When you begin the announcement for your new game with “From the creators of Paradise Killer…” you get our attention. When you follow it up with the reveal that this is a collaboration with Ikumi Nakamura and Mai Mattori, handling concept and art direction, you get us excited. And you finally reveal that the game in question is about an exiled Yakuza member who now has to run a mascot agency, you get us…well, just insert the meme of Krieger from Archer here. You know the one. The point is, Kaizen Game Works have announced their next game, Promise Mascot Agency, at today’s IGN x ID@Xbox Digital Showcase, and as seen in the trailer below, it’s gloriously deranged, even moreso than their previous work.
Defying Description
So yes, Promise Mascot Agency is a game about Michi, a disgraced Yakuza lieutenant sent to the cursed town of Kaso-Machi, where he has the new task of helping a fledgling mascot business run a profit. In this universe, however, mascots are giant living beings who have co-existed with people since the beginning of humankind (naturally), so helping them out means learning about their needs to recruit them, then sending them out on a variety of jobs, where Michi can then assist them with the use of Hero Cards.
Oh, and there’s also a mystery surrounding Michi’s exile that needs to be solved. And villagers that include a woman in bondage gear and what appears to be a crossing guard superhero. And Michi has a run-down truck that he can drive around an open world and rocket his assistant out of, said assistant being a giant sentient finger named Pinky and the truck being upgradeable to the point where it can grow wings and fly. Because what else would you expect by this point?
Review: Paradise Killer
Paradise Killer is a bold first release from Kaizen Game Works and we’re looking forward to see what they create next.
Also on board in helping Kaizen bring Kaso-Machi’s zaniness to life are Japanese manga artist Inko Ai Takita and composers Alpha Chrome Yayo and veteran Ryo Koike. Kaizen garnered a ton of acclaim and success with Paradise Killer, and it’s clear that they’re just as excited about bringing us this game as well. After all, it is - as they describe it - the world’s first open world mascot manager drama (that we know of, at least). Promise Mascot Agency is set to arrive on all major platforms, though it won’t arrive until 2025. It takes time to properly set up a mascot business as epic as this, after all.
