Mini Review: KeyWe (PS5) - Two Birdbrains Are Better Than One in Quirky Co-Op Title

KeyWe has about as left field a premise for a game as we've ever heard, but somehow, this co-op game about running a postal service as a pair of kiwi birds makes it work. Two players control Jeff and Debra, new recruits to the Bungalow Basin telepost station who also happen to be New Zealand's native flightless birds. It's with hops, pecks, and squawks that you'll be promptly processing post across numerous timed stages and mini-games.

It's a silly idea, but there's lots of goofy co-op fun to be had here, online (with a friend — there doesn't appear to be matchmaking) or on the couch. At first the objectives can seem confusing or complicated, but each level proves to be pretty simple. The main stages have you typing secret messages one key at a time, putting the right postcodes and labels on packages, and sorting incoming and outgoing post via conveyor belts. It's all a bit mad, and the controls can very occasionally be a little iffy, but it's presented with humour and charm.

You're rewarded for beating target times with stamps, which can be spent on cosmetic items for your kiwis. These items do nothing for gameplay, but if the idea of dressing up a bird in a top hat, oversized backpack, and aviator shades sounds good, you'll probably like this. Mini-games can offer more stamps with overtime pay, and have you playing instruments to a beat, riding delivery cassowaries around a track, and plugging holes in Zoey the post-sorting octopus' water tank.

KeyWe may be a short co-op experience, and certainly isn't pushing PS5 in any capacity, but it'll win you over with its cute, irreverent style. The levels grow steadily more challenging, and it's fun striving for those gold rank times (and finding hidden collectibles) with a friend. If you enjoy games like Overcooked, take this one under your wing.