itself is also very good. The game takes place in a Magical Academy and the player must search for the disappearance of all the Students & Teachers. The story of the game has some great twists and turns.

The Bad
the game Install process is very slow as it contains over 10,000 files and about 1,000 folders.

The Bottom Line
Great game and a must play for Adventure Fans. It surely give a taste of old "Longest Journey".

Windows · by Usman Amir (512) · 2006

Keepsake is as bright as a shiny new penny to please anyone who loves adventures

The Good
I really enjoyed Keepsake. Here are some of the highlights:

  • 3rd-Person Perspective
  • An Intriguingly Captivating Story
  • Imaginative, Breathtaking Graphics
  • Mood Enhancing Music & Atmospheric Sound Effects
  • Crisp, Clean & Simple Interface
  • Challenging and interesting puzzles
  • Lengthy Gameplay
  • In-Game Hint System with Puzzle Auto Solve
  • Innovative Inventory System
  • Viewable Maps


**The Bad**
Wicked Studios should be applauded for such a wonderful first game. But, there are a few things worth commenting on that take points off of a perfect score.
  • Lengthy Installation (20-30 minutes)
  • "Visions" Graphics aren't up to par with the rest of the game
  • No "Load Game" while playing (you can only load an old game with a restart)
  • No naming of saved games
  • System Freezes in Windows XP (fixed with patch 1.6)
  • Voice volume inconsistency (possibly fixed with Language Pack patch)


**The Bottom Line**
There have been so many mediocre adventure games released during the past few years, but fans of the genre are insatiable. They gobble up everything that comes along hoping for one that will satisfy in all categories - story, graphics and gameplay. Enter Wicked Studios, a brand new company on the scene, and surprise! ... Keepsake, their initial offering to the world, gives adventure lovers something to sink their teeth into. All that is different is the same .. or IS it?
Searching a deserted locale, attempting to solve obscure puzzles to figure out what is going on - this premise is nothing new. Neither are beautiful graphics, digitally mastered music or well-integrated, varied puzzles. Keepsake contains all of these things plus the most important element in any adventure - a solid story line with a conclusive ending. Conversations between Lydia and her sidekick, Zak, form the backbone of the tale. As the game progresses, players learn about Lydia's background through that interaction - her life, her history and her feelings for her lost friend, Celeste. We all know it is rare and difficult to invoke player emotions within a game. Well, in the end, players may find that they actually care about Lydia and what has happened to her friend. Several other aspects make this game shine above other 2006 releases. Keepsake brings some new innovations to the table that make gameplay a pleasure. For one thing, objects placed in inventory are used automatically - mentioned when necessary in conversations and applied to appropriate puzzles. While viewing your inventory you can see vague, faded-out versions of the objects you have yet to find. This provides incite and clues. Another intuitive feature is the in-game hint system. During gameplay, click on the "?" icon and you will be shown your next objective (what you should do and where). While inside the puzzle-solve window, you can receive 3 hints .. and decide to "auto solve" (something I admit having to do on several of them). It's a major plus when a game containing all of the key elements also works well. Unfortunately, some companies simply ignore problems and move on to the next project. Wicked Studios didn't hide or abandon their customers. They showed us their integrity by facing the challenges head-on and promptly releasing patches. To summarize - Beauty is not skin-deep here. Treats for your eyes, ears, imagination, your mind, and your emotions await you in Keepsake. Although there are a few things that knocked off points towards a perfect score, I think you'll find, like I did, that the good far outweighs the bad. By the way, the ending concludes this particular story very well - but it also leaves us wondering about Lydia's future at Dragonvale Academy. Is a sequel planned, perhaps? I'll be watching .. and hoping!

Windows · by Jeanne (75956) · 2007

An interesting adventure with engaging characters

The Good
I enjoyed the characters most in this game. Voiceovers and dialogs were so well done that you really come to like or hate characters very easily. Zak will have you laughing and rolling your eyes throughout the game, while you'll cringe when you hear the merchant. And having an animal following you around makes things quite interesting... especially once you brew a potion to change his shape. The characters have true depth to them and that really helps in an adventure game since there is little to no action is such games to make up for lack of story or characters.

I also really enjoyed the story. You start out on your way to a school of magic. What you find there shocks you... no one is there. Now what? The game takes you through trying to find out what happened to everyone, while giving breathtaking views and incredible graphics and animations. The story takes some twists and turns as you go along and it keeps you interested.

Another thing I liked was at one point in the game where Lydia goes through a portal and says "Whoa!" when you reach the other side. Guess what I said at the same time... Heh. Walking sideways around the outside of a tower is worth saying "Whoa!" over.

Finally, the game allows even the worst adventure game player to complete the game. Every puzzle has hints... from a simple explanation of how it works to doing the puzzle for you. If you just can't get past something, use the hints and you can continue. Or, if you don't know where to go next, use the hints to give you a visual display of where you should go and what to do there. No need for walkthroughs in this game.

The Bad
I suppose it's normal in adventure games, but I really don't like walking around a huge map and getting to new places and puzzles, only to find out that I can't complete the puzzles until I do something else first. I also don't really like having to walk back and forth across the same area over and over to complete different tasks. That is normal in these games, but perhaps that is why I don't usually play them.



The Bottom Line
If you like adventure games, you'll love this one. If not, you still might. Magic, adventure, puzzles, interesting characters, great story, great graphics and animations... what more could you ask for in a game? Go try it out. I think you will find in quite enjoyable.

Windows · by Riamus (8480) · 2006

[ View all 4 player reviews ]

Trivia

Version differences

The North American version was delayed because publisher The Adventure Company wanted to add some enhancements:* The addition of an in-game map * Fine-tuned dialogue to minimize repetitive scripts * Enlarged 'hotspots' making navigation more fluid and intuitive * Improved pathfinding with Zak and Lydia * New voice-overs for various characters including: Mustavio, Celeste, young Celeste, Elvander, and Zak

For the European versions, some of these features are added through the 1.5 patch.

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  • MobyGames ID: 21329
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Jeanne.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Sciere, Xoleras, Zeppin, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger.

Game added February 21, 2006. Last modified January 20, 2024.