HIGH Delightfully lively, humorous, and lovable characters. 

LOW Retracing steps gets old in the later hours.

WTF Just what exactly are those bones next to Swamp the rat? 

For those in the market for an engaging, introductory 3D platformer for a younger child or gaming newcomer, I’m happy to report Mail Time is a sound option. With the whimsy and charm of Winnie the Pooh and forgiving platforming that doesn’t sacrifice freedom, Mail Time is a lovely “cozy” game.

Mail Time sees the player assume the role of the newest Mail Scout trainee, tasked with delivering letters to the animal residents of Grumblewood Grove. The player will jump and glide around the serene forest while making friends, discovering relationships, and collecting badges to signify their accomplishments as a Mail Scout. 

Grumblewood Grove is a lovely locale for Mail Time and offers a sprawling forest, muddied swamps, a treetop village, and even a larger-than-life tea party. Though occasionally hindered by some pop-in and a camera that will sometimes get caught behind larger setpieces, the graphics look solid for something coming from a small development team. The Mail Scout’s movement is basic but satisfying. With a jump, a double jump, and a glide, the controls are easy to pick up, even for even the greenest of players. 

Mail Time’s main loop consists of interacting with the forest’s residents, listening to their quandaries, and delivering a letter to whomever might be able to help with their situation. Once a letter is received, it will pop up on the left side of the screen along with the face of the villager the letter is to be sent to. It will also be recorded in the journal — a helpful tool to keep track of the many letters in the player’s pouch. 

Mail Time’s greatest strength is undoubtedly the colorful, memorable characters that inhabit the forest. Not only are their models simple, yet charming, their dialogue is smart and humorously written. Some of my favorites include Max the capybara who’s looking for his orange hat, which he insists is not an actual orange (spoiler: it is definitely just an orange), and Haley the goose and Donna the snail, who both have a crush on each other but are too shy to admit it. 

The act of delivering letters expands each character’s storyline and fleshes out their relationships with fellow forest residents. For example, Egbert the stuffy squirrel hates his upstairs neighbor Clarence the woodpecker for playing his loud music at the very late hour of 8pm, and sends him multiple complaint letters for doing so. But, once finding out they both share the same passion for woodwork, he asks Clarence to help him make an anniversary present for his wife, Annie. Though some mail delivery plotlines are more engaging than others, they serve as an excuse to get to know the characters and be treated to more witty dialogue. 

Exploration and mail delivery, however, can grow stale quickly. With no map provided, the player must remember where each character is in the forest — a difficult task in the early stages when I was still discovering new characters, and my mail pouch was overflowing with deliveries.

Once I learned where everyone was, it did feel as though I was retracing my steps over and over in what felt like a glorified fetch quest, sometime just running back and forth between the same two characters over and over. Though covering the forest repeatedly might be satisfying for a younger gamer, with no additional or more interesting options, more experienced gamers’ patience might be tested.

Luckily, Mail Time’s ambiance and memorable characters outweigh the backtracking issues. I loved getting to know the residents of Grumblewood Grove and helping resolve their conflicts — it really felt like I was making the forest a better place. Mail Time is a lovely cottagecore adventure best enjoyed with a younger gamer, or those looking for a relaxing escapade to be enjoyed on a rainy afternoon.

Score: 7 out of 10 

Disclosures: This game is developed by Kela Van Der Deijl, and published by Freedom Games. It is currently available on Switch, PC, PS4, and PS5. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PS5. Approximately 2 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There is no multiplayer mode. 

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E. No official description of the game is offered by the ESRB. This game can be enjoyed by all ages and is suitable for even the youngest of gamers! 

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available. 

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game features subtitles, which cannot be altered and/or resized. Audio cues are not needed for progression, making this title fully accessible. 

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. A picture of the controls is not included in the game, but they are very straightforward — left control stick to move, right control stick to move the camera, and X to jump and interact with characters and objects.

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HIGH Wandering around the video store.

LOW Some distracting pop-up.

WTF I beat that high score the first time, why am I being patronized?

It’s no secret that I will happily sit and watch some of the sloppiest mid-’90s dramas. There’s a part of me that loves low-stakes, emotional conflict that plays out with soundtracks from bands like Dido and Our Lady Peace. This stuff just taps directly into my brain and makes me happy.

Enter Gamious’s new title Lake. It’s a project steeped so deeply in this ’90s drama aesthetic that I would have sworn it was written by Kevin Williamson (of Dawson’s Creek fame) himself, and not the Netherlands-based team that it comes from.

The story is about Meredith, a computer programmer in 1986 who returns to her hometown of Providence Oaks after a 22-year absence. For reasons that feel perfectly in line with the setup, Meredith decides to help the local postal service for two weeks because her father has just retired and left a gap in their workforce.  Along the way she meets many of the town’s residents, catches up with old friends and navigates potential romances.

Lake is played in third-person in a small open-world, and the player controls Meredith with the aim of delivering several letters and packages each day. With the freedom to roam anywhere, it’s possible to decide whatorder to deliver them, and there is no discernible time limit. The focus here is on relaxing drives in a mail truck, listening to twee Sheryl Crow-esque tunes on the radio, and exchanging niceties with the locals.

All dialogue involves choices that shape the narrative. For example, Meredith can choose to aid the video store owner with some errands, compete in a photography competition, or she can ignore all of it and stick to her route. Regardless of what is chosen, all of these directions feature a refreshing lack of high drama. Even when presented with a ‘serious’ choice between ratting out a co-worker or staying quiet, the outcome either way is pleasantly and reassuringly mild.

I do want to call out that the atmosphere in Lake is that of rain-soaked Oregon. In the hands of another team, the lighting and setting would have led to sinister goings on, a mysterious murder, or encounters with the paranormal. Instead, we are refreshingly met with situations like a sick cat that’s eaten too many cupcakes or a teenager that just wants to be listened to and encouraged.

With everything geared towards being non-threatening, Lake ends up being exactly like the specific type ’90s drama that was extremely popular with teens during that period. The time I spent in this world was rich and rewarding, and it only falls down in the multiple endings and potential romantic connections — I steered towards the most unlikely outcome, which was to turn down all romantic advances and choose to leave Providence Oaks. Some of the characters’ reaction to this decision was so mild that it was hard to believe that they were in love with my character in the first place.

Lake is a comforting game that lives and dies based on how well a player will connect with its very specific setting and vibe. It worked for me, and I hope it works for many others.

Disclosures: This game is developed by Gamious and published by Whitethorn Digital. It is currently available on XBO, XBX/S, and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the XBX. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed.  There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Suggestive Themes, Use Of Drugs And Alcohol, and Strong Language. The age rating is completely baffling to me. At worst, some marijuana is smoked and people gamble, with no major consequences to these acts. Nothing else in this game suggests that teens and up could not play this game.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles can be altered and/or resized. The game is fully playable without sound.

Remappable Controls: Certain functions are remappable. The camera can be inverted on both the X and Y axis.

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