Trending on Steam: Promise Mascot Agency dials up the weird

A game about an exiled Yakuza and his companion, a talking thumb, sounds pretty weird, right? That's just the tip of the iceberg in Promise Mascot Agency, a wacky open-world narrative RPG that is equal parts crime drama visual novel, open-world collect-a-thon, and indie management sim rolled into one. As a bonus, Takaya Kuroda, who voices Kiryu in the Yakuza series, lends his talents to the main protagonist.

From the creators of Paradise Killer

Developed by Kaizen Game Works, the creators of Paradise Killer, Promise Mascot Agency is about Michi, an exiled Yakuza member who lives through an ambush on his clan. While he pieces what happened together, Michi finds himself in Kaso-Machi, a cursed Japanese town that harbors many secrets, like its eccentric mascots.

The primary gameplay loop revolves around exploring the open world in an upgradable truck (Kei Truck) and managing the town's strange mascots, such as Trororo, a talking cat obsessed with adult videos, or To-Fu, who sobs relentlessly. Your job is to explore the town, find these mascots, and mentor them.

Besides mascots, you can befriend heroes who can give you Hero Cards for use in battle. Each mascot has a unique side story that lets you learn more about them. To quote one of the Steam reviews, "It's basically a business side-story from the Yakuza series turned into a whole game."

Overwhelmingly Positive reviews on Steam

The game was released on 10th April and has a review rating of "Overwhelmingly Positive," based on 820 reviews on Steam. It also holds a "77" on Metacritic based on 17 critic reviews.

The main criticism about the game is its systems get a little shallow towards the end. User reviews on Steam praise the character writing and story but also say the open world feels a little empty. Also, the challenges you send mascots out on seem a little repetitive. The reviews also point out some annoying, unwinnable card battles.

You can check out the game here.