Catto’s Post Office
I wanted a cozy cat themed mailroom dream… instead I was left with an empty mailbox and a handful of stamps.
In a world overflowing with cute, cozy games, it’s easy to get swept up by adorable packaging and fluffy adorable kittens.
But here’s the hard truth: just because it’s cute doesn’t mean it’s good.
I had Catto’s Post Office on my wishlist for months. The day it released, I bought it immediately…and 29 minutes later, I was done. That’s not an exaggeration. Before I could even settle into the rhythm of the game, it was over.
UX (Control Feel & User Experience)
The controls are simple movement and interaction buttons. There is no inventory, no funds to track, and no menus to juggle. On paper, that sounds user-friendly, but in practice, it’s too simple. There is nothing to manage, nothing to plan for, and no real sense of involvement. Even as a life simulation game, this one falls completely short of any real mark.
What kept me progressing forward was the hope that these aspects the game was lacking would eventually surface or be introduced, but sadly they never were. What you get out of the box is all the game will ever have to offer.
Gameplay Progression
Here’s the problem: the progression is non-existent.
The entire game is made up of fetch quests: pick up a package, run it from point A to point B; rinse and repeat. There is no strategy, no evolving mechanics, and no actual growth. I went in expecting and hoping to eventually manage the entire post office: sorting mail, planning delivery routes, interacting with villagers, maybe even shaping the community with sidelines and story quests. Instead, I delivered a few packages and ran face-first into the credits.
Even the “key features” on the Steam page feel misleading:
Befriend cats
Deliver mail
Cozy, wholesome vibes
A meow button
Knock things over
That’s not a list of highlights; that’s the entire game. These aren't just "key features" - these are the only features.
The "salt in the wound" to add to this is the achievement system. There is one in particular that requires you to leave bread in an oven for 50 minutes; 50 real time minutes. To me, this feels intentionally designed to burn your play clock so you can’t refund the game on Steam, which only allows returns under two hours of play. That left a bad taste in my mouth and was the final straw before I uninstalled it entirely.
Immersion
For a “cozy sim,” immersion is everything… and this one fakes a promising ride, then kicks you to the curb.
Just as soon as you start finding your rhythm, the game abruptly ends, snapping you straight into the credits. There’s no world-building, no deeper character connections, and nothing to pull you in beyond superficial chatter. There could have been a charming little community here, but it was never developed. Whether that was unintentional or by design, we might never know.
Stability & Performance
To its credit, the game runs smoothly. But let’s be honest: there isn’t enough content here for it not to.
Value for Price
Here’s where I draw the line.
At $4.99 USD / $6.92 CAD / €4.29, you’d expect at least a few hours of gameplay, but most players are finishing the entire game in under 30 minutes. That is nowhere near worth the price tag. Personally, I’d value this closer to $0.99 USD, and even then, I’d hesitate. In this economy, every dollar counts, and this game didn’t earn mine. Normally I don't return indie games, even if I've finished the game within Steam's return window, because they felt full and complete. This one left me feeling like I had my lunch money stolen and I was handed an empty game case.
Looking at the player data says it all:
All-time peak: 150 players
Average daily players: 15 or less
Current in-game count: around 10
For a game hyped across cozy-game review channels, those numbers tell you everything you need to know. Currently the game has "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on Steam, but even the positive reviews mirror the information I've shared here.
Final Verdict
Skip it. Take your $5 and grab yourself a coffee instead, it’ll last longer and leave you more satisfied. Or rent a movie on Amazon Prime for $3.99; it’ll give you more entertainment, better storytelling, and a far higher return on investment.
At the end of the day, Catto’s Post Office feels like a cute idea that was rushed to release, focusing more on developer credits and cat pictures than building an actual game. Looking at it from a different perspective, one that makes me think perhaps this game wasn't rushed at all and was released exactly as intended, I would ask "why?". Why would you charge $5 USD for this? Why would you only create 30 minutes of gameplay? Why would you expect anyone would stick around and play this game over and over again? What was the goal here and do you feel it was achieved?
Questions we'll possibly never have answers to…luckily there are better, tastier fish in the same pond.
Joystick Score: 1/5
Still mourning the loss of my cat-themed post office journey.