Postmouse

About

Postmouse is a single player action game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Critters Collective and was released on January 30, 2023. It received very positive reviews from players.

Join Postmouse on their very first journey to deliver mail in a treacherous world unfit for a tiny mouse. Explore the ruins, meet charming characters and solve puzzles on your way through an abandoned mansion in this free, student-made adventure - all in one small mouse-sized package!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 993 reviews

story100 positive mentions

stability37 negative mentions

The game features adorable graphics and charming character designs, creating a delightful atmosphere.
The story is heartwarming and engaging, with a simple yet effective narrative about delivering mail.
The gameplay is enjoyable, with fun puzzles and exploration elements that keep players engaged.

The controls can be janky and imprecise, leading to frustrating moments, especially during the chase sequence.
Some collectibles (stamps) are bugged and cannot be picked up, which can detract from the overall experience.
The game is quite short, leaving players wanting more content and a longer adventure.

story
222 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
54%
1%
The story of "Postmouse" is characterized as a charming and heartwarming narrative centered around a cute mouse delivering parcels to various animal characters, evoking a cozy, fairy-tale atmosphere. While many players appreciate the sweet and engaging storyline, they often express a desire for more content, as the game is relatively short, typically taking only a few hours to complete. The visuals and music complement the narrative well, enhancing the overall experience, though some players note that the gameplay mechanics can detract from the storytelling at times.
- “Postmouse is a charming and heartwarming indie adventure that shines with its cozy atmosphere, delightful characters, and beautiful storytelling.”
- “The graphics are stunning, the story is cute, thought-provoking, and even emotional at times.”
- “The story is gentle and reminds you to look at the things around you.”
- “The game looks cute and the world is beautifully crafted, like stepping into a children’s story, but sadly the gameplay is extremely boring and lacks excitement.”
- “The story is short and relaxing, but I think it kind of ended abruptly.”
- “I almost cared about the story, but I hardly had a chance to pay attention to it before it ended.”
graphics
190 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
35%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charm and beauty, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning art style, detailed environments, and adorable character designs. While the visuals are often described as impressive, some players noted performance issues and graphical glitches that detracted from the experience. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a strong point, contributing to its cozy and heartwarming atmosphere.
- “The graphics are quite well done for a game jam entry, and they've got a great charm to them; a lovingly rendered world of the underbrush and overgrowth.”
- “The art style and scenery is absolutely breathtaking.”
- “The graphics are stunning, the story is cute, thought-provoking, and even emotional at times.”
- “The graphics are chunky and the camera is jumpy; it's a cute game and I really want to like it, but I had to ditch it after 30 minutes.”
- “However, what should be a cozy game about delivering mail feels like a frustrating chore with the hard-to-look-at graphics and clunky controls.”
- “The visuals stutter and flicker regardless of graphics settings, so when you're darting about mouse style, it's a bit taxing on the eyes.”
music
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
36%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its charm, beauty, and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many players noting its soothing and immersive qualities. While some users experienced issues with overlapping tracks and volume control, the soundtrack is generally considered a standout feature that complements the game's visuals and storytelling. Overall, the music is described as delightful, fitting perfectly with the game's aesthetic and emotional beats, making it a memorable aspect of the experience.
- “The music is incredible - it enhances all of the emotional beats and vibes of the setting you're in.”
- “This game is incredibly adorable, the environments are beautiful and the soundtrack is amazing, blending sounds from your surroundings with it in matching rhythm.”
- “The music fits the atmosphere to a t, so sweetly composed, and the characters were, for what they were, endearing.”
- “My only issue with the game is the music; it's really loud and there's no audio setting for PC/Steam to turn it down.”
- “The soundtrack can get repetitive and slightly irritating, but the gameplay and story make up for that.”
- “Different songs started playing over each other towards the end, and sometimes I couldn't pick up stamps.”
gameplay
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
56%
10%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its charming visuals and simple mechanics, making it accessible and enjoyable for casual players. However, many users noted issues with clunky controls, lack of polish, and frustrating moments, particularly during platforming and chase sequences, which detracted from the overall experience. While some found the gameplay relaxing and fun, others felt it was too short and lacking in depth, suggesting that improvements in mechanics and additional content could enhance the game significantly.
- “Very cute game with a beautiful art style and fun gameplay!”
- “The gameplay is honestly really nice and simple, with still challenging platforming.”
- “The whimsical art style, charming characters, and intuitive gameplay make this an enjoyable experience for all ages.”
- “The game looks cute and the world is beautifully crafted, like stepping into a children’s story, but sadly the gameplay is extremely boring and lacks excitement.”
- “The game mechanics are a little clunky and unfortunately it makes it a little irritating to play.”
- “It's the gameplay that ruined it for me.”
emotional
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartwarming narrative, charming characters, and beautiful visuals, often evoking strong feelings and even tears from players. Many reviews highlight the game's cozy atmosphere and touching storytelling, making it a standout experience for those seeking a wholesome and emotional journey. Despite some gameplay issues, the overall sentiment is that the game successfully creates a deeply engaging and emotional experience.
- “Incredible, heartwarming game, something cozy to play.”
- “One of the most heartfelt and beautiful games I've played in a long time.”
- “The game masterfully combines charming visuals with a heartwarming narrative, drawing you into a world where every corner holds a new discovery.”
stability
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players noting a variety of bugs and glitches, particularly in the last levels and during specific sequences like the cat chase. While some glitches can be resolved by restarting the game, they can hinder gameplay and cause frustration. Overall, players appreciate the game's charm and quality given its free status, but acknowledge that it lacks polish and can be buggy at times.
- “The platforming was spot on; I had a clean, bug-free experience and really enjoyed the whole thing.”
- “The last portion of the game was very, very buggy and hindered progress.”
- “Unfortunately, it does get very buggy in the last level and the instructions aren't the clearest.”
- “There were many graphical and physics glitches, but I get that this isn't heavily tested.”
atmosphere
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
16%
9%
The atmosphere of Postmouse is widely praised for its charming and heartwarming qualities, featuring beautifully rendered environments, delightful characters, and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Despite some technical shortcomings, the game's cozy and serene ambiance, along with its atmospheric storytelling, creates an engaging and immersive adventure that resonates with players. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered its standout feature, making it a memorable indie experience.
- “Postmouse is a charming and heartwarming indie adventure that shines with its cozy atmosphere, delightful characters, and beautiful storytelling.”
- “It's a simple game with an amazing and magical atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is incredibly rendered--playing, you really do feel like a little mouse taking on the world.”
- “The sound design is also fantastic, with lively music and sound effects that enhance the overall atmosphere.”
- “It really helps to build the atmosphere of the game.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
50%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with users noting that while the outdoor visuals are appealing, performance issues persist, particularly in busy areas, leading to frame rate drops. Critics have pointed out the need for better optimization regarding unnecessary environmental elements and general polish, suggesting that improvements in these areas could significantly enhance the gameplay experience. Despite its charm and nostalgic value, many feel that the game would benefit from a more robust optimization effort to fully realize its potential.
- “The nature and outdoors looks really nice and doesn't seem to be very performance heavy.”
- “Way better storyline and character animation, better game optimization; this game took me to my childhood when I used to play games alike and it costs $0 when Sons of the Forest costs $28.99.”
- “Controls are frustrating and optimization is bad.”
- “Its major problems are bad optimization (my rig runs a 12600k CPU and RX6700 non-XT GPU and the FPS would drop in busy areas, mainly the big outdoor scene). The game could have better signposting as I spent more time than necessary figuring out where to go or what to interact with, and there is a lack of polish, no inverse kinematics, or the instinct mode showing your objective being accessible during the credits sequence. Overall, not a bad way to spend 30 minutes to an hour depending on if you want to bother getting the post stamp collectibles in the levels too, especially for $0.”
- “Honestly, if this game had a bigger team behind it that optimized the game more, reconfigured how the platforming worked just a bit, and added more content with better pacing into it, I can see this easily selling for $10-$15 for a good 3-4 hours of playtime.”
character development
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
17%
8%
Overall, the character development in the game is praised for its adorable and charming designs, reminiscent of Beatrix Potter's works, with many reviewers highlighting the beautiful visuals and strong character aesthetics. However, some players feel that the game lacks depth in character development and could benefit from additional content to enhance the storytelling experience. Despite its short length and confusing level design, the character designs receive high marks for their creativity and appeal.
- “The story and character designs are so cute, and incredibly well done.”
- “Such a wonderful little game, very pretty, very cute, I love the storytelling through pictures in the house and the adorable character design.”
- “Some of the most beautiful settings and character designs ever, especially for a free game.”
- “Sadly, it is really short (4 levels) and could benefit from new content, a new version, and some more character development.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted writing and amusing character interactions, particularly with the landlord mouse and the toad boss, which elicited genuine laughter from players. While some technical issues were noted, such as quirky character movements and camera angles, these did not detract from the overall enjoyment and comedic charm of the game. Players appreciated the blend of emotional storytelling with humor, making it a delightful experience despite its brevity.
- “The writing was simple, but I liked it; in particular, the landlord mouse and the bagworm were pretty funny.”
- “One of the most emotional, yet lightly humored games I've played.”
- “The toad boss made me laugh.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be time-consuming and potentially tedious, especially for beginners who may struggle with the challenges. While the game is described as cute, the grinding can feel overwhelming, suggesting that it may require significant dedication to progress.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Really cute little game, but it took me way longer than it should have because I am not skilled. It can get tricky and a bit tedious for a beginner like me!”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its quality, especially considering it is a free title that does not include any microtransactions.
- “The game is very well done for a free game without microtransactions.”