Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the Battlefield 6 beta weekend, I needed some level of downtime to relax, and strangely, In Shambles Studios’ (an interesting name for a studio) debut title, Catto’s Post Office, provided that much-needed downtime.
I have a general fondness for cute things, whether it’s plushies, cats, or dogs. Hence, Catto’s Post Office instantly grabbed my attention when I was searching for something to play. Now, full disclosure: I was provided a key to stream this game on my socials. However, I haven’t had time playing it over the Battlefield 6 weekend.
So, with a general tiredness of playing Battlefield 6 beta and juggling it with setting up my Secure Boot matches over and over again, I booted up the game, and fortunately, what I was greeted with was a cute, vibrant, and quick gaming experience of delivering mail as a post-cat.
Safely Deliver the Mail and Help Fellow Cats
Catto’s Post Office has a rather simple premise- it involves a mail-cat getting assigned various delivery duties on his birthday across a vibrant town filled with cats. That is pretty much the entire gist of the game.
There’s nothing extremely complex for players to follow, no checklist to remember. Just pick up your package and deliver it to the customers while mewing your way to the destination. Yes, there is a dedicated mewing button in-game, which is a game-changer in small ways.
There is a storyline, which I will refrain from sharing for spoiler reasons. However, the storyline is a rather heartwarming one, which left me happy and rather hopeful for a few hours. Outside of that, you can occasionally do “cat things.”
For example, you can mew 100 times or more, knock over plants, knock over littered cans into the trash can, as dirtying up your surroundings is not cool, and talk with the residents of the town, who are also fellow cats.
I Sometimes Miss Short, Cozy Experiences
The biggest reason why Catto’s Post Office connected with me is how digestible it is as a medium. For starters, it is not a game with a complex storyline that requires you to scratch your brain to understand. It is short, and you can finish it in 1 hour or less. I’d even go the extra mile and say the game length mimics the patience and attention span of cats in a funny way.
However, part of the reason this game works is because of its 1-hour gameplay time. There is no unnecessary bloating of gameplay time with multiple checklists and side-quests. Instead, it is a small town, you have clear goals that contribute towards the story progression, and everything looks cute. Even the side-quests it has are very easy, and overall, the game respects your time and sanity.
In many ways, Catto’s Post Office achieves what Wrong Organ’s Mouthwashing does in its storytelling – providing a no-nonsense storyline that is short and digestible. The world works as a bonus to steer that story towards its end-goal. Except in the case of Mouthwashing, it was grim and sad. In the case of Catto’s Post Office, it is happy and gleeful.
The game even ends on a cozy note, really putting the story across that this game is all about taking time off from your hard day, sitting down, and enjoying a sweet little story about a lovable Cat who delivers packages to his townsfolk. Nothing gets cozier than this.
Shorter, cozy games have become a relic of the past. However, indie developers have managed to keep that fire lit, and many games have left a lasting impression within four hours.
Catto’s Post Office is another one of those games that more people should explore, and I’m very thankful for the game’s existence. Thanks to that 1-hour downtime with the cat in-game, I rekindled my affection towards the Battlefield 6 beta on Steam.
