Catto’s Post Office Review
Catto’s Post Office is an uncomplicated, cozy, mail kitty experience.
Catto’s Post Office. In Shambles Studio / CULT Games
Catto’s Post Office from In Shambles Studio and CULT Games is a bite-sized slice-of-life experience that puts you in the shoes—rather, paws—of Catto, a cat postman who lives in a little cat town. On a normal day, Catto goes about his business delivering packages, but today is his birthday, and he worries that everyone has forgotten.
The game is simple. As Catto, you start in the post office, then walk around town delivering packages and talking to the residents. Once you finish delivering them, you return to pick up more deliveries. Your postal assistant tells you exactly where you need to go, and the first thing you see as you leave the post office is a clear map of the cozy village, so there’s no worry about getting lost or missing something. Catto’s Post Office is designed for comfort and accessibility—don’t stress, look at the cute cats, and enjoy the vibes.
Catto’s Post Office. In Shambles Studio / CULT Games
There are few goals besides the deliveries and going from point A to B, but there are small discoveries to be made around the little town that will sometimes unlock achievements. Clean up cans that litter the streets, find hidden rubber ducks, or my favorite—knocking over flowerpots.
Aside from the dedicated “meow” button, the best parts of the game are the character interactions. The writing isn’t clever, but it has a gentle humor, and a frequent lack of punctuation somehow makes it more endearing. There’s a warmth and innocence to the chatter that’s fitting, and it never feels schmaltzy.
The game’s 3D art style is soft and welcoming; the mildly cartoonishly proportioned world is dressed up in bright pastel colors and only soft shadows. I could imagine a TV show for young children that looks like this. The graphics are exactly what they need to be to achieve the game’s goals.
Catto’s Post Office. In Shambles Studio / CULT Games
Catto's Post Office is pleasant fluff that provides a brief, cozy distraction from the world. There’s barely a narrative, but the game is more about hanging out for a little while with a postal worker cat and his buddies. The whole experience takes around an hour, so it’s a nice, relaxing snack that you’ll finish before it gets old; there’s not much here to stretch it any further, and it’s good that the developers recognize that.
Catto’s Post Office is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
