Promise Mascot Agency

It's like playing a Yakuza minigame but then it's the entire game.

a big downgrade from paradise killer. less interesting characters less interesting world and the gameplay is totally dull.

The story had potential, but the way it was told made it feel very corny. The washed-out filter and the low-quality 3d models can be a vibe, but they aren't especially exciting to look at. Unfortunately did not vibe with the 2d illustrations at all, they looked distinctly western style and did not fit in. The characters weren't very appealing either, Pinkie was amusing at times but mostly annoying and they got the legendary voice actor who voice Kiryuu in the actual Like a Dragon series to voice the main character, but because of his lines he comes off as a chump. The gameplay itself is traveling between the pretty big map and sending mascots you hire to jobs to earn money. Well, the map felt pretty empty, there were some things to do strewn about, but nothing felt really fun to do. You can't even explore at your leisure, because the in-game time flows automatically and you will be hit with bills you need to pay at eod everyday, so you need to be constantly sending mascots to work and earning money. Also the truck controls feel clunky.

本編クリア＆全実績解除 昭和任侠な主人公＆かわいらしいマスコットキャラが 下ネタ＆暴言を吐きまくるファンシーな世界観がとても素敵です 雰囲気が合えば一気に最後までプレイできると思います ゲーム内容は日本の田舎を舞台にしたオープンワールド 軽トラで探索しながらマスコットをスカウトして派遣しお金を稼いで 給料に充てつつ事務所の設備投資、町の発展にお金を使ったりと やることが多くて楽しかったです 豪華な声優陣と馴染みのあるインターフェイスでクリアするまでイギリスのゲームと気づきませんでした 時間を忘れるほど熱中して最後までとても面白かった、こういうゲーム好き、いや、大好き

[h2][i]Well, that was a weird summer...[/i] Yes. Yes it was.[/h2] Stuck in a rut, one Sunday afternoon exactly a week ago saw me delving the net for something new. Fresh. I'd landed on a question that I've not considered in all this time. What about Indie? They're the risk takers of the industry, creating something unique, a surprise that I'll never have stumbled upon. And after finding an article, I found 2 prime candidates. One of which: Promise Mascot Agency. After reading the weird and wacky synopsis, I thought I'd found something special. Let's unpack the business. [h3]Story ~ Yakuza caught between duty and history[/h3] Taking control of "The Janitor" Michi, an esteemed lieutenant of the Shimazu family in the Nakamura clan, your tasked with an important mission. The rival clan encroaches on your territory and Nakamura beseeches the Tokyo Nara clan for an alliance. Sent on a secret exchange of 12b yen that gets sabotaged, the alliance fails to blossom. Returning a vast fortune lighter, your family head has no choice but to claim your life... But do they? Instead, you're sent to a town on a lucrative business venture your family has kept a secret. A Mascot Agency! Sent to clean up and bolster this venture to fuel the deal that went south, work hard to build the agency into a legitimate nationally recognised brand! ...did I mention the town curses male Yakuza men? Best of luck...! This game starts out with a simple premise but has several twists and turns (mostly turns) to this dilapidated town you find yourself in. There's a history here, that as you go along, turns it from repaying a balance and mistake owed, to a mystery to stop something far graver from taking place. You will be strung along for a while and at least I found it a little hard to keep up or be interested. However, a good recap sequence before the final act, it's a tale that comes together very well. It's nothing earth-shattering but for a management game, I enjoyed and appreciated it as you work with the victims of the world that endured this tale. [h3]Gameplay ~ Business managed on the road![/h3] The story is told in the form of a Visual Novel with the VA Japanese only so be prepared to do a lot of reading. Grumble if you may, I felt the VA was perfect and some of the wacky antics that go on just wouldn't hit in English. When you aren't reading, you're taking your trusty truck through the streets Kaso-Machi. Interacting with it's residents, tame and wacky both whilst finding all sorts of collectibles in the world and participating in active events. You'll meet a range of characters from a mean tots crude metal supermarket clerk to BDSM proprietress of a bar. For real... Driving and becoming KM's most favored covert Yakuza, you'll need to manage your business! Mascots are basically non-humanoid citizens, they co-exist and co-fornicate with humans... :sips: Returning to above board..! These mascots are the life-blood of your business. Recruited to attend and promote businesses. You'll need to find, discuss contract obligations, arrange jobs and become a caring boss when they get in trouble. The aforementioned trouble see's you helping out your Mascots in a deck battler. You'll find "Hero Mascot" cards throughout your journey that vary in grade like trading cards. The higher the grade, the better the stats. Whilst you won't have to build a deck for those that prefer simpler systems, you'll need to pick your hand to play out of 2 exchanges to beat out the competition. So it's a driving game with management systems, a card battler, side objectives that range in quest activities like time trials, collectible hunting and gacha claw machine. It's a very varied game with none of the systems being overly too complicated to understand. [h3]Characters ~ Wonderfully weird and wacky[/h3] The stand out for PMA is easily its characters. You'll be able to explore a greater deal of the Mascot's personalities through work happiness reviews, find out their dreams and goals and help them get there besides working their obligated round-the-clock job. You'll help a slab of To-Fu overcome their insecurities, a... questionably white splattered cat chase their AV dreams and a Ghost like? Mascot bring exposure to... Graveyards.. Okay. The big personality of the game is your business partner, Pinkie ☆! For real, this chaotic thumb (yes, thumb) is an electric wild gun that will have you laughing and taking the edge off the scenario. Wishing death on the Crusty Old Geezer, eager to commit murder, go on tangents openly of insults and generally put stoic Michi in his place, Pinkie becomes such a contrast and perfect company to explore the game with. And her little yell when you crash into obstacles.. Gosh I belly laughed several times with the strange physics of driving, anticipating a crash just for Pinkie to go "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!". It's brilliant. I'm so glad she's practically never not with us. Such a highlight of the game and never got overwhelmed with her uncontrolled twisted nature. There's many more characters with family-related and residents of the town, none of them miss. They're all great and voice-acted brilliantly. [h3]Criticism ~ Mystery Exposition[/h3] My only criticism is the story does drone on a little too much with the mystery but that may partially be my fault being distracted on Agency side of the game whilst story took shotgun, binging it all when I got round to it did wear me out a little that my attention span wasn't all there for it. I didn't allow for balance. Thankfully, when it comes to the final act, the recap helped me re-engage with the story and did a great job of it making it cohesive for the 80% or so I was tuned in. Lastly, I experienced strange input problems with my Dualsense controller. Not sure why but sometimes actions weren't picked up by the game and I had to reconfirm presses several times. Particuarly the X button for confirm and even the right trigger to accelerate. Sometimes it just wouldn't actuate in-game. All wired to boot. I swapped to a Xbox style Gamesir controller and the input problem disappeared. Can't think it's my hardware but something I noticed. A nit-pick to be sure. Surprised it supported the impulse triggers too which was a surprise, nice job, even if my experience was faulty. [h3]Conclusion ~ Solid Wacky Indie[/h3] At the core, Promise Mascot Agency is a cosy simple management game with a crazy Japanese story at its heart. You won't be challenged, the systems aren't intricate and you won't be stressed out, lest you make poor decisions or crank the difficulty (I opted for Normal). This is a Visual Novel heavy game so strap in for reading with some wild characters, wacky tunes and a chill ~20 hours to roll credits. The driving never over stayed its welcome either with upgrades that made traversal much more fun and outside my criticism in binging, I never felt PMA overstayed its welcome, even to 100%. It's a great time if you want a short and weird game with a collectible littered map to be distracted by.

I am having such a great time playing this game. Like Yakuza, this game has so much heart and it also commits to being unhinged in the best way. Navigating the town is rather clunky, but it adds to the charm of the game. Unlocking the truck upgrades really helped and flying was a breeze once i maxed my boost. I like how you can engage in the world in your own way. I put on an audiobook and just drove around collecting all the items on the map. All the character interactions are so fun, the quests are busy work but it's easy enough to work through and it's not tiring. The pacing of the main story is also pretty good and it doesn't take away from the management and exploration. I really enjoyed all the little details in the game, like how Pinky would change caps if you hit the water or were airborne. Pinky is best gal, she has the best lines in the game. Tofu is my sweet baby <3

I like the part where you promise the mascots an agency