Cat Mail Co. Review

Developed by Maracas Studio and published alongside Gamersky Games, Cat Mail Co. is a cosy job simulator where players will embody a cat, and spend their time working at a post office, where they'll sort packages, hand them over to customers, or ship them.

Cat Mail Co. doesn't take any time for introductions: the tutorial that teaches what jobs players will be doing throughout the game is what greets them. There's a bell that calls forth customers (and counts up, which is a lovely detail), and they will either ask for a package or give you mail to sort through.

The former is simple: the cat will offer information about the parcel, and the player has to go looking for it. Sometimes it's the name of the recipient, other times they offer information about the box (such as how big it is or what it's wrapped in), and occasionally they'll offer little to no help.

Thankfully, this doesn't become stressful because if they receive the wrong package, they'll just politely ask the player if they're sure that's it. There's also an option to decline (perhaps if you can't find it or are getting frustrated), and nothing bad happens then, either — the customer just says that it's okay and leaves.

I appreciated this because job simulators offer such an interesting and playful look at the various tasks people do around the world, and it's nice to enjoy it without worrying. Although I don't mind penalties or issues (you get used to this after a while of gaming), Cat Mail Co. is a phenomenal title to boot up alongside another activity, such as a podcast; the lack of stressful gameplay makes that possible.

If instead the customer needs to send something, they pass it to the player and poof away. This was my favourite because it's where we get to identify what kind of package it is (there are many conditions, including fragile and heavy), how much it weighs, and where it's headed.

The first is by passing it through a machine that will pop up an icon on a screen to let you know what the condition is. Then, the package can be weighed at a scale. You can do it in whatever way you choose, too!

Once all the information is gathered, players will need to stamp the box accordingly. I loved doing this, especially as I unlocked more stickers! Some are there to offer valuable information (that is useful when sorting), such as the condition and destination; others just work as a fun aesthetic addition.

As players go about their tasks, the in-game day passes. Nighttime makes it easier to see some packages that should go together, and it also brings the captain closer to arrival — a grumpy and old sea cat who brings parcels! He'll be headed to specific places every time, and boxes headed for the destinations can be placed on his small boat.

While the post office begins with only one destination, the game eventually opens up to offer several, each with its own sticker. I never felt overwhelmed by it because the areas are introduced at a nice pace, and the stickers (and names) are different enough that it never got confusing.

What I did feel was a tiny bit slow was the opening of the new areas. Once the game begins, it's clear that whoever worked the job before was terrible at it, as there are mounds of boxes blocking parts of the office; this is the way Cat Mail Co. unlocks new features!

As time goes on, boxes will appear that can be taken and sorted. With enough of them gone, the new zones reveal, such as a cold room. After that, packages that need to go in a refrigerator will begin to pop up, too, and so on.

As I said earlier, Cat Mail Co. is a fantastic podcast title because the tasks demanded enough attention to keep me entertained, but not so much that I couldn't keep listening to audiobooks. Whenever I messed up, the slap on the wrist was negligible enough that I didn't have to worry at all.

This also means that the gameplay can become a bit repetitive, which I didn't have a problem with, but Cat Mail Co. isn't the type of title where you begin unlocking tons of new tools or upgrades to make the job smoother. Quite the opposite: most of the reveals add a new condition for the packages! The story is also very subtle and mostly stays in the background; the game is exactly what the genre says it is — a job simulator.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, and I can see it becoming one of the main titles I play while going about other things. That being said, the gameplay can be a bit repetitive, and the progression is different from the norm, so keep that in mind if you're interested! Cat Mail Co. isn't for everyone, but it is a fantastic title if it is for you.