Promise Mascot Agency Reviews
Promise Mascot Agency is bizarre, hilarious, stylish, and incredibly fun. It gets its hooks into you with its brilliant world-building, wicked sense of humour, and thrilling narrative, then delivers a blend of gameplay systems that combine into something truly unique. There are a few quality-of-life bugbears, but these pale in comparison to the wealth of content that this game has to offer.
Promise Mascot Agency excels in precisely the areas you'd expect from the folks behind Paradise Killer – it's a phenomenal aesthetic piece and a genuinely gripping, off-kilter crime drama. The management gameplay at its core proves to be a bit surface level, sometimes even intrusive, but there's an undercurrent of beautiful weirdness here that makes even the iffiest contracts worth signing.
Overall, Promise Mascot Agency is a charming combination of small-town drama and Yakuza crime politics. The absurdity of the setting gives it a flavor all its own, and it neatly threads the needle between ridiculous and serious. The actual gameplay is by the numbers and mostly serves as a delivery vehicle for the story, but it does well enough. If the game sounds appealing, you'll enjoy it quite a bit. Just make sure not to tick off Pinky. She's scary.
The world's first (and best) Open World Mascot Management Crime Drama is a must-play
Without mincing words, Promise Mascot Agency is a title that you either love or hate: there is no middle ground. It is certainly a bold title that seeks its own place in the sector, even if it is less deep and layered than the classic management games. It is a title that is not afraid to be strange and that embraces an eccentricity that is difficult to find nowadays.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Must-Play Promise Mascot Agency not only delivers on its eccentric premise, but is surprisingly wholesome and heartfelt. Its characters are both relatable and immensely likable. Meanwhile, the gameplay may not be complicated, but its explorative driving offers up a surprisingly chilled out experience, that'll see hours flying by as you lose yourself in Kaso-Machi.
Promise Mascot Agency is one of the most hilarious and engaging indie management sims ever. Despite its limited scope, it pushes ahead of its comfort and has hours of hilarious content engrained into its city of Kaso-machi. It is undoubtedly the most fun and relaxing game we have had this year.
I played Promise Mascot Agency just days after finishing the latest in the Like a Dragon series... and I was amazed at how much more emotionally entangled I became with the narrative and characters delivered by Kaizen Game Works than the similarly grounded-but-silly legends at RGG Studio. And I don’t say that to pit two beautiful queens against each other — just to emphasize how Promise Mascot Agency manages to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a series so iconic, one that the devs certainly had in the back of their minds when they began to develop their yakuza protagonist. Promise Mascot Agency's blend of management and open world busywork is no doubt an acquired taste, but its narrative is a worthwhile and sincere experience in the face of the levels of oppression our world is grappling with today. It might be a silly game where a perverted cat covered in (allegedly) white sticky yam fights for the safe consumption of Japanese porn, but it's also a game where misfits band together and fight against incredible odds to make life better for their neighbors. And that's not just what the games industry needs right now, but what we all need.
Promise Mascot Agency is a great game with loads of charm that can feel repetitive the longer you play. The story and characters are fantastic, making the gorgeous town of Kaso-Machi more enjoyable to travel around and discover. The gameplay is enjoyable, and I like the open-world collecting mixed with business management, but it gets a little too repetitive as your agency grows, discouraging me from sending mascots on more jobs. Still, I had a blast playing the game, and it's definitely worth experiencing. It also runs really well on the Steam Deck, which is a nice touch. It definitely has some wiggle room to enhance the experience, but once done, it's the best way to enjoy the game!
I love Promise Mascot Agency. It’s exactly what I look for in a game—quirky, memorable, and totally unique, while still incorporating familiar mechanics that feel right at home. In many ways, it’s a cozy experience, letting me explore and engage with the world at my own pace. The full Japanese voice acting was an unexpected but welcome touch that really adds to the immersion. If you’re looking for an open-world business management game that’s delightfully weird and doesn’t take itself too seriously, I highly recommend Promise Mascot Agency.
Promise Mascot Agency brings new life to the yakuza genre as its story searches for new ways for the organization while using many of the classic tricks, from the pure bizarre to the love of honor. It's not as esoteric as its older sibling, but those who decide to visit Kaso-Machi, get to know its people and to dedicate themselves to its rebirth will definitely not regret the time they spend here.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Promise Mascot Agency may be off-putting to some. But if you are seeking a cozy life sim with a vaguely threatening aura, you’ll be able to find a home in Kaso-Michi.
Promise Mascot Agency is messy, mind-melting, and mechanically shallow—but it’s also charming, creative, and unlike anything else you’ve played this year. It’s not a masterclass in design, but it is a masterclass in commitment to chaos. If you’re after a serious management sim, look elsewhere. But if the idea of babysitting a violent lemon mascot while flying a haunted kei-truck across rural Japan sounds like your cup of sake, this might just be your new obsession.
Promise Mascot Agency blends driving, money management and talking blocks of tofu to create a gleefully weird game that demands your attention.
Promise Mascot Agency will delight many looking for something akin to a fun fever dream. Those who find themselves enjoying the culture of Japan may also find joy in seeing showa-era vibes, engaging with the mascot culture, and of course, being on the more questionable side of the law. This is a great option of a game for those looking for something to unwind with after a long day. Nothing in the game is overly difficult or stressful just for the sake of a challenge.
Rarely do I play a video game where I think there’s a little something for almost everyone. Promise Mascot Agency is a delightful video game that would be good for anyone who likes management or town-builder sims, who’s remotely into Japan or Japanese culture, who loves heartwarming characters, who enjoys driving in video games, who likes deck-building but doesn’t want that to be the whole thing, or who prides themself as a completionist. I loved the world of Promise Mascot Agency, and I look forward to any excuse I get to visit Kaso-Machi and see all my friends again.
In Promise Mascot Agency, I’ve been seduced by a Tetris-block, shared an onsen bath with a giant egg, encouraged a slab of tofu to follow his dreams, and helped a human-sized severed finger run for mayor… This game is bonkers in all the right ways.
Promise Mascot Agency is a uniquely atmospheric game brimming with original ideas, but its clunky gameplay and shallow mechanics make it a frustrating experience that only die-hard fans of slow, narrative-driven Japanese eccentricity will truly appreciate.
Review in Dutch | Read full review