Promise Mascot Agency
2025 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
- Oli Clarke Smith
- Phil Crabtree
| Promise Mascot Agency | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | Kaizen Game Works |
| Publisher | Kaizen Game Works |
| Director | Oli Clarke Smith |
| Designers |
|
| Programmer | Phil Crabtree |
| Artist | Rachel Noy |
| Writers |
|
| Composers |
|
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Platforms | |
| Release | April 10, 2025 |
| Genres | Adventure, management |
| Mode | Single-player |
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
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 77/100[10]
(PS5) 85/100[11] (XSXS) 75/100[12] |
| OpenCritic | 83% recommend[13] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| PC Gamer (US) | 94/100[14] |
| Slant Magazine | 6/10[15] |
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]
