If you know me well or have been around the gaming scene in the past few years, you’ll know that horror isn’t exactly my genre of choice. It’s not the concept of horror I take issue with; some horror settings are genuinely appealing to me. The problem? Those annoying jump scares. I play to unwind, and starting a new game shouldn’t come with the need for fresh underwear. Despite this, I’m all in for psychological horror. It’s unsettling in just the right way to keep me intrigued, providing that eerie sensation I can actually enjoy. Enter DEAD LETTER DEPT., an intriguing new game in the psychological horror category making its debut at the end of the month.
You can expect DEAD LETTER DEPT. to hit your PC screens on January 30th via Steam, and let me tell you, the concept is anything but ordinary. You step into the shoes of a temp worker at a postal warehouse, tasked with handling an eclectic mix of undelivered mail that hasn’t found its recipient for various odd reasons. A letter’s illegible handwriting is possibly the least strange of all the obstacles these messages face before landing on your desk.
In DEAD LETTER DEPT., your mission is pretty straightforward: retype words and addresses on this undelivered mail. It sounds like basic data entry, right? Well, as you progress, you’ll notice unnerving patterns emerging from these scattered messages. It feels unsettlingly like some of these notes might be intended specifically for you.
You’ll find yourself in a lonely, dimly-lit warehouse, completely isolated from the world except for the letters themselves. As time passes and you delve deeper into your work, reality starts to blur, and the situation grows more surreal and suspect. Strange tales unfold from these letters, and it’s hard to shake the feeling of being watched. While paying the bills is a priority, you might begin to question if this job is worth the toll on your sanity.
DEAD LETTER DEPT. transforms your mundane typing tasks into an exploratory adventure. You’ll enter various prompts in your computer to decipher muddled images, giving you insights into the lives of those who lost their letters and unearthing hidden secrets along the way. This isn’t a game where you can predict the outcome; each playthrough will reveal different narratives and storylines within its vast troves of mail. But beware, the eerie thrill of peeking into others’ lives might just leave you feeling a little on edge.
If the idea of delving into forgotten mail intrigues you, then keep an eye out for DEAD LETTER DEPT. It’s set to launch shortly, but there’s already a demo available on Steam if you’re eager to get a taste of what’s to come. For those like me who enjoy diving into the entire experience at once, you’ve only got a few weeks left until release day.
