Keystone Library Wiki

Game Overview

Core Game Concept

To make an enriching interactive RPG with a console interface.
Maintaining a traditional storybook & tabletop look and feel.
Using beautiful illustration and music to enhance the experience.
Packed with fascinating stories, puzzles, mini-games and gadgets.

Keystone Library is an immersive RPG typing game combining captivating stories, intricate puzzles, and exciting gameplay. Explore a magical library and restore its glory while embarking on unique adventures across multiple genres.

Features

Enter the abandoned library and learn what you can do to help.
Explore the library books which contain the power you need to restore the library.
Manage your RPG character in each book.
Music scored for each scene.
Meet fun characters and communicate in a keyword chat.
Sci-fi, Fantasy, History, Biographies, Horror, Romance, Education and more.
Surprise and adventure to be found throughout the library.

Prospective launch date: Jul 2026

Game Structure

The Library

The ancient, magical library is abandoned and needs your help.
There are 5 main halls in the library: Lobby, Reading Room, Terrace, Management, Great Hall.
Each hall has different activities for fun and exploration, but most importantly, of course, are the BOOKS!
Earn knowledge points in the books and spend them to help restore the library.
Surprises will emerge as time goes by.

Core Adventures

The core of the game lies in the BOOKS. The books are adventurous stories and mini-games. Each book is comprised of scenes which tell a story and present you with challenges.

Chapter by chapter, you can experience these types of scenes.

Slideshow - Expressing story through illustration, sound and text.
Quest Scene - Navigate the environment, interact with objects and people until the objectives are complete.
Travel Scene - Casual typing grind to emulate travel while collecting money and scoring big points.
Battle Scene - Turn based team battle with player controlling all home team characters. Choose actions, roll dice for hit points, use strategy for tougher opponents.
Puzzle Scene - Emulate hacking, lock picking, room escape.
Dungeon Crawl - Tile based board game with entrance, exit, and enemy encounters. Dice roll moves, enemy landing spots.
Dialogue Scene - Interacting with characters for more story.
Gamble Scene - Take your chances with the dice or cards.

Side Quests

Stealth Scene: Navigate areas with timed actions and avoid detection.
Boss Scene: Unique encounters designed per book.
Tower Defense: Survive waves of enemies with strategic placement of defenses.
Typing Games: Speed and accuracy challenges.
Word Games: Hangman, Wordle, and riddles.
Rhythm Game: Music-driven challenges requiring precise timing.

Prospective

As a tiny indie dev, it's uncertain what can be achieved. These are some high hopes.

Full voice acting and narration.
Advanced animations and graphic shaders.
Continuously add settings and customization for your library environment.
A comfy place to come spend time and see new things.
Pets, virtual friends, special guests, seasonal stories.
Tons of replayability and attractions to bring you back.
Adding more illustrations and attractions through the seasons.
Build a friendly community.

Book Features

Chapters
- Each chapter is a mini-game or narrative designed to follow a cohesive story.
- At the start of each chapter is a Chapter Introduction where you can learn more about the story, interact with the shop and companion, and do some crafting.
Character
- Your character has an inventory, and some special items are persistent throughout the story. For example, you might find a weapon in chapter 2 and use it in chapter 10.
Crafting
- Some crafting materials might be offered as rewards for finishing chapters, while in other cases the material must be farmed.
- Crafting can be done in the shop. It requires the materials and money to craft.
RPG Design
- The game tries to emulate traditional table top gaming with dice rolls where possible.
- RPG elements. Strength, Skills, Armor, Inventory, Buffs, Debuffs and more.

Library Features

Library Upgrades: Transform the library from ruins into a thriving sanctuary of stories.
Characters: Communicate with Charlotte and Clive to learn more about the library and learn your core goals.
Guest Book: Track notable visitors and their contributions.
Terrace: Engage in casual mini-games. Play an instrument. Play a board game.
Reading Room: Home of the Books. Also enjoy lore, poems, or additional stories.
Great Hall: Expand the library with new magical rooms and features.

Upgrade & Expansion Systems

1 - Earn knowledge points by completing chapters and challenges.
2 - Spend knowledge points to upgrade halls and add rooms.
3 - Upgrading halls improves their abandoned appearance and adds furniture and design to restore the library.
4 - Rooms can be added to the Great Hall. Each room is an attraction for guests or a new game to play. Such as adding a lounge, an aquarium, or an arcade game for entertainment.
5 - Both upgrades and added rooms add "ambience" to the overall library. The more you improve the library the more ambience you gain.
6 - The higher the ambience, the more guests will come.
7 - Attract 100 guests to complete the game's core challenge.
8 - Ativate the final challenge and learn the history of the library.

Development Plan

Illustration for this project is rather taxing. Let's estimate about 40 illustrations per book, space it out for the sanity of the illustrators, as well as the sanity of our humble budget.

Our roadmap for 2025 includes:

Monthly updates adding one new scene type or chapter.
Enhancing library visuals and interactive features.
Expanding lore and refining core mechanics.
Current book project is Cyberpunk themed "New Athenia". Requires apprx 40 illustrations + characters.

Current Monthly Plan:

Jan:
- Start dev on Dungeon Crawl scene.
- Add typing mini-game to Terrace.
- Make advances in the library interior art.
- 3 illustrations of New Athenia.
Feb:
- Dungeon Crawl scene hopefully finalized.
- Start on Dialogue Scene, and this should be completed easily.
- Make advances in the library interior art, AGAIN.
- 3 more illustrations towards New Athenia.
Mar:
- Gamble Scene should be started, this could take time.
- Make advances in the library interior art, AGAIN.
- 3 more illustrations towards New Athenia.
Apr:
- Gamble scene completion by now.
- Make advances in the library interior art, AGAIN.
- 3 more illustrations towards New Athenia.
May:
- All Core Adventure scenes completed.
- Begin polishing existing Core Adventure scenes.
- Make advances in the library interior art, AGAIN.
- 3 more illustrations towards New Athenia.
Jun:
- Polishing Battle Scene
- Make advances in the library interior art, AGAIN.
- 3 more illustrations towards New Athenia.
Jul:
- Polishing Puzzle Scene
- Make advances in the library interior art, AGAIN.
- 3 more illustrations towards New Athenia.