The inability to stop yourself from moving is inconvenient. You start your journey only stopping when a wall gets in your way. It’s not the quickest way to get around, and all those bumps on the shins and face must become tedious. Yet, this is the life of the Blind Postman!
Developed and published by DillyFrame, it’s an ice-sliding puzzle title. This follows on from their array of tricky rabbit-based puzzle games. You control a visual impaired postie whose aim is to collect letters and exit the neon-infused maze. Other than this, there is no further mention of mail or packages to deliver, so the postman link is a little tenuous.
Blind Postman doesn’t break the mould.
Ice-sliding puzzlers are a great test of the mind, but there is little new ground to tread. You slide up, down, left, or right until you strike an obstacle. You must then study the map, plan your route, and slide again. This is Blind Postman in a nutshell, and sadly its evolution is limited by its simple concept.
However, the challenge of planning your route and staying away from dead-ends is intriguing. I enjoyed how the difficulty increased with new mechanics gradually being added. Whether it was movable blocks, proximity mines, or specific coloured walls, you must remove it made the game much harder.
It missed a trick.
With slick gameplay and limited solutions, Blind Postman missed a trick. It failed to include a speedrun element or a score for each stage. This sadly reduces any competitive element and makes the gameplay far too casual.
I’d have loved to blitz through every level, testing my logical prowess while completing each puzzle efficiently. What I got instead was a calm futuristic game that doesn’t penalise you for mistakes or slow progress.
Blind Postman sparkles with its clean-cut style.
Though the gameplay doesn’t offer any surprises, the art style is fantastic. The futuristic world that is filled with neon colours is great to look at. The labyrinthine stages become more complex as new elements are added and require thorough planning to break through. The bird’s-eye perspective makes planning each stage trouble-free, and I loved how the maps merged.
The calm and slow-paced action is complemented by the soft piano music. The odd-sounding tunes are juxtaposed with shrill mechanical sound effects that enhance the futuristic theme. Somehow, it was an interesting blend of styles that strangely worked. I did, however, like how it never overpowered the puzzles, and this was a clever decision from DillyFrame.
Bump, turn, run, bump!
Get used to running into walls and objects, as you’ll be doing this a lot. You’ll also be forced to restart each stage repeatedly when minor mistakes occur. With no rewind button, this can be infuriating, yet, fortunately, the simple controls mitigate most errors. You must focus on the direction of movement and nothing else. It’s extremely easy to pick up and play, and fans of the genre will dive straight into the action.
Thanks to its expansive catalogue of levels and array of envelopes to collect, there is replay value. However, the aforementioned lack of a competitive edge reduces longevity considerably. You’ll return to play if you appreciate the challenge of the later levels, and its moderate achievement list is difficult to complete.
Blind Postman is good but could have been better.
I enjoy this genre, and like the logical planning required. Yet, I’m in the minority and many gamers demand more variety. Sadly, Blind Postman fails to evolve past what its peers offer and this leaves you wanting more. I enjoyed it and recommend you to buy it here! However, be aware of its limitations. Collect the envelopes, solve the puzzles, and complete every stage.
