The minute I ran into a porn-addicted cat who was covered in a strange white substance (it was yams) and hired him on the spot to help revive the "adult video industry" in the small town of Kaso-Machi, I knew I was in for an interesting time with Promise Mascot Agency.
I mean, I also kind of knew when I started the demo and immediately met a severed finger. And when I recruited a block of tofu as my first official act in charge of this run-down mascot agency. And when I ran over the spirits of the forest to give my car rocket boosters. But the yam cat really set the scene for this goofy management sim experience.
Just the Facts |
Developer: Kaizen Game Works Limited |
Publisher: Kaizen Game Works Limited |
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch |
Price: TBA |
Release Date: April 10, 2025 |
Promise Mascot Agency is the latest release from Kaizen Game Works Limited, an indie team that burst onto the scene with the beautifully esoteric murder mystery that was Paradise Killer. After rightfully winning the praise of the industry for one of the most interesting narrative experiences of this decade, they're back and ready to rock with an open world multi-genre RPG that sees you running a Japanese mascot agency.
In Promise Mascot Agency, you don the intimidating stare of former yakuza lieutenant Michi. A man exiled to a run-down, neglected town, Michi is asked to help restore it to its former glory after an incident sees him removed from the family.
The demo skips past the inciting incident and plops Michi directly into the town of Kaso-Machi, a place that's clearly seen better days, as evidenced by the piles of trash and shuttered storefronts. There are whispers of an oddly specific yakuza-killing curse that haunts this town that Michi is happy to ignore as he gets to work restoring the town.
Starting with... the Promise Mascot Agency! In this world, mascots are living, breathing manifestations of the things they represent, not just folks in costumes. So, when the Promise Mascot Agency fell on hard times, the various mascots of Kaso-Machi were let loose on the town to fend for themselves. That includes Pinky: the severed finger and former assistant manager of the agency who had to convert the building into a love hotel when times got tough. You team up with her to round up the mascots, get them working again, and slowly restore the town to its former glory.
There's no understating how deranged this game gets. But in the short 40 minutes I got to spend in its world, I came away deeply endeared by and invested in the livelihoods of these weird misfit mascots and the people living in town.
Whether it's the incredibly wholesome mechanic José Fujikawa, who loves his wife and kids nearly as much as he loves tinkering with your kei truck, or the adorable Tofu, who dribbles near-constant tears and has a penchant for getting stuck in doorways, Kaizen Game Works showcases their narrative pedigree. Their effortlessly silly writing grounds you in a world that's otherwise so kooky. Pinky stopped being the weird anthropomorphic severed finger and became my business associate in the blink of an eye.
But, like, she was also still a weird severed finger. One with a violent streak greater than that of the ex-yakuza member, even.
It's hard not to make comparisons to the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series — Michi's voice actor is the original Japanese voice of Kazuma Kiryu, for one — but the comparison is a compliment. Not since the adventures of Kiryu and pals have I experienced a narrative that so consistently subverted expectations and so easily made the strange feel normal. The demo only introduces you to a handful of mascots and inhabitants of Kaso-Machi, and when the timer hit zero, I was begging to have more time with them all.
What was most surprising, in its own way, was how Promise Mascot Agency actually played. A good 70% of the experience is Michi and Pinky driving around the town in their souped-up kei truck, smashing through signs of the corrupt mayor, picking up litter, and scouting new gigs for your mascots. The other 30% is spent in menus as you negotiate contracts with new mascots, pick the right mascots for the right jobs (a cutesy mascot is best for the book store, while a creepy mascot is better for a graveyard gig), and consider upgrades for your mascots and the agency.
There's a little bit of everything for everyone here: light management sim systems that don't overstay their welcome, some shockingly enjoyable driving navigation that promises to eventually deliver flight capabilities, and a smattering of collectibles throughout Kaso-Machi that open world goblins like myself will inevitably eat up. I was initially surprised that there seemed to be no on-foot gameplay, but the vehicle-first exploration is more than enough, especially considering how much is going on behind the scenes here.
For one, Kaizen Game Works snuck in a full-ass collectible card game into this beast with the concept of Hero Cards. As you wander through Kaso-Machi, you'll start amassing a collection of Hero Cards that you can use to support your mascots through short conflict "battles" that represent issues they had on the job. For example, Tofu gets stuck in the doorway on the way to greet a store's customers. You'll play hero cards against the doorframe and help Tofu out of the jam. Fail and lose out on money. Succeed and the job goes off without a hitch. You'll have to use Hero Cards that have skills specific for the job, similar to mascot choice, and you have limited time and energy to finish these conflicts.
It's feels like a small piece of the puzzle, while also being incredibly fleshed out and engaging. Reminiscent again of the Yakuza series: games that are full of games. If Promise Mascot Agency can strike a perfect balance between all these varied playstyles, it has the chance to be something special. I know I'm already in love.
Promise Mascot Agency releases April 10 and has a 40-minute timed demo available during February's Steam Next Fest. It will be launching on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch. Go give it a wishlist on Steam, or else me and Pinky are gonna have a word.
Want more on upcoming games? Check out our Steam Next Fest coverage and mini-previews.
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