The Postal Series of games is iconic. It’s iconic for being not only one of the first open world games to push boundaries, but for being over the top with its humor, violence, and player freedom.
I got into the series with Postal 2, had a ton of fun with Postal 4, and so when I saw Postal: Brain Damaged was coming, I just had to see what it was all about.
So let’s dive into this latest installment and see what over the top experience the developers have given us this time around!
POSTAL: Brain Damaged takes the infamous Postal Dude on a wild ride through his own twisted brain. Shifting away from the open-world sandbox of previous two entries, in favor of taking on the “boomer shooter” genre. The narrative serves as a chaotic framing for the non-stop action, though it is purposely thin. While the story in the game is rather thin, it’s still as absurd as one would expect. I mean the only story we really get here is that the Postal Dude has fallen asleep during a movie marathon. That’s it, that’s the story. So I would go so far as to say that it’s razor thin to say the least when it comes to the story.
I feel like to have the plot be that the main character fell asleep during a marathon is so absurd that they should have just left it out and had no story at all. But then again, this is Postal and absurd is in the series DNA. Well if Postal: Brain Damaged (PBD as it will be referred to going forward) has no story, how does it play?
PBD absolutely shines when it comes to how it plays. This game trades in the open world that has you running around doing errands for a fast-paced shooter that is very familiar but new and modern. When you are placed in the world and left to your own devices, the game is reminiscent of classic 90s FPS games like DOOM and Quake. While the game may seem familiar based on those titles, this is Postal and it’s so much more than that! The gameplay is a chaotic mix of intense combat, fluid movement, and creative weapon design. The levels are well-designed, encouraging players to constantly move, circle-strafe, and utilize the game’s unique arsenal, which includes a shotgun that doubles as a grappling hook.
The game has you moving around constantly dodging enemies, looking for ammo, and just exploring the weird and whacked out world the player finds themselves in. I mean this game world is so weird, that it can really only come from the mind of the Postal Dude.
The variety of enemies is impressive, from demented clowns to rednecks, each requiring a different strategy to take down. While the core action is consistently fun and challenging, there is one real big drawback to the experience. The one issue I have with this game is that it lacks direction. So the first level for instance has you in a neighborhood and the map is really large and the game gives you no direction. I mean yes it gives you an objective and a few hints here and there. But the hints themselves can be just as challenging as getting around the map in general.
With there being no map in the game and no hand holding, it can cause the player to become rather frustrated at times and feel very lost. This sense of frustration will lead to you having to back track, go around in circles for a bit before you finally find exactly where to go.
I appreciate the deliberate nature of this, but I would have liked to have seen the game give a player a shove if they spent too much time wandering around. I feel like that would have been really on brand for the series and the Postal Dude. Like spend ten minutes running around a level only to have the Postal Dude say something like “Maybe I should check that house with all of that toilet paper in it. There might be a clue under all of that pandemic currency.” “Everyone remembers those days right?” Something like that would have been pretty awesome and a welcome addition to not only the experience but as a means to really help push the player in the right direction.
Despite the game not having anything like this, it’s still a ton of fun to play. So the game seems pretty fun, but how are the graphics and does it perform well?
PBD has a very familiar art style and is based on the games of which it pays homage to. The game uses a striking, low-poly aesthetic combined with modern lighting and effects to create a visually distinct and appealing world. This isn’t just a simple pixelated throwback; the visuals are vibrant, detailed, and full of amusing little touches that give the game a ton of personality. You have some enemies that look like they were taken from the OG DOOM in the way they were created. Like they are flat, but trying to be 3D. Another set of enemies are fully 3D and feel like they were inspired by the likes of Quake. These fully 3D Models and the combination of the two styles really makes for a unique experience and visual look.
When it comes to the environments, the buildings around you are in full 3D and look really good. While the world around you is in 3D, going into buildings you’re treated with 2D textures on 3D objects. I mean the combination of 2D and 3D in this game is really on another level. It gives the game one of the most unique looks I’ve ever seen in a first person shooter.
On the performance front, the game is generally smooth and well-optimized. While the game sets itself apart with its graphical direction, I think this was in part to help address potential performance issues. The Postal series has been one that has done a great job at running on even the most potato of PCs. I mean there are so many graphical options, that you are bound to find a setting that works for your PC. Yes, you will have the occasional frame rate hits with a ton of action on screen, but nothing that is game breaking.
As one would expect, the audio in PBD is just as chaotic and over the top as the visuals. PBD features a soundtrack with a high-energy, thrash-metal score that perfectly complements the fast-paced action, keeping the adrenaline pumping during intense combat sequences. The voice acting, particularly from the Postal Dude himself, is something that I am not a huge fan of. So I got really into the Postal series with Postal 2 which featured the voice of Rick Hunter. Rick voiced both the first and second game in the series. Now with the expansion for Postal 2, we were introduced to Corey Cruise. Corey is who they got to voice the Dude in PBD.
While I appreciate Corey and his work, I would have much preferred to have Rick. Or at the very least, give us the option of choosing the voice actor like they did with Postal 4: No Regerts. While I have my opinions on the voice actor themselves, the writing here is awesome. The game is filled with the series’ signature edgy wit and one-liners. This really is a staple in the series and wouldn’t be a Postal game without it. These quips sound really good and are a ton of fun to here, and rather funny too.
Sound effects are a mix of satisfying gun blasts, enemy groans, and the general cacophony of mayhem. While the game can have some issues with music getting stuck in a loop, and the one liners are repetitive at times, the game still sounds great!
Normally I would give my conclusion here, but I figured since POSTAL: Brain Damaged – These Sunny Daze is DLC (referred to as PTSD from this point forward) for the base game, I would give my review of it here instead of giving it a separate article. So let’s dive into this crazy and chaotic DLC.
PTSD picks up where the base game left off, with the Postal Dude attempting to enjoy a tropical vacation. His plans are, of course, interrupted by a new, absurd national policy: a “ginger purge.” The narrative, like the base game, is simple, and chaotic, but a bit more meat on the bone than the base game, which I appreciate. The humor is just as crude, edgy, and politically incorrect as fans have come to expect, lampooning pop culture and current events with a heavy dose of satire.
This DLC delivers pretty much the exact same gameplay as the base game as it is DLC. So it kinda has to right? You’ll run, jump, and slide through new, semi-open levels, facing off against a fresh roster of enemies like “Xitch Streamers” and “Tera Chads.” While I enjoyed the gigantic levels of the base game, having them a bit more closed off helps the player feeling less lost.
The core mechanics remain solid, and the new arsenal of weapons—including the Nyanbrella and the Piss Gun—adds some creative flair. However, some of the new weapons can feel like reskins of existing ones. Aside from the new Piss Gun, the new “sticky hands” grappling ability is the only other worthwhile addition to the arsenal at your disposal.
PTSD retains the same graphical ascetics as the base game, as one would expect. I mean if they completely changed the graphical direction, it wouldn’t be DLC, it would be a totally different game. Though this is usually the case, if they actually did this, I wouldn’t be surprised. The new tropical-themed environments are distinct and full of amusing details that fit the series’ anarchic tone. They are a really nice departure from the disturbed maps of the base game. While the environments are new and the graphics feel familiar, this game does have a bit more bugs and glitches than the base game. These can range from minor issues like broken lighting to game-breaking problems, such as grappling hooks failing to activate, which can soft-lock progress.
While these can break the game, I have only had to restart my progress once and I am sure that the developers are hard at work fixing these issues with a patch coming in the near future.
The audio design remains consistent with the core game’s frantic energy. Here again, I would be surprised if they deviated from this. Given it’s a DLC, this is to be expected. The high-octane thrash-metal soundtrack continues to fuel the non-stop action, and the Postal Dude’s one-liners are as frequent as ever. The sound effects for the new weapons and enemies are satisfyingly chaotic. As awesome as the music and sound effects are, they can get a bit repetitive. This may turn some people away from playing this. Overall and despite the game’s issues, the sound as a whole is great. It really compliments the base game in a nice way.
PBD and it’s DLC PTSD are a significant and welcome departure from the traditional nature of the Postal franchise. By abandoning the aimless open-world formula and embracing the frantic, focused action of the boomer shooter genre, it has revitalized the series in a way that many fans have been waiting for; myself included. While it’s true that it has its issues—such as occasional confusing level design and repetitive audio—the game delivers an exhilarating and genuinely fun experience. It’s a fantastic throwback that captures the spirit of classic shooters while injecting its own unique brand of grotesque humor and chaotic charm. If you’re a fan of retro FPS titles or a long-time Postal fan looking for a new take on the series, then you owe it to yourself to pick up and play both PBD and the PTSD DLC!
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.