Kells

Press Kit

Welcome to the Kells Press kit. If you need any additional information posted to this page or would like anything provided in a different format, let me know and I’ll make it available.

  • Developer: Paul Drummond
  • Release Date: June 1st, 2021 (Steam), August 1st 2022 (Switch)
  • Platforms: Steam (Windows) and Nintendo Switch
  • Price: £5
  • Availability: Digital Download
  • Languages: English
  • Press Contact: paul.drummond@iode.co.uk
  • Website: www.kellsgame.com
  • Gameplay Walkthrough: here
  • Steam Store Page: here
  • Nintendo Switch Store Page: here
  • Developer Story: here
  • Twitter: here

Description

Kells is a retro puzzle game similar to the original Lemmings except instead of issuing specific commands to your Kells, you manipulate their movement using special Gravity Tiles instead. These tiles change the direction of gravity as Kells walk or fall over them, allowing you to manipulate your Kells in crazy ways like making them “fall upwards” to clear obstacles, “fall forward” to avoid dangerous spike pits, and even walk up or down walls!

While intentionally simple and basic looking at the start, beneath the surface, Kells is a deeply challenging and rewarding puzzle game full of surprises and secrets that will keep you coming back for more, time and time again.

Highlights include a very interesting permadeath mechanic, a risky resurrection system, 100+ levels to discover with multiple routes to The Last level, loads of secrets including an entire hidden island and last but not least – The Iron Kell. This is a special mode that makes you realise the entire game has just been one long drawn out tutorial preparing you for the real challenge!

More Detail

There are 100+ levels overall but you can reach The Last Level much quicker if you take the more difficult route. As you progress through The World Map, you’ll discover Chest Levels that unlock new islands, each with their own visual style and theme.

There are lots of secrets in the game that the player will discover as they progress but I’ll share some of the main ones here in case it’s helpful for review purposes.

It goes without saying these are all spoilers! 🙂 

  1. The game has some interesting Permadeath mechanics. You start with 3 Kell and if they all die then it’s Game Over. This will probably happen a lot during the first few levels while players are figuring things out and this is intentional. The idea is that you collect more Kells as you progress through the game so that when some of them die, there are more available to take their place so you can avoid the dreaded Game Over screen and try again.
  2. Your army of Kells is called The Kellective. There are 50 Kells to find and recruit into The Kellective. You’ll normally find them in Chest Levels.
  3. Once a Kell is dead, the player is led to believe it’s dead forever permadeath-style, but eventually you can unlock the ability to resurrect Kells if you’re willing to risk it. After completing The Last Level for the first time, the Total Rekell is unlocked. This is a special challenge where a level is chosen at random and successfully completing it can result in up to 5 Kells being resurrected depending on how well you do. However, if even a single Kell dies during the Total Rekell, it’s Game Over and you lose all progress!
  4. There is an entire secret island called Star World which is only revealed if you can find 5 Star Keys that are spread out across the World Map.
  5. Most players will get stuck at level 99 and maybe assume there isn’t actually 100 levels, but in actual fact, the only way to find the (real) last level is to uncover a Secret Tunnel which takes you all the way back to the start where the final level is actually Level 0 – The First Level. Plot Twist!!!!
  6. The game is split into three sections – the Start Game (complete The Last Level, which can be done in 21 levels if you choose the hard route), the Middle Game (complete all 100 levels) and the End Game (The Iron Kell).
  7. When you unlock The Iron Kell, it becomes clear that the entire game up until this point has been one big drawn out tutorial to prepare you for The Iron Kell! 
  8. The Iron Kell is a special mode where your goal is to play through all 100 levels without losing a single Kell. If you do lose one, you’re kicked out of The Iron Kell and you have to start all over again!
  9. If you manage to PERFECT the Iron Kell (not just complete it, I mean PERFECT every level) AND you manage to find all the secret Purple Coins (which are very well hidden), then you will finally gain access to the Secret Secret world – Area 42. This area is home to 10 of the most difficult levels you will ever play as a Kell Champion. Good luck!

Video Trailer

Images

Download all the images as a nice compressed file here.

Screenshots

Download all screenshots as a nice compressed file here.

Blog at WordPress.com.