When I first heard about KeyWe, I was instantly intrigued by its quirky premise and adorable characters. After spending some time hunting and pecking through the KeyWe demo alongside my co-op companion, I can say with certainty that this is a co-op romp you won’t want to miss.
Bird is the Word
KeyWe is an upcoming cooperative puzzle game developed by Stonewheat & Sons and published by Sold Out. Players take control of two kiwi birds that work for their local post office. The pair must work together to ensure the mail gets delivered in a timely fashion. You and your co-op partner will need to hop, peck, and chirp your way around the mailroom to send letters, deliver packages, ship parcels, and maintain the flow of mail across various different levels.
KeyWe supports both local and online co-op for up to two players. Although the game can be played alone in single player, it is best to play KeyWe alongside a friend. The game does give players the option to control both birds at once, but two-player co-op seems to be the best way to experience all the mailroom mayhem KeyWe has to offer. The simple controls make it easy for most players to jump right in.
In the KeyWe demo, there were several modes to choose from. Each mode consisted of a different mailroom or postal environment featuring various obstacles and hazards. One mode had us swimming through a flooded shipping office to send waterlogged parcels, while another involved transcribing messages and sending them via cassowary. Each level becomes more challenging as new gameplay mechanics and features are introduced.
KeyWe can be easily compared to a game like Overcooked, a co-op game that involves similar levels of communication and coordination. Some tasks in KeyWe involve both kiwi birds to coordinate an action at the same time, such as jumping on buttons simultaneously to send a package. Things can get out of hand pretty quickly, but that’s part of what makes a co-op romp like KeyWe so enjoyable.
My brief time with the KeyWe demo has certainly piqued my interest in what the full game has to offer. Although I played on PC, I am looking forward to trying out KeyWe on Nintendo Switch as well when the game launches this August. KeyWe is scheduled to arrive on August 31, 2021 for PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch consoles, as well as PC.