The ability to create video games has become wildly more accessible over the years. More and more tools have become available to any aspiring developer who has a great idea for a game. One of these new ideas is an upcoming wholesome game that asks: what if two tiny birds ran a post office? Developer Stonewheat & Sons aim to do just that in its new game KeyWe.
KeyWe is a delightfully cute cooperative indie puzzle game that combines a ridiculous premise with equally ridiculous gameplay. KeyWe is a hilarious adventure full of octopuses, cassowary mail carriers and two hard-working kiwi birds that team up to deliver the mail. Much like the equally bizarre concept games like food manipulator Nour: Play With Your Food and surreal golf game What the Golf?, KeyWe is a concept that will instantly appeal to players looking for something different in the world of video games.
KeyWe is set in the fictional land of Bungalow Basin, where two kiwi birds named Jeff and Debra are employees of the local rural post office. The two birds are committed to serving the fine citizens of Bungalow Basin by working together to deliver the mail. Two players can combine skills to help the birds complete the office's daily tasks while avoiding numerous humorous perils and weather effects.
The gameplay of KeyWe relies on co-op-focused action. Kiwis are flightless birds, so players will have to hop, peck, flap and butt-slam the fowl to accomplish each workday's various tasks. KeyWe's mantra is simple, "the mail must flow," so players will have to move quickly and communicate to accurately and timely deliver the mail to the customers. Each bird can only do so much on its own, so players will need to split tasks up and come back together to operate some of the required machines needed for the various mail delivery tasks.
Each level of KeyWe centers around a different room of the post office, all of which feature machines designed for much larger workers who happen to be of the human variety. However, this will not deter the fearless and eager kiwis Jeff and Debra. One level might see the pair tasked with writing dictated telegrams as a pool of words roll by on a conveyor belt, the pair collecting the needed phrases by sticking them to their feather-covered bottoms. Another room has the bird buddies sorting letters into mailboxes using their beaks or sorting packages on the fly as they come in via conveyor belt.
Jeff and Debra and thus the players must work together to accomplish all of the tasks in a timely manner because the pair only have one shift to complete each room's requirements. Simultaneously zany and tense, the gameplay of KeyWe is delightfully fun and funny. Tasks are simple but plentiful, so players will have to memorize and move swiftly, never forgetting to feed the cassowary mail carrier or time a jump to catch the finished letters as they pop out of their toaster sealing device.
Jeff and Debra don't only have to contend with the various tasks of their workplace but the weather as well, as numerous hazards can afflict the post office, including thunderstorm floods and sandstorms. All of these hazards are brilliantly realized and look great, with electricity arcs flying off the machines in a flood and sand piling up everywhere after a particularly nasty sandstorm.
Visually the look of KeyWe matches its wholesome and cozy tone. The wooden rustic post office gives way to the colorful vistas of Bungalow Basin, and even though Jeff and Debra may have a busy schedule, they can at least enjoy the view out of the service window. The post office itself is a character of sorts with its fantastic mechanical machines and cluttered but cozy interiors. KeyWe does an excellent job of making the world seem just ridiculous enough while also just believable enough to be hilarious.
Players can even customize the kiwis as well, with KeyWe featuring all manner of hats, backpacks, and colors to dye the hard-working birds various colors. The silly customization only further serves the fun aesthetic of KeyWe as a whole, making each level and day of work a delight.
Altogether KeyWe delivers a great co-op experience that can be played online or locally, all wrapped in a delightfully cute package. Set to release this summer on Steam and PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles, KeyWe is a no-brainer for fans of silly co-op adventures or those who want to see what it would be like to run a post office as a flightless bird.