POSTAL: Brain Damaged Review

The game can be classified as a “Boomer Shooter”, as it heavily resembles the FPS style of the 90s. POSTAL: Brain Damaged is inspired by FPS classics that we love like DOOM, Wolfenstein or Quake. The level-based game is designed in a way that pushes you to complete the levels in the most fun and insane ways possible with a smooth player movement and pace. Retro-inspired graphics are matching the energy of the game and its satiric tone, and the lore is definitely going to crack you up. Here is what we know and love about POSTAL: Brain Damaged so far.

Everything to Know About POSTAL: Brain Damaged

1. Gameplay
2. Graphics
3. Sound Design
4. Is It Worth Playing?

Gameplay

As you know, POSTAL series is all about absurdity and this game keeps the tradition alive. The story is about the Postal Guy going crazy and finding himself in an asylum that we are not even sure is real. For more details about the story, feel free to check out POSTAL: Brain Damaged Story. 

Leveling

Previous game, PORTAL 4 was an open-world game where you ran around trying to complete quests but that style didn’t feel like the right choice for the POSTAL universe we knew. Unlike POSTAL 4, in Brain Damaged we see levels. There are 3 chapters in the game and 5 levels for each chapter. You need to complete certain tasks or get to certain points in order to level up. All levels are hand crafted and unique with many details and fun. Don’t be fooled by the colors and cheerfulness of the first level though, as you progress, the levels will get darker and harder.

Game Mechanics

The variety in movement and weapons is quite satisfying in POSTAL: Brain Damaged. You can jump, slide-jump, unlock 9 different weapons such as pistols, shotguns, railguns as you level up, and use a grappling hook for pace or to bring enemies closer to you. There are also abilities unique to each weapon such as auto-fire, time freezer or aim hacker that you can use in combat. Another mechanic in the game is localized damage, which means it is really skill-based. You can go with the old POSTAL-fashioned way and shoot your enemies like crazy, or you can actually slow down and take your time to go for a heads-shot.

Postal Brain Damaged Enemies

There are 48 different types of enemies in POSTAL: Brain Damaged. We know… It’s a lot! From exploding Mexican jumping beans to anti-vaxxers, each enemy is mechanically distinct. So you can not use the same abilities on different enemies, you actually have to put in the effort to understand what works for each type. At the end of every chapter, you have a boss fight too.

POSTAL: Brain Damaged

€7,79

from

Graphics

Overall, POSTAL: Brain Damaged is a good-looking game with its retro 90s style. However, there are some issues that could’ve used fixing. For instance, special effects like gunfire or explosions take up too much space on the screen, which limits your eye vision. Also, there is no map in the game. Neither a mini-map to guide you on the corner nor a map that you can access through the menu. That’s why it takes time for you to complete a level as you have to navigate it solely on your own.

Sound Design

What about music? If you played Boomer Shooters before like Dusk or Ion Fury, you might expect POSTAL: Brain Damaged to have heavy metal accompanying the relentless combat sequences. In the contrast to what you’d think, Brain Damaged uses light-hearted, almost lo-fi melodies and messes up with your expectations. As for sound design, we definitely needed more of that. When you run there is no footfall, every enemy and weapon sound nearly the same and Postal Guy has a maximum of 15 phrases. Although the game is not repetitive or boring, we can not say the same for sound design.

Is POSTAL: Brain Damaged Worth Playing?

If you like the POSTAL series, if you enjoyed playing any Boomer Shooters, if you are so done with life and just want to piss on everything and chainsaw some random beings, you should definitely give POSTAL: Brain Damaged a chance.