After completing Promise Mascot Agency (Kaizen Game Works) and 100%ing it, I have had a few days to think more about it. It’s been weird not to play it because I was so obsessed with it while I was playing it. I loved the world and just hanging out with the characters. Me and Pinky tooling around town became my favorite part of the game. I loved just shooting shit with her as we did the chores we had to do.
This is a game that burrowed deeply into my heart and made a home there. I have compared it more than once to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive), not because they are at all alike, but because they are both indie games that took me by surprise. One of them (CO:E33) had considerably more hype than the other (PMA), but I always had reservations about the former. From the first trailer, I had a feeling that it would not be for me, and I was right. Yet, I could not quit it. I hated playing it by the time I finished it, but I cannot deny that it had something that kept me hooked.
As for this game, there was no fanfare for it. The only reason I kew about it was because Shuhei Yoshida, the ex-president of Sony was cast as one of the mascot support heroes, and he was interviewed by Greg Miller of Kinda Funny Games (which I watch on the daily). I thought he was going to be one of the mascots, but no. He was a mascot support hero. At any rate, I was intrigued, but only mildly so.
Then, someone in the RKG Discord was raving about it, and I decided to give it a try. I didn’t know there was a demo, but I don’t think I would have needed to play more than two minutes before I was ready to jump in, anyway. I was immediately smittened by the premise and the characters.
It’s funny because even though this game is clearly an homage to the Yakuza (Ryu Ga Gotoku) series, I liked it so much better than the hour I played of whichever Yakuza game I tried to play–I have blocked it out because it was so unpleasant to play. I also tried Like a Dragon, which was better, but still so not my jam.
There is a Yakuza channel in the RKG Discord. I dip into it now and again just to see what people think of the games. Some people are absolutely rabid about the games, and I just don’t get it. I’m happy for them to like something that much, but it’s so not for me.
What I’m trying to say is that Promise Mascot Agency should have put me off because it has many elements that the Yakuza games have. A ton of wild characters, a boatload of mini-games, ranging from fun to tedious to downright infuriating (for me). and lots and lots of exposition. There aren’t many cut-scenes, fortunately, until the last act. And, as I said in yesterday’s post, I did not love the last act of this game, it did not irritate me as much as it would have had I not already bonded with the cast of the game.
Let me just get this out of the way. I hated the gliding in the game. HATED it. I know it’s because of my disabilities rather than an issue with the game, but I really wish there had been a way to make it automatic. The boating parts weren’t as bad, but I could have done without them, too. I was not pleased to spend the vast majority of my time in a truck, but once I got the first upgrade, it made the driving tolerable.
As for the mini-games, I could have done without the crane mini-game, and I mostly did. I did it three or four times, but as I started cursing steadily as I did it, I gave up. I was making enough money without doing it, so why put myself through that? I have to think it was made so goddamn shitty on purpose because nothing else in the game is that terrible to control–not even the flying.
I loved this game. I loved it more than I thought I would love it. Yes, there were things that annoyed me about it (such as the constant need to send money to keep my yakuza mother alive), but I could overlook all of them because of how strong the characterization is and how much I took to said characters.
If I were to be pushed to name a favorite mascot, it would be To-Fu, the first mascot signed. I would have done anything for him, and I would have predicted him with my life. But there are several others whom I greatly loved, too. I will confess that by number twenty, I was a bit mascoted-out, but I still appreciated each one.
One of the biggest things I liked about the characters was that Kaizen Group Works was willing to give them flaws. And not just small flaws like ‘is always ten minutes late’, but ugly flaws like Pinky being a murderous chaotic rage goblin. Or two of the mascots who are boyfriend and girlfriend being lecherous scammers who are quite willing to break the law to make a bit of cash. Or one of the NPCs being a man-hunter (as in wanting to latch on to any man in sight) who just reeks of desperation to land another husband.
I will say that the enemies are not as fleshed out–they are just pure, unmitigated evil. I don’t mind that, though, because I’m so pro-PMA characters. I rooted for them at every step of the way, and I willingly helped them whenever they asked me to.
Yes, there were a bunch of little things I wished had been done better. Such as explaining how the contracts worked. The problem was twofold. They simultaneously dumped too much explanations on me at the beginning AND didn’t explain each one well enough. It was overwhelming and not enough at the same time.
And yet, this game meant so much to me as I was playing it. I loved all the characters and only wanted them to be happy and comfortable in themselves. Something about being surrounded by weirdos and freaks (said affectionately) made me feel completely at home.
Side note: This is more a social commentary than anything else, but in the real world, I mask a lot. Any time I interact with outher people–ok, I’m tired and it suddenly got late. I will continue with this tomorrow.