Promise Mascot Agency Review – A Hilarious Yakuza-Inspired Mascot Sim You’ll Want to 100% Complete

Promise Mascot Agency is a hilarious open-world indie game from Kaizen Game Works. Drive a kei truck, collect mascots, and unravel the bizarre story of redemption and friendship in my review.

Apr 21, 2025

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Game: Promise Mascot Agency
Studio: Kaizen Game Works
Publisher: Neon Hive
Platforms: Played on Steam | Available on Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Epic Game Store
Completion Time: 16 Hours | 10-15 Hours HowLongToBeat
Price: $24.99
Genre: Open World, Simulation, Driving, Adventure
✅ Steam Deck Verified

Intro

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Good Game Lobby review of Promise Mascot Agency. You may be familiar with Kaizen Game Works' critically acclaimed Paradise Killer, a story-rich investigative indie game. This time, they’re back with another open-world adventure starring a disgraced yakuza member who ends up running a mascot agency—where mascots are living, breathing beings. Yes, you heard that right. So get ready for my review of this hilarious, story-rich, open-world comedy adventure.

Managing Expectations

The premise of Promise Mascot Agency is odd and intriguing. The game begins with you playing as Michi, a high-ranking Yakuza lieutenant who’s been exiled after losing a billion yen in a botched deal. He’s sent to a cursed town and tasked with recovering the lost money by revitalizing a bankrupt mascot agency.

From the jump, you’re introduced to your main companion: the lovely, quirky, and rage-filled mascot named Pinky—a literal disembodied pinky finger. Pinky ran the agency into the ground, lost its license, and turned the place into a love hotel for mascots and humans alike. Now, you and Pinky team up to rebuild the agency. It’s an unlikely duo with great symbolic weight, perfectly reflecting Michi’s fall from grace.

As the story progresses, you’ll hire mascots for various gigs around town. These mascots often end up in hilarious predicaments—like getting stuck in tiny doorways—that require your help. You’ll also assist the town by taking on corrupt officials, helping new businesses, and unlocking more job opportunities for your mascots, all in the name of paying off your enormous debt.

The narrative is packed with characters, almost all of whom are fully voice-acted. It’s a text-heavy experience, but the writing is excellent and offers deep backstories—even for minor characters. Everything eventually ties together in a meaningful way. Now, let’s talk about the gameplay.

Kei Truck–Exploring, Card-Collecting Adventure

I’ve seen this game described as a haunted Grand Theft Auto, and honestly, that tracks. You’re always in your kei (pronounced kay) truck, driving around a dilapidated, haunted world. Pinky rides in the back, and your primary mode of interaction is through the truck.

I highly recommend tracking down the spirits that hold blueprints for truck upgrades. These upgrades can increase your boost capacity, let you glide with wings, and more—making traversal much smoother, which is crucial since driving makes up about 70% of your time. The other 30%? Reading—and lots of it. The dialogue-heavy sections are mostly voice-acted, but there were times I wished I could skip some of it because the point was already clear.

Your main objective is earning money—to upgrade the agency, rebuild town infrastructure, purchase property, and recruit new mascots. Each mascot must be convinced to join with negotiations involving revenue splits, bonuses, or vacation days. I usually offered a percentage cut, and that worked every time.

I found myself immediately exploring every point of interest. Each one rewards you with things like nail designs for Pinky, collectible cards that assist mascots on jobs, or hero cards—another fun layer. These cards can be upgraded and are used to “battle” obstacles, like doorways trapping your mascots. The more you upgrade the cards, the more powerful they become, with flashier visuals and better stats. I honestly want a real-life holographic set—especially the Pinky card. Are you listening, Kaizen Game Works?

Open-world games wouldn’t be complete without collectibles, and this one delivers. You’ll find signs of the awful mayor to destroy, garbage to recycle (surprisingly full of cash), and spirits to release. You’ll need to physically hit them with your truck unless you’ve unlocked an upgrade to see collectibles from a distance and launch Pinky at them—an extremely fun mechanic. I spent three hours doing this and didn’t even realize how much time had passed thanks to the vibes, music, and upgrade system.

Later on, you unlock a crane game that lets you sell merch across town. It’s the cherry on top of an already satisfying gameplay loop.

Low-Poly, High Style

The game uses a low-poly aesthetic, but it’s a bit of a trick—because the mascot designs, environments, and character visuals are all stunning in their own weird, stylish way. Most characters appear during dialogue scenes, but they also exist in 3D cutscenes and gameplay segments. There’s a manga-style flair to certain story beats that made me wish this also existed as a full manga series. The art direction is expressive. For instance, Pinky’s personality shines through exaggerated character portraits—when she wants to seem intellectual, glasses appear on her portrait and her 3D model. It’s a fantastic little detail.

Vibes for Every Mood

Let’s talk about the voice acting—it’s phenomenal. The performances are voice acted in Japanese and bring a surreal energy to the game, especially when you hear a deep, mature voice coming from an adorable mascot. It’s weird in the best way.

The soundtrack is dynamic and genre-spanning. It shifts from bubbly J-pop to Persona-esque chill beats, and even drops into heavy metal at one point. Whether you're driving, battling, or in the middle of an emotional scene, the music fits perfectly. The soundtrack by Alpha Chrome Yayo is infectious and elevates every gameplay moment.

Here's a track I’ve had on repeat while writing this review: Tanuki Beat

Here is the full soundtrack too!

A Must-Play Ride

I spent 16 hours playing Promise Mascot Agency over the weekend. You could finish it in about 10, but I went all in on collectibles and hit 85% achievement completion. I’m definitely going back to 100% it.

Promise Mascot Agency’s bizarre, haunting premise is as entertaining as it is original. Driving and gliding across the world felt so good I lost track of time. From the elegant voice acting and evolving soundtrack to the heartfelt backstory of Michi and the mascots—it all comes together into a truly must-play experience.

Priced at $24.99, it’s a steal for the writing quality, the engaging gameplay loop, and its overall polish. I even heard from the devs on Bluesky that a Pinky plush is in the works—so keep an eye out!

Thanks for the review key from Neonhive on behalf of Kaizen Game Works.

Have you played Paradise Killer or are you thinking of picking up Promise Mascot Agency? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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