DEAD LETTER DEPT. Debuts on PC

If you’ve known me for a while and aren’t completely oblivious to my tastes, you’re well aware that the horror genre isn’t really my jam. It’s not that the concept of horror doesn’t intrigue me — I’ve enjoyed a number of horror-themed settings. It’s the constant barrage of jump scares that irks me. I play games to unwind, and the idea of starting a game anticipating a fright with an extra pair of underwear on standby isn’t exactly my vision of relaxation. However, psychological horror? Now, that’s a realm I can happily dive into. It hits the sweet spot, making me just uneasy enough to feel the intended thrill. That’s precisely why I’m intrigued about today’s focus: DEAD LETTER DEPT., a fresh addition to the psychological horror scene, set to grace our screens by the end of the month.

Prepare yourself for January 30th when DEAD LETTER DEPT. creeps onto Steam. The premise has piqued my interest, that’s for sure. You step into the shoes of a temporary worker in a postal warehouse, tasked with managing undelivered mail — these pieces haven’t found their recipient for a variety of reasons. Unreadable handwriting might be the least of the odd reasons these ‘dead letters’ find their way to you.

In DEAD LETTER DEPT., your assignment is straightforward: retype words and addresses for mail that never made it to its destination. Sounds like a straightforward data entry task, right? Well, that’s where things start to get tricky. A sense of unease builds up as you begin noticing unsettling patterns in the letters. Is it just your imagination, or are some of these messages unnervingly personal?

Imagine being alone in a dimly lit warehouse, cut off from any human interaction, with only the mail for company. The more time you spend on the job, the more surreal your situation seems to become. Bizarre tales begin to emerge from these letters, all while you’re gripped by a constant feeling that someone or something might be watching. Sure, you need the paycheck, but you have to wonder if it’s worth the risk to your mental health.

DEAD LETTER DEPT. isn’t just a game but a typing adventure full of prompts you’ll enter to decode degraded images, gaining insights into the people behind these letters and uncovering their hidden stories. Each playthrough promises to be unique, with a nearly endless supply of mail to investigate. But how much are you willing to let curiosity get the better of you, especially with the spine-tingling chills it brings?

Curious? Then mark your calendars. DEAD LETTER DEPT. will be hitting screens soon, and there’s already a demo available over on Steam if you want to get a taste of what’s to come. For those like me who’d prefer to wait for the full experience, there are only a few weeks left to go.