The esteemed playwright and comedy writer Patrick Marber once said "Everything is a version of something else." This is to say that every form of modern media can most likely be related to some other form of media in the past, be it through similar characters or parallel themes. This is as true in video games as it is anywhere, and the kiwi puzzle adventure KeyWe takes inspiration from some interesting places. Recently in an interview with Game ZXC, Stonewheat & Sons discussed how their upcoming puzzle postal platformer KeyWe finds some of its charm in fantasy books and old-school video games.
The stories that Terry Pratchett was able to craft so expertly have inspired many adventurers and storytellers today. During the interview, Grant Gessel of Stonewheat discussed how he had read Pratchett's Going Postal, and it had inspired him in a way that translated into KeyWe. Grant also talked about his love for Rare games growing up, and how they would go on to influence the art style of the project. Joel Davis of Stonewheat briefly discusses how he loved The Rescuers, and other similar movies, for how they put the viewer in a smaller world. It's clear that the game has been made with love, and that comes from the ability to draw from those childhood memories.
Going Postal and KeyWe
Going Postal is a story about a conman that was almost put to death, were it not for fate having other plans in store. After being saved on the gallows, the protagonist is offered the opportunity to work as a postmaster for the rundown postal service. What follows is the story of rebuilding a post office in an interesting fantasy setting.
"Contrary to the weird-sounding name, it’s about a guy who, in this whimsical fantasy setting, creates a post office. It’s just like a fun fantastical story."
In the book, the new postmaster uses the benefits of the fantasy society to help deliver mail faster, such as the Cassowaries have been commissioned for in KeyWe. Joel Davis went on to explain he especially found the idea of making even the most boring environments interesting as a big appeal when they were developing the game.
Rare's Games
Grant goes on to describe how Rare's catalog of classic games such as Conker's Bad Fur Day and Banjo-Kazooie would inspire the art style of KeyWe. As a fan of the visual art style, Grant decided to model the Kiwis and other characters in a similarly broad way.
"I would probably say that a big inspiration for me in terms of modeling, I used to play a lot of Rare games growing up... I really love that art style, really big broad shapes."
Joel went on to describe how the love for the interactive 3D menus was something else that they wanted to replicate inside KeyWe. The main menu in the game takes the player around the Telepost office with every different option on the menu, similar to past Rare projects with interactive 3D UI.
KeyWe is an upcoming co-op puzzler that will test the player's coordination and ability to work as a team. All the while, the game seeks to give the players an experience that is worth investing time into. Drawing from some of the best media of our time, the team at Stonewheat & Sons are dedicated to ensuring that they produce a worthwhile experience that evolves on the successes of formative works in the past.
KeyWe is set to release on August 31, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.