Once upon a time I only played triple-A games. Devil May Cry, Dragon Age, Mortal Kombat; all amazing franchises in their own rights, each of which defined my childhood in many different ways. But, since I began working in this industry – and at PCGamesN specifically – I’ve fallen in love with indie games, happily casting aside big open-world, narrative-driven triple-A games for gems like Animal Well, Indika, and, now, Promise Mascot Agency. Easily one of the weirdest games I’ve ever encountered, it’s become my most-played game of 2025 almost overnight. I absolutely have a problem, but I’m very okay with it.
Allow me to try and condense Promise Mascot Agency into a single paragraph. Cast as Michi, an exiled yakuza played by none other than Takaya Kuroda, the voice of Kazuma Kiryu in the Yakuza series, you’re sent off to Kaso-Machi, a dusty old town that just so happens to have a yakuza-killing curse associated with it. Once there, you’re tasked with setting up the titular mascot agency and drafting in a merry band of misfits to help you recuperate your lost cash.
Sure, all of that sounds a little strange, no biggie. Well, your new assistant Pinky is a severed finger/fairy hybrid, and you’ll recruit everything from a bipedal, sentient block of tofu to an adult entertainment-obsessed yam cat (that goo is definitely yam). You’re primary function in the RPG is to stop them all from getting into trouble by tackling catastrophes like freak kitchen fires and, the toughest of all challenges: getting To-Fu to fit through an average-sized wooden doorway. Still with me?
To say that Promise Mascot Agency is a blend of genres is an understatement. It is, at its core, a management game, as you’ll need to send your mascots off into the field, match their talents to the preferences of clients, and lend them aid when required. You fend off calamity in card-based roguelike battles, where each of your cards have different attributes. The aforementioned door just needs a good ol’ smack, while engineering failures require a more mechanical mind.
You collect cards by recruiting Support Heroes, Kaso-Machi’s lovable (if not slightly bizarre) residents. There’s Jose the family-man mechanic, Mr Mori the railway manager and his cat, Tora, and Mama-san, the owner of the local bar who sports bright pink hair and, well, a gimp suit. They’ll all be able to lend a hand in paper form when disaster strikes, and each have their own unique attributes.
But, honestly, most of Promise Mascot Agency is spent driving. You’ll zip around in Michi’s rusty old Kei Truck, collecting cash, dispelling katashiro dolls, and chasing after spectral foxes that have stolen Jose’s blueprints. There’s an entire world of weird and wonderful prospects out there for you to explore, so head on out – you’re cursed, after all, so who knows how long you have left?
I’ve played some really amazing games this year – Split Fiction among them – but Kaizen Game Works’ latest has quickly become my most-played game of 2025. Miri’s Promise Mascot Agency review encouraged me to pick it up, and it’s well worth it. Sometimes you need a break from sprawling fantasy worlds or chaotic FPS action, and this is absolutely the game to do it with.
Promise Mascot Agency is out now on Steam. You can pick it up a discounted $22.49 / £18.89 until Thursday April 17, and it’s well worth it. So go on, head on over to Steam, Pinky dares you.
If you’re looking for something as chill as Promise Mascot Agency, but without the weirdness, check out our list of the best relaxing games. Alternatively, if you love all things obscure, our rundown of the best indie games has some curious little oddities.
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