If you’ve ever chatted with me—or ventured outside a cave at any point in the last several years—you’d know I’m not the biggest fan of the horror genre. It’s not that I dislike the concept of horror; I enjoy some eerie settings. It’s those pesky jump scares that get to me. When I sit down to play a game, I’m looking to unwind, not to clutch a spare pair of pants in fear! However, the part I relish is psychological horror. The kind of unsettling storytelling that figuratively gets under your skin without making you jump out of it. That’s precisely why I’m quite intrigued by DEAD LETTER DEPT., a fresh release in the psychological horror scene slated to hit screens by the end of the month.
DEAD LETTER DEPT. is making its ghostly debut on your computers via Steam on January 30th, and I’ve got to tell you, the setup has certainly piqued my interest. In this eerie adventure, you step into the shoes of a temporary worker at a postal warehouse. Your mission? Manage all the undelivered mail that’s landed in the repository for one oddball reason or another. I can promise you, if you’re blaming poor penmanship, you’re just scratching the surface.
In DEAD LETTER DEPT., your task is seemingly straightforward: retype the addresses and words on mail pieces that never made it to their destinations. Sounds like basic data entry, right? But there’s a twist. As you dive deeper, unsettling patterns in the letters start to emerge. Could it be that some of these ominous messages are meant for you?
As you find yourself isolated in a dismal warehouse, completely severed from the outside world, the only connection you maintain with reality is through these parcels. The more time you spend there, the more things seem to drift into a bizarre and surreal realm. Each narrative that unfolds from the forgotten letters gives you the eerie sensation of being observed. Sure, paying rent is crucial, but is keeping this job worth risking your mental wellness?
DEAD LETTER DEPT. elevates your typical typing exercise into a suspenseful journey. As you key in different prompts on a damaged computer, you’ll get brief glimpses into the lives tied to the misplaced mail and unearth a heap of hidden stories. Every playthrough promises a unique experience, thanks to the sheer volume of mail to sift through. But amidst this thrilling voyeurism, you’ll have to grapple with a fundamental question: does the chilling sensation of someone breathing down your neck enhance or haunt your gaming experience?
If the idea of snooping through someone else’s correspondence intrigues you, then keep an eye out for DEAD LETTER DEPT. soon. For those itching to get a taste of what’s to come, a demo is currently up for grabs on Steam. If patience is your virtue, and you’re holding out for the full experience, you’ve only got a few weeks to wait!
