[REVIEW] Wyv And Keep

Jessica “Allahweh” Brown — @Allahweh
(PC [REVIEWED], Mac, Linux)

Before receiving a review code for this title, I had never heard of Wyv and Keep, or developer A Jolly Corpse.  I thought the name of the developers was kind of funny, yet clever, and I wasn’t sure what to make of the game itself.  Honestly, I’m not sure what I expected from the game based solely on the title alone, but probably something odd and silly.  And actually, that’s not really all that far off from the reality of the game, though certainly in a good way and not a bad one.

Wyv and Keep is an indie PC title that has been in the works for quite some time and has amassed a rather loyal following.  Earlier this year, the game went into its beta phase and it finally saw its official release through Indie Royale and Desura on June 14, where it has been largely well-received.  At its core, the game is a two-dimensional puzzle-platformer that intentionally harkens to the 8 and 16-bit days of yore, designed by a team that has an obvious affection for that era in gaming.

The story revolves around Wyv and Keep, two hapless treasure hunters who find themselves deep in the jungle thicket of the generically-named Amazonia, searching for legendary treasures deep in ancient ruins.  Wyv seems to be the brawn of the duo, certainly not one to think his way through a situation and instead preferring to smack things and blow stuff up while hoping for the best.  Keep, on the other hand, almost seems to enjoy the academic side of their adventures more than anything else, keeping a close eye out for journals and notes that tell them the story of those that came before them while giving them fair warning as to what to expect and what to watch out for.  Sadly, due to a miscalculated landing in what seems to be the Amazon River with their plane, the pair starts their adventure with essentially no gear other than their wit (or lack thereof) and must make their way through a series of increasingly more dangerous and puzzling locations as they search for the secrets hidden within an ancient pyramid.

The game is fairly linear in design, presenting players with several “worlds” (areas) broken down into nine main stages each.  Each stage of the game is a “room” and, simply put, the goal of each room is to collect as much loot as possible and find a way to open the door to the next area, restarting as little as possible and getting the best time possible.  If you know what you’re doing, most stages can be completed in less than a minute, though your first playthrough each level may take several attempts to get things just right.  Each area is scored upon completion, with ranks being awarded in terms of overall completion time, number of restarts required for completion, and how much loot was collected.  Players dissatisfied with their times can go back and repeat an area as much as desired in order to strive for perfection – a fact which adds to the game’s replay value.  Some stages also contain optional items to pick up, such as keys that can be used to open locked doors in later stages to reveal hidden areas.

In its single-player “Story Mode,” the player ultimately must guide one of the two characters to the door at the end of the stage, swapping between the two with the simple press of the shift key.  Puzzles will often require using one character as a stepping stool to jump to a higher area, using one to stand on a pressure-switch to open a door for the other, or things that are quite a bit more complicated.  Some puzzles are very time-sensitive and will require one character to push a block on a switch, which may spark a trap right next to the other who will then have to be switched out to in order to run and open the door to the next area.

It is for the above reason that it is obvious that Wyv and Keep was, at its heart, designed to be a multiplayer experience.  Because of how simplistic the controls are, two people can actually play the game locally via the same keyboard, with one player using WASD and the other using the arrow keys for movement.  Yet, the game does feature the ability to play it online with friends with the levels available being determined by the farthest stage the player hosting the game has gotten to.  While playing online, players will have the ability to chat with the other person via a rather basic instant messaging system, but due to the fast-paced nature of the game I would strongly suggest that some kind of voice communication be used for serious players not wanting to be frustrated by totally-avoidable deaths.

Because the game was designed to be a multiplayer experience, it’s a shame that the network play is so bugged right now.  Co-op games will randomly disconnect with no easy way to get back in and resume (despite one’s internet connection being just fine), the game suffers rather harsh lag-spikes at unfortunate moments, and sometimes the multiplayer lobby is completely bugged and you either cannot select a person to play with, or the game won’t allow you to choose what stage you want to play.

Even beyond this, the game itself suffers a few bugs in places that, while not completely game-breaking, do hinder the enjoyment of the experience a fair bit.  There were several times when I would jump up and over something and somehow fall outside the environment, or get stuck somewhere (that wasn’t designed to be part of a puzzle) and be required to restart the area, costing me valuable in-game score points for rather difficult stages.  Occasionally the graphics would glitch out, not showing a switch as being pressed, showing a block in a position that it wasn’t actually in anymore, and, unfortunately, occasionally having enemy darts glitch out and kill you without you seeing them.

Despite these setbacks, the game still stands rather well on its own.  I love how the game pays homage to classic puzzle games like The Adventures of Lolo and The Lost Vikings, and has references to other classic series like Mega Man (some areas even have disappearing and reappearing blocks that really capture the feel of those classic NES titles).  The game also features a beautiful soundtrack, and even if you never play the game itself, it is worth buying for the music alone (or picking up the soundtrack, if they ever make it available separately).  So much love and attention went into this game that it really still manages to shine despite a few gloomy clouds that hang on the horizon.

If A Jolly Corpse spends some time working out the bugs with the game’s online multiplayer mode and fixes some of the glitches in the main game itself, I am confident that the game will be that much better.  Yet, even if they don’t do so, this game is still a good deal of fun (although a bit short) and worth a look.