Keyword: A Spider's Thread

Keyword: A Spider's Thread

Released Sep 2021

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.

81% positive · 277 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $11.89 $16.99 −30%
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Evaluation

Keyword: A Spider's Thread launched on September 28, 2021. Shortly after launch, the developer shipped a patch on November 17, 2021 that added Chinese voiceovers and various bug fixes — the only notable post-launch content addition. No DLC was ever listed on the store. The developer's subsequent communications have focused entirely on other projects: a sequel (Keyword 2: Nightfall, announced November 14, 2023) and an unrelated new game (Brave New Wonders, announced April 14, 2025). Neither of these announcements referenced any additional content planned for the original game. The developer has not posted any update, patch, or announcement for Keyword: A Spider's Thread since November 2021. The game shipped as a self-contained narrative experience and has received no further content additions in the years since launch. It appears to be a complete, finished product.
Evidence
Game officially launched on September 28, 2021.
news post · Sep 28, 2021 source content shipped
high
Developer announced a new unrelated game, Brave New Wonders — studio focus has moved on from Keyword: A Spider's Thread.
news post · Apr 14, 2025 source development ending
medium

Media

Details

Publisher
City From Naught Inc.
Achievements
8
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this 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.

Last evaluated Jun 24, 2026
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