Available PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck)
Oh, to be a mouse delivering mail in an abandoned 19th-century mansion that’s, in the words of the developers, “a lovingly handcrafted, overgrown teslapunk landscape”.
And boy, are they right about that. You can see the love the Critters Collective poured into this game, which is available on Steam for free. Postmouse is created by the students of the Animation Workshop. It’s a 3D puzzle platformer where you play as a cute little mouse stepping outside the post office to deliver mail for the first time!!!
Now, you can die in this game, so if you’re not a fan of seeing a mouse die in a variety of ways–nothing too graphic–then this game may be a challenge. I hated seeing the mouse die, so naturally, I had to “get gud”.
In Postmouse, you meet all sorts of other cute animals, residents of the Yellow Woods, have a listen to their worries, and most importantly, deliver their mail! Solve all kinds of puzzles, cross rivers, climb, and overcome the challenges of being a tiny delivery creature.
I liked the game well enough, felt like the puzzles were enough of a brain teaser to make me think, but not enough that I’d get frustrated and leave the game. It’s a nice, short game with a simple goal and premise.
If I had any complaints, it would probably be about something that happens near the end. Throughout the game, you play with full control of the camera. You can look around and adjust your perspective to solve puzzles, then all of a sudden!!! No more. Nope. Just fixed camera angles. And it’s not just one switch-up. It happens multiple times, and it really messed me up. I was having such a nice, chill time, and then I was in a timed event where I had to readjust to new gameplay??? Odd choice, but I persevered and made it through. Keep an eye out for that and try not to get frustrated–I know it almost got me to quit, but I really wanted to get that mouse out of there.
Aside from that, the game is enjoyable and beautiful. It’s got personality, and it made me intrigued. I wish I had seen what this world looked like before it became the way it looked in the game. Who were the people who lived there? What happened to them? Did the animals always talk? Was there an apocalypse? So many questions arise when you spend more than five seconds just glancing around. And I think that shows that they gave so much attention to the little things (Hehe. Get it? Because you’re a mouse).
They could have just set it during modern times and left it there, but no, this was a lived-in world. It breathed and had a life, and now it’s overtaken by nature. What could have happened to its inhabitants? What do the creatures think of the past? Did they learn to mail things because of the humans that once lived there? Argh, it’s so lovely, I wish I could ask the developers what they had in mind and if they were ever going to explore that in the future!
But I suppose there’s a beauty in just accepting something for what it is. For a mouse to be a mouse, for mail to be mail. No questions asked, no deeper meaning. Just a little guy trying to do their job.
All in all, I think Postmouse is a good experience! It’s free, and it only lasts about an hour (I played it for an hour and twenty minutes because I really took my time checking things out and admiring them). Plus, it was made by students, and I’m so impressed by what they’ve created! I can’t wait to see what else they’re going to be able to achieve! The concept itself is nothing new, but it’s always about the heart and the execution of the story you want to tell. And I can see that right off the bat with Postmouse.
