Link Steam
indiegame.fan
Keyword: A Spider's Thread header art

Keyword: A Spider's Thread

Become an investigator in Keyword, a narrative thriller where you’ll depend on skills of logical deduction, hacking, and social engineering to solve challenging puzzles as the only means of finding your missing daughter.

Steam Page
Developer
City From Naught Inc.
Publisher
City From Naught Inc., Gamirror Games, idealCat
Release
September 27, 2021
4 years and 310 days ago
Steam Reviews
Very Positive277 reviews81.9%

Does this feel indie?

Vote based on whether this game feels indie to you. You can change your vote at any time. Results earn an IGF score after 10 accepted votes.
No votes yet
Vote on More Games
Game contextLatest: IGF Team
ContextThe evidence factors used to assess whether this game belongs on IndieGame.Fan.Status
Notes
Latest Contributor: IGF TeamEdit notes
Updated: Jul 13, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Updated: Jul 13, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
The separate publisher has a broad catalog or developer network in the local database.
Search Google: Is Keyword: A Spider's Thread self-published or published by City From Naught Inc. and Gamirror Games and idealCat?Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
Search Google: How is Keyword: A Spider's Thread and City From Naught Inc. and Gamirror Games and idealCat funded?FundingThe known source of funding behind the game.
Search Google: Who controls the creative direction and IP for Keyword: A Spider's Thread and City From Naught Inc.?Creative controlWho appears to retain creative control of the game.
Updated: Jul 13, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.
The game was released through a separate publisher.

Media

9 items

About the Game

Become an investigator in Keyword, a narrative thriller where you’ll depend on skills of logical deduction, hacking, and social engineering to solve challenging puzzles as the only means of finding your missing daughter. Play as Guo, a father with a complex past, who must use all the tools at his disposal to find his daughter, Sala.

Solve problems as you would in real life, hack into emails and social media, and dive into the dark web to find your daughter’s whereabouts, all the while uncovering secrets within your own home. Use binoculars to spy into the homes of neighbors, discover lurking enemies, and look over the city of Toronto to find important clues and put the pieces together.

Straddle the line between reality and the game as you depend on your natural intuition to guide you to your next step. With no dialogue prompts revealing answers it will be up to you to save Sala. Get lost in time loops as you discover if your past is all an illusion, or if it really is as you remember. Can all be forgiven? Is redemption possible? Or is there truly no way out?

  • Set in the near-future of 2048 in a city inspired by Toronto, Keyword merges cyberpunk with traditional Chinese aesthetic, creating an eerie and immersive environment.

  • Utilize binoculars to tap into your investigative side and uncover if people are who they say they are.

  • Immersive soundtrack that mirrors the emotional tone of the gameplay by Seycara.

  • Travel through time loops, changing your view on reality and evaluating if forgiveness is always possible.

  • Reconsider the consequences and impact of sharing your data and information online.

  • Gripping and thought-provoking narrative written by Future Science Fiction Master award-winning author, Jiangshan.

  • Three difficulty modes that let you decide the level of challenge you’re willing to take on with a flexible hint system if you get stuck.

Indie Game Fan