This year is the first year I’ve started really looking at new games for old systems and what better way to start than with a Dreamcast title! For some reason, I’d known about this game for a long time but never gave it ago. That was until I saw it at a recent convention I had attended with the Unofficial Control Podcast, and whilst looking at It a few gamers said ‘You need to try this, its awesome!’ So I pulled the trigger and purchased.
Let’s get into it.
Postal is a 2022 re-release of the Sega Dreamcast by Wave game studios. Originally a pc 1997 game, it has had various different ports and sequels over the years but it was in 2015 when the original developers said they would release the source code if someone would port it to the Dreamcast, and in stepped Wave Game Studios
Narrative:
Controversial in its day, this game’s plot is quite a dark story of your character (only known as a postal dude) getting evicted from his home, and he thinks that the local air force base has released some sort of plague that makes everyone hate each other. Your mission is to get to the airforce base shooting your way through different local areas. Postal has very little dialog but doesn’t really need it as the brutal gameplay and setting says it all.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is an isometric top-down shooter. You will fight your way through different locations taking on and killing hostiles and members of the public! Like I say it’s brutal. The locations include a ghetto, train station, truck stop, etc. If you’re used to isometric games you shouldn’t have to many problems with the controls, although compared to modern versions does feel quite slow and can be a little sluggish to aim, especially on harder game settings. Plus switching weapons was giving me a few issues to start with as it seemed to be a bit random on selection, but I soon got used to it.
Pros:
I really enjoy the art style and hand-drawn backgrounds, they almost give you that dull apocalyptic setting that suits this title so much. The different level environments are excellent and provide the player with a different map to negotiate each time. And I enjoyed the different weapons which all have their pros and cons depending on the enemy and environment. And finally, this game doesn’t overstay its welcome, play on an easy level and you can finish this in a few hours which I’m good with. Replayability comes from increasing the level each time.
Cons:
The load times are seriously long, whether that’s a trait of the era I’m not sure but you’ll need patience. I would have liked some more music but I understand that it might have affected the atmosphere. A bit more detail on NPCs and your character would have been a welcome addition and something the Dreamcast can more than handle.
Overall/Should you play Postal:
If you are into your retro games and want to play something that just wasn’t available on the system back in the day then this is perfect. Bear in mind that the game is very brutal in nature and of its age. It has gameplay levels for everyone from beginner to expert in this genre, but don’t go into this expecting a glossy graphical game pushing the system. This isn’t what this game is about. Would I recommend Postal? Well, it’s fun, something different, and for the price, it’s awesome breaking the seal on a new Dreamcast game. This is for the passionate collector with a soft spot for the system.
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