For those who have been following along, it’s no secret that the horror genre and I don’t always see eye to eye. It’s not that I dislike all horror elements—there are definitely settings I appreciate—but it’s those pesky jump scares that put me off. You see, I turn to gaming to unwind, and the thought of diving into a game requiring a backup pair of underwear nearby just isn’t my idea of relaxation. However, I’ve found a soft spot for psychological horror. This genre hits that perfect balance of unsettling storytelling and intrigue, offering just enough suspense without the cheap thrills. Enter DEAD LETTER DEPT., a fresh addition to the psychological horror scene, slated for release at the month’s end.
DEAD LETTER DEPT. is set to debut on your PC screens via Steam on January 30th, and I can’t help but say I’m quite intrigued by its concept. In this unique horror experience, you step into the shoes of a temporary employee managing the undelivered mail at a postal warehouse. Your task? To curate all those letters that, for one quirky reason or another, never made it to their final destination. It’s not just about bad handwriting; there are deeper oddities at play with these “dead letters.”
In your role within DEAD LETTER DEPT., your job seems straightforward at first glance: you’re simply retyping words and addresses on pieces of mail that failed to reach their intended recipients. It sounds like the most mundane form of data entry, right? The catch is, as you sift through these letters, unsettling patterns begin to emerge. And soon, that nagging suspicion creeps in—are some of these messages directed at you?
Alone in a dimly lit warehouse, totally cut off from any human interaction, the mail becomes your sole tether to the outside world. As time goes by, your task starts to feel increasingly surreal. Mysterious narratives unfold from the letters, and there’s a persistent feeling that someone—or something—is watching. Paying the bills is crucial, but is keeping this job really worth jeopardizing your sanity?
DEAD LETTER DEPT. plays out as a typing adventure, where you’ll input various prompts into your computer to make sense of distorted images. Each image uncovers snippets of lives intersecting with lost mail, gradually unearthing hidden secrets. The outcome? No two players will share the same experience, given the sheer volume of mail you’ll investigate. Yet, this voyeuristic dive may leave your skin crawling—how much you’re willing to endure is entirely up to you.
If you fancy the idea of delving into someone else’s correspondence, then DEAD LETTER DEPT. should definitely be on your radar soon. For a sneak peek, there’s a demo available on Steam. But if, like me, you’re one to savor the full experience in one go, you won’t have to wait long—it officially drops in just a couple of weeks.
