Postal: Brain Damaged

The only thing that gave me brain damage about this game was the level design.

That being said, this is a very solid and fun shooter with enemies that aren't completely boring (looking at you, Dusk). The weapons have interesting quirks that held my attention throughout the entire campaign, especially the cat vacuum and the shotgun. The item mechanics are also a nice addition that many Quake-like / Doom-like games do not usually have. There are also some fun movement mechanics such as a "Payday 2"-esque crouch jump, and the shotgun's grapple.

The music is pretty good, although it cut out pretty often during parts with lots of action (seems like a bug). The graphics are nice and fit well.

Even though I might seem negative about the level design, it's not all bad and has some unique ideas. However, with that being said, it is very easy to get lost as it is very maze-y at times.

Most of the bosses are just okay, the ending fight is very similar to Dusk's but does it slightly better (still has the same core issues of being easy to dodge everything).

Humor in the Postal universe can be extremely hit or miss, and this game's humor is mostly a miss in comparison to Postal 2's. The voicelines can get really, REALLY repetitive somewhere around the 2nd or 3rd act.

This is a good shooter overall.

3.5/5

This is way better than it has any right to be. Its basically a retro shooter take on the Postal franchise. The story is basically that the dude is dreaming and under the influence of numerous substance, that combined with a fair share of brain damage, result in some twisted dreams. There are surreal levels from the america suburbia, asylums and futuristic levels, as well as plenty in between. It has this low poly style with high contrast that works really well in action, and it adds to the low quality appeal that the series as.

The gameplay is really detached from what you expect from Postal, and it really works like Doom or Quake. Levels are complex and intricate, and you need to search for keys and press levers to unlock the wayforward. Its mostly linear with some pointers along the way, and i only got lost very occasionally. lost. Difficulty is just right, with a varied set of enemies that incentivize switching weapons and prioritizing targets. The weapon arsenal is very typical for retro games, with their own twisted Postal take, but mechanically its all very predictable. But what works works. And it really is satisfying with plenty of gore.

What ties it to Postal are the short quips and dumb vulgar humor, as well as meta jokes. Its just enough to make you grin, without being too much, but this will obviously vary according to one's sensitivity for this sort of humour.

A good recommendation for fans of retro shooters. Its a complete product with plenty of secrets in each level as well as ability to speedrun. Im really interested to see what these devs can do outside of this IP.