I don't know about you, but I'm sick of rescuing princesses. And villages? They never stay un-pillaged! And don't even get me started on alien hordes…! I work and I slave, and what thanks do I get? End credits! Maybe, if I'm lucky, a scoreboard I can enter my name on for a whole ten minutes before someone better knocks it off. Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a little tired of the effort outweighing the reward. Fortunately for you and me, my friend, Bart Bonte knows that at the end of the day, sometimes the simplest rewards are the sweetest. And that's where Me and the Key comes in and tends to my fevered brow with a series of charming logic puzzles and one very simple goal.
Me and the Key is a series of mini-games that all have the same end — getting the titular key. That's right. There's no zombies, no spaceships, no power-ups. Just you and a slowly evolving set of puzzles designed to test your common sense, and your ability to think outside the box. Most of them can be completed in under a minute once you figure out what you should be doing, and for the most part all you have to do is point and click. It's impossible to really paint yourself into a corner, so you can feel free to experiment. Sometimes the solution is as simple as playing an old arcade classic, and sometimes you'll need to make a tree grow so you can harvest its luscious tangerines. Just like at my old job!
Analysis: Those of you looking for high-res graphics and orchestral soundtracks may find yourselves disappointed. Like its concept, Me and the Key's visuals are simple, incorporating bright, round graphics and adorable design. While this keeps the interface clean and easy to navigate, the endlessly repeating background tune isn't nearly as endearing. The bubble-gum-pop quality of the music is cute for the first five minutes, but you may find yourself thankful for the mute button before long.
But Me and the Key is a success where it sets out to be one. The puzzles, while frequently obscure at first glance, are often exceedingly easy once you figure out what you're intended to do. A few feature mild tests of your reflexes, but most are well-designed adventures in logic. Often when I thought I was stuck, I realised I was over-thinking the game and missing the more obvious solutions. It's like being put into an empty room and trying every elaborate scheme you can think of to escape, only to find the door was never locked at all. Only one or two puzzles had me honestly furrowing my brow and wishing for a walkthrough. Oh penguin, why do your eyes haunt me so?
Me and the Key saves your progress, so you can attack each of its bite-sized challenges on your own time. It doesn't have a lot of replay value, but it fits neatly into your lunch break… or the time between memos when your boss is out of the office. If you're looking for some quick, quirky satisfaction, do yourself a favour and pick up Bonte's newest title. A key may not seem like the greatest reward you could wish for, but the smug feeling you'll get at solving this series of abstract little puzzles will stay with you long after you close the browser.
Walkthrough Guide
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Me and the Key Walkthrough
Click the alien. Get the key.
Click all the orange balls. The last one has the key.
Click all the aliens till you see the one with the key. Get the key
Click the green shoot many times. It will grow and bear fruit. Click the fruit so they drop to the floor, and then click them till you find the key.
If you move the top layer of wood to the right , you'll see a hole. When you move each panel to the left again, move the panel underneath it. You will see the key on the right.
Hit all the blocks with the ball till you see the key.
Move the aliens out of the way. The key is behing the last one.
Click all the spots on the ball so they are all white. Get the key.
When an alien appears on a TV screen, click it. It'll stay there.When you click all of them, the last one you clcik will have the key.
Pull the rope. The key is on the other end.
Just type key!
Drag each alien to the right till a new one appears. The thrid one has the key.
Same as level 6, but hit each ball twice.
Sway the ree from left to right vigorously, till you see the ket. Get the key.
Put your mouse over one alien, and trace the orange path with your mouse till you get to the second alien and get the key. Go off the path and you have to start again.
Drag the ball to the top of the screen, and let it drop, so that when the ball touches the floor, the floor goes down. Do this repeatedly and get the key.
Make all the balls white to get the key, but be aware that if they touch each other, they'll go back to grey.
Make the hole on the orange ball go downwards. The key'll fall out. Get the key.
Right click, and click key!
Same as level 10, but this time the key is in a glass orb. Drag the rope so that the glass orb is at the top of the screen, then let go. The glass will smash. Get the key.
Drag one ball to the other in such a way so that the ball hits the blocks on the sides of the wall. When all the blocks have gone, the key will appear.
Same as level 9, but if you click some of the aliens, then miss one, the aliens you got already will go!
Same as level 5, but there are 3 layers of wood. Drag the first layer to the right, then the top 2 layers to the left, and finally all 3 layers to the right. Get the key.
Same as level 25, but there are 4 aliens. I would suggest starting from the top left in an anti-clockwise order, so that you only have to follow one of the horizontal wiggly lines.
Hit the paddles 99 times. If the ball goes, you have to start again. Very tricky, unless you hit the sweet spot where the ball only goes vertically up and down, and you don't have to do anything.
Click the keyhole. An alien will look at you, and then let you in.
[Edit: Spoiler added - Thanks for the walkthrough. For the next time, please make yourself comfortable with the way of doing spoilers. You will find more information HERE~Thanks, Kayleigh]
Posted by: mcj
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April 8, 2009 8:43 AM