I am obsessed with Promise Mascot Agency (Kaizen Game Works), so I’m doing another quick look (or extended look. whichever). I was saying yesterday that I was having difficulty with the driving–which is usually my least-favorite part of any given game. It was janky and jerky, no matter how much I fiddled with the controls. I was worried that I would have to give up on the game because it was not going well–and it was making me slightly sick to boot. I was sad at the thought of putting the game aside, but I was not sure I could play several more hours of the game as it was.
Fortunately, there is a mechanic in the game for whom you do jobs and side quests. One of them nets you upgrades for your truck. One of those upgrades is a Pinky-launcher. I mean that literally, by the way. It launches Pinky from the truck, which means I can get past some barriers I could not break through with my truck. I figured that out yesterday, by the way. It was so frustrating because I could see something twinkling behind a barrier, but I could not reach, no matter what I did. Now, I just blast the barrier with the Pinky launcher, and I’m in!
It’s also good for doing a bunch of mundane chores, such as cleaning up the trash on the road and running over the signs of the mayor scattered around the city. And, more importantly, for the frustrating way to get the upgrades themselves. I don’t want to spoil how you do that exactly, but I had a hard time with doing it the way you’re supposed to do it. It’s me and my specific blend of disabilities, but I can’t be the only one.
Another upgrade was to make the truck faster. Not only is it faster, though, it runs WAY smoother. Not so much herk and jerk, and my nausea is much less as well. And while I’m very appreciative of it, I have no idea why it was so shitty in the first place. Again, I know that’s probably a me-thing, but the way the truck runs now makes it very clear that it was a choice to make it so shitty in the beginning.
Yes, I know it’s Michi’s whole schtick–to be a very bare-bone, no-frill kind of guy. He carries a broom with him that the mother of his yakuza family gave him in order to clean up, literally, after natural disaster (I think that’s what it was). His clothes are pretty basic as well, and while you can change Pinky’s nail throughout the game, there doesn’t seem to be any outfits for Michi. I’m fine with that, by the way. I do like changing my fits, but it’s not necessary or something I miss when it’s not there.
With the car upgrades I already have, that has made the driving so much less stressful. Notice I didn’t say pleasant because it’s not. I really wish the game wasn’t 75% driving, but at least the upgrades make it bearable. I’ll take that for now.
One thing I will say once again is that I wish the game would explain things more clearly. There are so many different components to the game, and very few of them were really explained. Plus, so much was thrown at me in the beginning, my eyes glazed over. For example, in hiring a mascot, you can give them up to three perks. I didn’t realize until now that you didn’t have to give them three. Also, I didn’t read each perk carefully. There is one to give a bonus to the mascot every seven jobs. I gave that to two fo my first three mascots. If they didn’t get the bonus, they refused to work.
When I only had three mascots, it was hard to have one that wouldn’t take jobs. Also, I didn’t realize the jobs were listed lowest paid to highest paid, and I would just assign the first jobs on the list. The first job is like ten-thousand yens. The last is like fifty thou. So, yeah, I left a lot of yen on the table. I thought it would be the opposite way, highest to lowest. No idea why, but that’s on me, I guess.
I still don’t understand the stats for the mascots and the mascot support heroes during the fights, but I really appreciate the fights themselves are things like, “mascot can’t fit through a small door”. Then, you have a bunch of hero cards from which you can pick. There’s a way to call a mulligan and get a new batch, but not with every fight. And I thought you got two cards per fight, but sometimes it’s more. No idea why or when that happens.. Your mascot goes first, and then each of the cards you play. You can find upgrades for the cards around the city.
I went from three mascots to…eight? Seven or eight within five minutes. And now I have over ten support heroes. I got them in a hurry as well.
I have to take a quick moment to give a shout-out to the writing of the characters. Each of the mascots is unique and notable. it’s easy to tell them from each other, and, yes, the writing borders on caricature, but there is heart there as well. I love every character save one mascot, but that’s not his fault. It’s just the way he’s written, and I think I may come to appreciate him more later. Maybe.
One big negative is that I’ve been put on an artificial timer. I mean, it’s real in the game, but I feel as if it was added as purely a game mechanic to make the player feel pressure. My yakuza mother is being threatened with death if I don’t periodically send money to one of the other families. The money we were going to give them being stolen was the basis for the whole game. It’s something like a billion yen, which is roughly 7 million dollars. Anyway, I have to send the family money from an ATM periodically, until I have sent them a million yen.
When I got the order, I shrugged my shoulders. Yeah, whatever. I can do that, I suppose. I was not enthusiastic about it because I hate artificial timers in a game, but whatever. The thing is, though, the time is fairly short. Like every ten minutes or so. Maybe less. And if I don’t send it in time, she dies. Which means going back to a previous save. If I push it, the screen goes black and Pinky asks if I have sent money for this purpose lately?
Then I give up whatever I was planning on doing, save, and rush to the nearest ATM. Except, it’s hard to find them sometimes, and then I panic. Plus, I have to rush by all the things I would normally do as I drive (all the aforementioned chores), and I really hate that I have to pass up the ones that give me the upgrades. I tend to be methodical even as I get distracted. I have an end desitnation, yes, but I have to do all the chores along the way. Having an artificial deadline every ten minutes or so is really fucking irritating.
I have given them at least half the money, I think. I hope once I give them the million, that’ll be the end of it, and there will not be another artificial timer situation.
Look. If a game lets me go anywhere (basically), then I want to be able to explore at my leisure. If I can stay away from the main story for hours on end, I will. I have so many side quests going on at the moment, I almost don’t know what to do with myself. In fact, I kind of wish there weren’t so many things going at the same time.
I’m done for now. I may write more later.