POSTAL

It's safe to say that in 2025, the POSTAL series is mostly forgotten, despite having its 4th entry released in 2022. I guess it was niche to begin with, so no surprises there. On top of that, before POSTAL became famous (or rather infamous) satirical "piss on everyone" simulator, it was a gritty isometrical shooter or rather "mass murderer" simulator.

Story:

At the time of the original release, the plot was kept vague, seemingly an attempt to avoid distracting from the gameplay (John Carmack says "Hi"). Although by piecing together the scraps of info from the website, manual, and in-game text, you can get a coherent explanation for all that's happening.
 

You're playing as an average man named Postal Dude who, one day, after being evicted from his home, turns into a bloodthirsty psychotic mass murderer who thinks that the US government released "hate plague", and that he's on a mission to cleanse the town of the "evil". He believes that he is the only one left sane, while everyone else is turned into a bunch of violent maniacs. Militia, cops, army, civilians...ostriches. None are safe from his judgment. There's also a demonic voice in his head commanding him to kill, mocking the victims.

You go through different levels starting at home, hitting trailer parks, ghettos, a carnival, a zoo, and even an Air Force base. No cutscenes or voice lines for the plot. While the whole story is straightforward-ish, the developer, RWS, had managed to sneak in a twist in the game's ending. While reading the journal entries on the loading screens, with creepy, almost incoherent Bible-like quotes, you keep wondering if the Dude's the one who's unreliable or totally unhinged.

In the Redux release of the game, for the Hard and Nightmare mode, they've changed the story a bit. This time around, Dude is not a "bloodthirsty psychotic mass murderer" but a man who truly believes that he's just trying to survive in a town gone mad. Diary entries seen in loading screens between levels are changed for War Journals which make Dude look like a man who's actions are a "necessary evil" and he's clearly not enjoying the violence he commits. 

Gameplay:

Postal's an isometric top-down shooter where you control the Dude with twin-stick controls for keyboard or controller. You start with an unlimited machine gun and pick up stuff like shotguns, napalm launchers, rockets, grenades, flamethrowers, and a bunch of other stuff. You'll be using your arsenal to take out waves of enemies like local militia members, cops, SWAT, grenade guys, heavies, dudes with rocket launchers, and of course, the US Army soldiers.

The enemies don't just disappear; they scream, crawl, and leave pools of blood behind. You can execute downed foes for some animations and lines if you want. The game neither rewards nor punishes you for executions.

Higher difficulties make it tougher; however, the gameplay loop doesn't change much. It's enter an area, shoot everyone you see, find the exit, repeat. That's it. That's your goal. There's no real strategy. Now imagine doing it across 16 levels. While the core action is fun in short bursts, there are far more appealing examples of that gameplay style found in more recent games (looking at you Synthetik).

On top of that, if you're not a completionist, the game can be finished in 2-3 hours.

Graphics:

Even for a 1997 release, the graphics are basic. Devs used 3D-rendered character sprites and placed them on pre-rendered, hand-painted 2D backgrounds. This gives the game a weird look that’s both dated and strangely effective. The world around the Dude is kinda off-putting with all these grimy suburbs, dilapidated factories, and murky water treatment plants. Overall visual style does a great job of creating a consistently depressing and psychotic atmosphere.

The downside is the camera. Since it's locked in that isometric view, there are countless spots where your character is completely hidden behind a large building or a tree. I often found myself being stuck behind the scenery, moving the mouse just to figure out where the hell I am, while being shot at from off-screen. It's the game's biggest technical flaw, and it hasn't aged well at all.

Audio:

The sound in this game is weird - no music in levels, just this ongoing low buzz like something's wrong in your head, which I didn't like at all. I have tinnitus; I have enough annoying sounds in my head, thank you very much.

Menus have industrial stuff like screeching metal and deep groans. A demon/Postal Dude (voiced by Rick Hunter, btw, who would return in the following games as this version of the Postal Dude) voice chimes in with one-liners taunting on kills, and enemies scream, beg, or say random things when hurt or executed, like "bad day" or needing first aid. Guns and blasts hit hard, but the repeats can wear on you. It makes a heavy, immersive feel, though you might mute it after a while. You might as well put on some Slayer to accompany your crusade against the world.

Conclusion:

So, what's my final verdict on POSTAL? It's complicated.

Postal from 1997 lives in infamy, being banned in places like Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and a few others.

As a pure video game you play for fun in 2025, it's tough to recommend. The gameplay is repetitive, the camera is frustrating, and it lacks the longevity of other classics from its era; it's no DOOM for sure. It lacks the satirical core of its sequel. It's simply violence for the sake of violence.

But as a piece of interactive art and a snapshot of a specific moment in gaming history, it's absolutely worth experiencing. It's a dark, edgy game that doesn't care if you like it. It’s more of a "digital snuff film" than a traditional power fantasy. But then again, we are in 2025. Do we, as a gaming society, even get mildly shocked by the violence itself? We became desynthesized.

We have Manhunt, which portrays gory kills in a far more raw and visceral fashion.

We have Dead Space, DOOM (2016), Agony, and their portrayal of body horror.

We have GTA and Red Dead Redemption, where players commit civilian mass murders for fun.

I'd only recommend it to two types of people: people curious about infamous cult classics, and fans of the later POSTAL games who want to see the surprisingly serious and grim origins of the Postal Dude.

And even then, you're better off playing Hatred - a spiritual successor that is basically Postal but better.
But hey, Postal is free on Steam, so nothing stops you from trying it out.