POSTAL 2 Redux Kickstarter Is Live: VR-Fueled Remake Aims for Chaos Without Losing Its Soul

Why POSTAL 2 Redux Actually Grabbed My Attention

POSTAL 2 is the original “what if a sandbox forgot to ask for permission” game. I played it back when buying milk turned into a riot, cats doubled as weapon mods, and the jank was half the charm. So when Running With Scissors announced POSTAL 2 Redux-a full remake spun out of the ongoing POSTAL 2 VR project-my ears perked up. Not because we needed another remake, but because pairing a physics-driven VR build with a modern flatscreen overhaul could finally make Paradise’s chaos feel as wild as our memories tell us it was.

Key Takeaways

• Redux is a full remake, not a remaster-new engine, assets, AI, traversal, and reworked combat, plus a real inventory.
• POSTAL 2 Redux and POSTAL 2 VR are being developed in lockstep; stretch goals hit both versions.
• A limited Kickstarter tier offers POSTAL 2 VR at a reduced price for the first 200 backers.
• The promise is “keep the broken soul, make it louder and more interactive”—great on paper, tricky in practice.

Breaking Down the Announcement

At the VR Games Showcase, Running With Scissors, Team Beef, and Impact Inked flipped the switch on a POSTAL 2 Redux Kickstarter. The pitch: a from-the-ground-up rebuild that takes the DNA of POSTAL 2 VR and applies it to a modern, physics-first remake for today’s systems. The team isn’t shy about the scope—physics-driven mayhem, smarter AI, new traversal options, updated visuals, and fully reworked weapon/combat systems. The Dude even gets a proper inventory this time, which longtime players will either celebrate or side-eye depending on how attached they are to the original’s chaos-by-clutter.

Two big bits matter for backers. First, Redux and the VR version move together. Stretch goals—new episodes, multiplayer modes, sandbox enhancements, secret weapons—apply to both. That’s clever; it aligns incentives and makes the VR build more than a side dish. Second, there’s a limited Kickstarter tier with POSTAL 2 VR at a reduced price for the first 200 to nab it. If you’ve been following Team Beef’s work on native VR conversions of classic shooters (think Doom 3 and Quake on standalone headsets), you know they’re good at wrangling old-school chaos into room-scale form without turning your headset into a slideshow.

The team’s framing is very on-brand. “We’re building the Redux version to retain all the glorious, broken, chaotic soul of the original,” says Eric Masher of Flat2VR Studios. Translation: the juvenile satire and freeform mischief stay; the tech gets dragged into 2025. That’s the right promise for a cult classic whose identity thrives on busted emergent moments, not pristine balance.

Why This Matters Now

Remakes are everywhere, but very few remakes embrace systemic comedy. System Shock and Resident Evil 2 proved “respect the blueprint, modernize the feel” can work, yet those games live on tension and precision. POSTAL 2 is different. It’s a satire sandbox where intended design regularly gets bulldozed by physics, AI panic, and player malice or curiosity. Bringing that energy forward—with real physics, modern AI, and VR interactivity—could make the infamous errands (buy milk, return a book, get a signature) combust in fresh, believable ways.

There’s also a broader trend here: hybrid development where flatscreen and VR share tech, content, and funding. We’ve seen VR experiments bolt onto flat games before, but seldom do both versions share stretch goals from day one. If this sticks, it could normalize making VR a first-class citizen in niche cult properties instead of an afterthought.

The Big Questions We Still Have

• Can “smarter AI” keep the comedy? POSTAL’s funniest moments come from unpredictable NPC spirals. Over-tuning could sanitize the chaos.
• Traversal and physics in VR: sounds awesome, sounds nauseating. Comfort options, arm-swing vs. stick locomotion, and climbing/parkour choices will matter.
• What’s the stance on content changes? The team says nothing gets cleaned up, but platform realities sometimes force trims. Which storefronts are they targeting?
• Will modding survive the remake? The original thrived on fan tweaks; a modern toolchain and Steam Workshop-style support would be huge.
• How does “fully reworked combat” handle the series’ famous jank? Punching up feedback and hit reactions is good, but too much polish risks losing identity.
• Multiplayer and sandbox stretch goals sound great—will they fracture the focus or meaningfully extend replay value?

And then there’s the obvious backing reality: Kickstarter is not a preorder. The team has credibility—Running With Scissors knows its audience, and Team Beef’s VR chops are battle-tested—but a full remake is a big lift. Timelines slip, scope swells, and ambitious physics can devour budgets. I’d love to see a playable slice or raw, uncut devlogs that prove the AI and physics aren’t just buzzwords.

What Gamers Should Watch On the Kickstarter

• Stretch goals that touch both modes: new episodes and sandbox systems could meaningfully change replayability, especially if VR parity holds.
• Comfort and controls in VR: full locomotion, seated/standing options, dual-wield ergonomics, and interaction depth (holstering, inventory, physics grabs).
• Systems previews: show the “real inventory,” AI group behavior, and how errands escalate with modern physics. Don’t just sizzle—demonstrate loops.
• Platform clarity: PC is a given; anything beyond that needs explicit confirmation. The press talk mentions requests for PlayStation/mobile, not commitments.
• Mod support and content guidelines: a roadmap for tools would buy a lot of goodwill from the community that’s kept POSTAL alive.
• Updates cadence: weekly or biweekly progress beats go a long way in de-risking backer anxiety.

For what it’s worth, the pitch that “it wouldn’t exist without VR” tracks with how POSTAL’s brand of slapstick ultraviolence maps to modern sandbox physics. Boneworks and Blade & Sorcery showed there’s an audience for systems-first mayhem. If Redux channels that energy—dual-wielding cats and chainsaws while flipping off protesters, sure, but with the kind of tactile feedback and AI reactions that make stories happen—it could land as more than nostalgia.

TL;DR

POSTAL 2 Redux is a full-fat remake born from the VR build, with shared stretch goals and a limited discounted VR tier. The pitch to keep the “broken soul” while modernizing systems is exactly right—now the team has to prove smarter AI, physics, and combat amplify the chaos instead of sterilizing it. Cautious optimism, watch for real gameplay, and remember: Kickstarter isn’t a preorder.