- Game: Mothkeep
- Developer/Publisher: Ivette Schmidt
- Genre: Casual/Indie
- Review Platform: Steam
- Release Date: 10th July 2026
Author’s Note: A Game Key for Mothkeep was kindly provided by Ivette Schmidt
Welcome to Mothkeep!
A short and sweet cosy game from solo developer and publisher Ivette Schmidt. You’ll find yourself immersed in a wonderful world where creature collecting and hidden object game mechanics come together as one. While gameplay is around two hours long, don’t let that stop you from enjoying such a wonderful game.
Table of Contents
Mothkeep Key Game Features
While this is a short, fun and wholesome experience, Mothkeep packs a lot of features into this charming little game.
- Straightforward game mechanics: hidden object exploration with a relaxing moth-discovery mini-game
- Calming and gentle summer vibes: enjoy the Summer while discovering the great outdoors
- Inspired by the real world, specifically a curated selection of daytime active moths from Central Europe
- Short in length but the perfect little game to play when looking for a cosy evening
Throughout Mothkeep you’ll find yourself discovering a variety of moths in their native habitats. Spot hints and reveal where the moths are hiding. Once revealed, you’ll be able to document them in your player journal.
Of course, there’s more to it than just hide and seek! Some moths will need a little extra help when it comes to discovering them. That’s where the shop comes in handy. The Mothkeep shop has everything you need for your journey, including an array of bright and colourful flowers, sweets and other treats to help you.
The Trailer
Does Mothkeep sound like your kind of game? Check out the trailer to see more!
A Cosy Nature Experience
Woven between the features of the game is a bit of history and story. As the player, you’re carrying on a tradition. The tradition of documenting as many moths as possible.
However, soon enough you are on your way searching for your first moths. Hunting high and low. Between the plants, on the leaves and pretty much anywhere. Timing is everything. Approach too quickly, and the moth will be startled and leave. Click at the right time and you’ll be fine.
It’s important to keep in mind that you aren’t just searching for the fully grown moth but also its earlier stages, from an egg to larva and pupa and then finally its full form. It can be a little tricky spotting some of the earlier stages to begin with however, once you’ve found them once or twice, you’ll know more what to look for.
You’ll notice when you first start Mothkeep that there are a number of areas to explore. The first being the Path, which is more of a tutorial. To unlock more areas, you have to discover a certain number of moths and their various stages. It’s not stressful, nor is there any kind of pressure. Just an easygoing journey.
From there, the shop then unlocks. This is where I began to pick up some items to help me discover more moths on this new journey. It’s also incredibly important to note that you can pet the cat as well as paying them for anything you buy!
Equipped with some new items, I headed back to the path to continue working on finding those last few moths I needed to document.
This is pretty much how I continued throughout the game. Progressing through each area as they unlocked, purchasing items that I could use to help me attract the moths I needed. Sometimes I would place the items and use the ‘sleep to next day’ button to refresh the location. Other times I would just sit and wait and enjoy the environment and the game’s soundtrack.
There is so much about Mothkeep that is just wonderful.
At no point is it overwhelming. It is calming, and you just go with the flow of the game. I love the journal and the amount of detail in the illustrations and the descriptions for each stage of every moth. Not to mention the variety of moths you come across too.
Overall Thoughts
Mothkeep was a true surprise of a game. The length was perfect, and the attention to detail was spot on. It was relaxing and calming and the perfect way to just unwind with a game at the end of the day. I loved the accompanying music, as it just helped with the cosy atmosphere, and the game just comes together wonderfully.
I didn’t run into any issues or bugs during my time with the game. The only thing I did was tweak a couple of settings to help optimise my own experience.
With Mothkeep being a mixture between both documenting creatures you find and a hidden object game this was the perfect combination for me. Definitely a game I can see myself picking up again to replay when I need something cosy and short to play.
Mothkeep launches on 10th July 2026 on Steam.
