Source plot synopsis — includes the ending
In the fictional Arizona town of Paradise, an unidentified man (commonly referred to as the "Postal Dude" or "Postal Guy") enters an armed confrontation with fellow residents and law enforcement outside his home. Diary entries provided in the game's instruction manual reveal that the man is a recent evictee, believing himself to be the only individual unaffected by an alleged "sickness" causing violent behavior among the town's population. Theorizing a connection between the illness and the local air force base, he embarks on a lethal journey across Paradise, fighting his way through a ghetto, train station, ostrich farm, and other locales to reach the base. It is implied that the protagonist is being tormented by a demonic presence; the level intermission screens feature text detailing sadistic violence, and a hallucinatory voice (voiced by Rick Hunter) can be heard absurdly taunting victims throughout gameplay.
After raiding the air force base, the protagonist is shown attempting to massacre an elementary school in a non-playable sequence. His weapons have no effect on the children despite his efforts, and he collapses as the school blurs around him. After the elementary school scene, hellish images of bondage and confinement inside an asylum are displayed while an unknown voice gives a report on the protagonist's mental state and motive for his rampage. During the voice's closing remarks, a tortured scream can be heard as the screen rests on a bolted-shut cell door cloaked in darkness.
In the Postal Redux remake of the game, the elementary school sequence is replaced with a new endgame where the player witnesses the burial of an unknown person in a decaying field. Completion of the game on the hardest difficulty features the inclusion of an unknown man and woman mourning over the grave as it descends. Both outcomes prompt a similar collapse of the protagonist and an identical asylum cutscene, now consisting of animated shots over the original release's still images.
After raiding the air force base, the protagonist is shown attempting to massacre an elementary school in a non-playable sequence. His weapons have no effect on the children despite his efforts, and he collapses as the school blurs around him. After the elementary school scene, hellish images of bondage and confinement inside an asylum are displayed while an unknown voice gives a report on the protagonist's mental state and motive for his rampage. During the voice's closing remarks, a tortured scream can be heard as the screen rests on a bolted-shut cell door cloaked in darkness.
In the Postal Redux remake of the game, the elementary school sequence is replaced with a new endgame where the player witnesses the burial of an unknown person in a decaying field. Completion of the game on the hardest difficulty features the inclusion of an unknown man and woman mourning over the grave as it descends. Both outcomes prompt a similar collapse of the protagonist and an identical asylum cutscene, now consisting of animated shots over the original release's still images.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Postal (video game). Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license