Cozy-Horror Workplace Simulator The Mailroom Releases On Steam

The Mailroom is a cozy horror job simulator from indie developer Crowfriend and publisher Vendetta, available starting today, October 26, on PC via Steam. In it, you have taken a job (you’re not sure how and you probably shouldn’t question it) in a regional office of Hell. You sort mail in your dark and eerie basement office, sending the letters up the pneumatic tubes to their respective departments.

A red desk and a dim industrial basement setting are partally visible in the background. A yellowed envelope fills most of the player's view: it seems normal with a stamp, address, return address, even the department it should be directed to.. However, it also appears to be spattered with blood and has the word "PLEASE" scrawled in all capital letters across one side. — So obviously, this one goes to the contracts department. Nothing weird or ominous about that!

You also have a few other tasks to handle. You must keep the machines running (through whatever means necessary). You may be asked to dissect specimens for materials or craft potions. Whatever it takes to keep the higher-ups appeased. The main goal is to survive until you’re permitted to clock out… and then do it all over again. Possibly for all eternity.

The star game mechanic, sorting the mail, drew comparisons to a scarier version of Papers, Please, but considering the game as a whole, it is also reminiscent of 2024’s Dollmare. The player is presented with one seemingly simple task, but is given additional and increasingly complex tasks as more areas are unlocked. However, as this game is literally set in Hell, there is no pretense about the job being a normal one, with more emphasis on dark humor than Dollmare’s focus on maintaining tension throughout the game.

There also seem to be more meaningful choices in The Mailroom, with resource management and exploration providing more possibilities for completing objectives: finding tools versus performing rituals, using provided specimens as directed or keeping them forever because they are adorable.

An industrial setting with brick walls and pipes criss-crossing the ceiling and an eerie red light glowing somewhere in the background. A frog floats in the player's view with the options "Stop Inspecting" and "look" next to it. — Can you pet the frog?

The frog specimens that you are supposed to be dissecting have many potential fates, most of them unpleasant. Several of the achievements are based on how you interact with the frogs, and the trailer indicates that they may even be instrumental in revealing some of the office’s secrets.

Vendetta is also running a competition until November 9, giving away frog plushies that have removable organs. Entries can be earned by following social media accounts for The Mailroom, playing the game on Steam, and taking the Department personality quiz on The Mailroom’s website.