Promise Mascot Agency Review: A Weird, Wonderful, and Surprisingly Cozy Ride | The Gamerheads Podcast

I love when a game dares to do something different, and Promise Mascot Agency absolutely delivers. The story is delightfully bizarre: a disgraced yakuza, cast out after losing a fortune for his family, is tasked with reviving a failing business and turning it into a profitable venture. That business? A mascot agency. But not just any mascots—this world is populated with oddities like talking tofu, cat yams, and even severed pinkies. It’s weird, it’s funny, and it works. While the story is wildly unique, the gameplay feels familiar. I adore Promise Mascot Agency, and it’s already on my short list of Game of the Year contenders.

I play as Michi, a yakuza lieutenant—though he’s also known as "the janitor." He’s good at what he does and highly respected by his family boss. The game kicks off with a lot of story, and at first, I thought I had misunderstood the premise. I was expecting an open-world experience, but the opening felt more like a visual novel. Michi is sent on a mission to deliver twelve million yen to ease tensions between two rival families. But things go sideways when my protégé and I are ambushed by a rival gang. With my protégé's life hanging in the balance, I’m forced to make a decision: protect the money or save him. I chose the latter (though I suspect the result would be the same either way), and in doing so, I brought shame to my family. Still, the boss shows mercy and sends me to the cursed city of Kaso-Machi to redeem myself—by making that lost money back through the most unexpected means: running a mascot agency. This whole opening feels surprisingly serious, and I started to wonder if I had the game all wrong.

But once the game opened up, I realized it was exactly what I thought it would be. I recruited my first mascot—a piece of tofu—and things finally started looking up for my new business. The recruitment process is a neat feature: I have to negotiate the terms of employment with each mascot, covering things like the percentage of their cut or how much time off they’ll get after completing a certain number of jobs. Most mascots I’ve encountered want at least two conditions met before they’ll agree to sign on.

Sending a mascot on a job is fairly straightforward. A job pops up in the menu, and I can assign any mascot I want—but some gigs require specific skills. To make sure things go smoothly, it's best to pick a mascot that fits the job’s criteria. I can also buy support items from vending machines and attach them to mascots to boost their chances of success.

But not every job goes according to plan—and that’s where support cards come in. I collect these cards by exploring the city in my trusty pickup truck. I'm limited to a few cards per encounter, but if I don't have what I need, I can discard and draw again. The situations where I use these cards are just as bizarre as the rest of the game. One time, my mascot tripped over a rail and I had to play the right cards to keep them from totally embarrassing themselves.

Another time, they were attacked by a dog. Each scenario plays out like a live stream I'm watching, with problems tied to specific symbols. To resolve them, I need to play the highest-value cards that match the symbol. It's chaotic, it's ridiculous—and it's a lot of fun. I can choose not to help my employees in these moments, but I’ve grown attached to these little guys. Letting them fail just isn’t something I can bring myself to do—and honestly, I’m not sure I could forgive myself if I did.

The game is open world, and while I should be focusing on tasks, I often find myself cruising through the countryside in my pickup truck with Pinky—my trusted adviser—in the back. And yes, Pinky is exactly what the name implies: a severed pinky. In my defense, the game does encourage exploration. Beyond recruiting mascots and collecting support cards, I can interact with locals, unlock new jobs and upgrades, and even knock down signs of the grouchy old mayor to earn extra fans. There’s a surprising amount to do, but honestly, my favorite part has been just driving around and discovering whatever weirdness the world has to offer.

Earning enough money to pay off that twelve million yen is the main goal, but I can also invest in upgrading the Promise Mascot Agency—our home base. Here, I get to interact with the different mascots I've recruited. It’s silly, sure, but like I said, each one has its own charm, and I genuinely enjoy spending time with them.

Final Grade: A

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.

Review code provided by Neonhive