Cat Mail Co. screenshots
Image: Maracas Studio

It probably says something that games simulating fulfilling jobs where people appreciate your efforts are an increasingly popular genre... but let's not think about that and appreciate all the adorable blank-faced kitties in Maracas Studio's Cat Mail Co. Making its debut today on Steam after a successful Next Fest demo showing. It's an easygoing game about running an island post office, solo or in online co-op, making sure everyone's packages find their rightful home before the sun goes down each day. Also you, and all the other characters are cartoon cats.

These cats are obviously not that imaginative as they've chosen to settle on Cat Island. Not that there's a shortage of cats on the mainland either, which is why you need the post office. Each day, a postal boat comes with fresh deliveries for you to sort and to pick up whatever's in your outgoing pile. That's a lot of box-hauling you gotta do, but I guess Cat Stevedore Co. didn't have the same ring. There's a bit more to it than that, but the demo at least was an easygoing 40 minutes.

As with other games about shifting boxes (like the excellent Wilmot's Warehouse), the game is as much about organization and memory as scrambling back and forth looking for items. You've got plenty of floor and shelf space, and how you arrange it is really a matter of how your own brain works. Alphabetically, by size, destination or whatever else helps you remember where you put things. While it isn't the sort of game where people will yell at you for taking a few seconds too long, things go a lot smoother if you plan ahead.

Mail Mail Co. is out now on Steam for £13/$15, with a 15 launch discount and a bonus Supporter Pack free for anyone who picks it up in the first week. The early adopters bundle includes the soundtrack, art book, photos of all the dev-team's cats and a shiny plaque for your office in-game. The demo is still also available, if you want to bat at it a bit before deciding if this is the right box to curl up in.