Postal Review (Boah Bennings)
EVERYDAY IN AMERICA: THE GAME
The thing about satire is that it’s not always comedic or farcical. The POSTAL franchise is known for its nihilistic comedy, but the original shares very little in common with its well-known sequel and other iterations.
1997’s POSTAL is a dark, arcade-like, top-over shooter that doesn’t shy from shocking imagery the draws parallels to the gun-violence epidemic in the United States. There is no commentary on the content of the game, purely being an aesthetically distinct artistic expression. The music and sound design is eerie and disjointed. Art design harkens to Marilyn Manson and 1980s animated suburbia, marred with the shocking realism of blood-soaked and charred corpses. Levels have no progression and feel particularly random. Difficulty spikes mostly at the end but it’s not very challenging.
POSTAL is a relic of bygone, edgy video gaming. It’s a plotless expression of morbid fun and great design. It’s addictive and incredibly grotesque.