Promise Mascot Agency

Promise Mascot Agency
DeveloperKaizen Game Works
PublisherKaizen Game Works
DirectorOli Clarke Smith
Designers
  • Oli Clarke Smith
  • Phil Crabtree
ProgrammerPhil Crabtree
ArtistRachel Noy
Writers
  • Oli Clarke Smith
  • Rachel Noy
Composers
  • Peter McCaughan
  • Ryo Koike
EngineUnreal Engine
Platforms
ReleaseApril 10, 2025
GenresAdventure, management
ModeSingle-player

Promise Mascot Agency is an open-world adventure and management game developed and published by Kaizen Game Works. In the game, the player manages a mascot agency, recruits mascots, and sends them on jobs while solving the mystery of their exile to rural Japan.[1]

Gameplay

The player takes on the role of Michi "The Janitor", a yakuza fixer who owes a big debt after a job goes wrong. Michi agrees to move to Kyushu in rural Japan, where he must revive a mascot agency and restore the community, all before an anti-yakuza curse kills him.[2]

In doing so, the player is tasked with completing jobs around the open world and recruiting mascots.

Development

United Kingdom-based[3] studio Kaizen previously developed Paradise Killer.[4] Japanese artist and video game director Ikumi Nakamura produced an art bible and designed mascots for the title.[5] In an interview, game director Oli Clarke Smith stated the game's concept came from "Rachel (our Art Director) wanted to make a management game about mascots. Her original idea was a 2D Kairosoft-like, but Phil (our Tech Director) and I wanted to create something bigger." The game then evolved into an open-world RPG management game.[6] Takaya Kuroda, the voice of Kazuma Kiryu in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series voices Michi.[7]

Kaizen released the "Prepare to Grind" update for the game in August 2025. The update included time trials, new difficulty modes, and a grinding ability upgrade for the player's truck. The developer stated that no further updates were currently planned for the title.[8][9]

Release and Reception

Upon release, the game received generally favorable reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 83% of critics recommended the game.

Maddi Chilton, writing for PC Gamer, awarded the title 94/100, praising the game's absurdity and the construction of its gameplay systems.[14] In a more mixed review, Slant Magazine awarded the game 6/10, criticizing driving mechanics and its sense of aimlessness.[15]

The game was nominated for Best Indie Game - Self Published at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency is exactly the kind of deranged open world management game I need right now". Eurogamer. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency is a video game sitcom". Polygon. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  3. ^ "About". Kaizen Game Works. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  4. ^ Seagrave, Richard (18 March 2022). "Paradise Killer is Out Now on Xbox and PlayStation, And It's Heavenly". Game Spew. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Kaizen Game Works Interview". Xbox Hub. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  6. ^ ""7 out of 10 PS2 games are what I live for" - Promise Mascot Agency Game Director Oli Clarke Smith on development, self-publishing, Switch 2, & more". RPG Site. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Michi and Pinky's Wild Ride, or Promise Mascot Agency". Gamers with glasses. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency Prepare to Grind Update now available". RPG Site. Archived from the original on 10 August 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency update adds Tony Hawk-level truck rail grinding I didn't know I needed, and new difficulty modes". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency PS5 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 October 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ^ "Promise Mascot Agency Reviews". OpenCritic. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Promise Mascot Agency review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 24 June 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  15. ^ a b "'Promise Mascot Agency' Review: An Esoteric, If Aimless, Japanese Business Sim". Slant. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  16. ^ Harris, Iain (2025-10-03). "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the Golden Joystick Award 2025 charge for most nominations, nudging out Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
  17. ^ Bevan, Rhiannon (2025-11-20). "All Of The Winners At The Golden Joystick Awards 2025". TheGamer. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
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