Well, this is a lovely surprise, isn’t it? Chill letter writing game Kind Words was a lofi hit back in 2019, encouraging players to share over 5 million anonymous notes of support and, well, kindness since launch. Now developers Popcannibal are back with a full-blown sequel, Kind Words 2 (Lofi City Pop). You’re probably thinking, ‘How could they possibly have made a sequel to this perfectly formed note ’em up? Have they added emails? Carrier pigeons? Inscribing on stone tablets?’ Well, as the reveal trailer below shows, it’s gone for more of an Animal Crossing-style city to enjoy, letting you connect with fellow players and express your deepest feelings in new, more directed settings. That’s right, it’s time to get out of your bedroom and touch some virtual grass.
Coming in 2024, Kind Words 2 still lets you write letters from the cosy confines of your customisable bedroom, but now there’s a whole wide world to explore outside of it. There’s a coffee shop where you can take part in poetry jams, a mountain where you can wish upon its plentiful supply of stars, and even a “wiggling void” where you can shout your deepest, darkest secrets and have them instantly forgotton and erased. Sometimes, it’s just good to let rip and scream into the abyss, you know?
There’s also a chill and beautifully kept city square where you can converse with other players in real-time. Popcannibal are promising “real people, no bots” in these spaces, and I’ll be intrigued to see how it handles these larger spaces as we get closer to release. It doesn’t look like it’s going for the full-blown social MMO experience like thatgamecompany’s Sky: Children Of The Light, for example, but I would also hope it feels a bit more ‘real’ and lively than, say, Animal Crossing does.
“We made Kind Words 2 because there aren’t enough online spaces where strangers can be fearlessly open and caring without worrying about likes, subscribes, followers, and any other garbage that gets in between people just talking to each other,” Popcannibal founder Ziba Scott said in a statement, which, yeah, I can get behind that.
To find out more about Kind Words 2 and sign up for its upcoming playtest, head on over to its Steam page.
