Kaizen Sport Works first dropped on my radar with Paradise Killer–A story recreation from 2020 that was nearly as a lot enjoyable to discover as to learn its intoxicating prose whereas studying extra about its world and vibrant characters. At first, it appears that evidently their newest recreation, Promise Mascot Company, shares little of its DNA with Paradise Killer. Nevertheless, after spending nearly twenty hours in its beautiful world, it’s clear that Kaizen Sport Works is a studio that shouldn’t be judged by its cowl. Whereas Promise Mascot Company might reject any label utilized to it, I might heartily advocate it to anybody searching for one thing wildly out of the atypical and those that simply love good video games.
You play as Michi, higher identified by his yakuza title, The Janitor, who after failing a job miserably, is asserted lifeless by his mobster household and despatched away to a city that’s mentioned to have a curse that may kill any male yakuza visiting the place. This rural city within the Japanese province of Kyushu, Kaso-Machi, is residence to a failing mascot company that Michi is tasked with rejuvenating in order that he can repay his huge debt to the household. Now, you might surprise, what’s a mascot company? Nicely, you know the way mascots reside respiration beings that are available in all sizes and styles? Sure, nicely they want employment too to advertise occasions and produce consideration to regardless of the employer wants. It’s your job, alongside your assistant Pinky–a mascot resembling a cut-off pinky finger–to make the Promise Mascot Company the best mascot company in Japan. All of the whereas it’s essential take care of the numerous secrets and techniques and tales of the residents of Kaso-Machi.
Normally that is the half the place I have a tendency to attract comparisons between the sport I’m reviewing and different notable titles that you could be concentrate on. However Promise Mascot Company nearly defies being in comparison with the rest. In a way, it may be seen as a story journey recreation, the place you discover a compact open world and carry out duties for the neighborhood to recruit new mascots, improve the city of Kaso-Machi and help the mascots in fulfilling their goals. The predominant gameplay sees you driving round city in a beat-up truck to get to know the residents of this little village. There’s no getting out of your car, however you’ll by no means want to fret about fall harm or crashing into something. Upgrading the truck helps you get round as you can be leaping, boosting and driving your self off of hills or into the water. It’s all a part of the expertise as you get to know Kaso-Machi higher. The sport doesn’t simply lean into its absurdity however drenches itself in it, which finally ends up making the characters really feel extra relatable than I used to be anticipating. From mascots like Trororo, who’s lined in yam and has a singular dream, specifically selling the enjoyment of Grownup Movies (sure, actually), and even the people just like the change trainer Miss. Wambui, who was assigned to this small rural city educating English and may’t depart due to her love for the scholars and the countryside of Japan. The writing is great throughout the board and compliments the artistic design of all of the mascots, who turn into memorable in their very own rights. It’s sort of ingenious that as progress with the company, you’re requested to promote merchandise of your mascots to create further income sources, as a result of I now need nothing greater than merchandise for To-Fu, Neko Roll and Koke-Maru.
Everytime you ship out mascots on jobs, there’s a likelihood that issues will go mistaken, which is the place the sport transitions right into a minigame card-battler and also you’ll want to make use of the residents of Kaso-Machi as Help Heroes, who’re capable of take care of the issues. Issues vary from badly positioned containers, to defective merchandising machines and even obsessed followers that spoil the occasion that the mascot is selling. You’ll get 60 seconds to lower the well being bar of the defective object by strategically enjoying playing cards with particular stats and actions. You solely get two action-points per battle, however as you chain collectively playing cards you possibly can improve your actions to play costlier playing cards or draw new playing cards in your hand. At first these issues may be fairly a problem, however you possibly can improve your Help Heroes by serving to them with their issues by way of city quests or chatting with them usually. As you progress by way of the sport, you begin to perceive how the methods interlink with each other. It’s not simply your earnings that start to soar as you broaden and improve the Promise Mascot Company, however the city as nicely. Your connection to the city turns into central to the expertise. The sport might come off visually as darkish and brooding, however I discovered the expertise to show extremely healthful. Exploration felt simply nice as I discovered the way to finest navigate the city and perceive its routes and places.
It’s particularly the small particulars that Promise Mascot Company does proper. Whereas not nearly all of the textual content is voice-acted, all of the cutscenes are absolutely voiced, in addition to the introductions to mascots, giving a lot character to everybody you meet alongside the way in which. I particularly love that everytime you get to choose as Michi, you’re not instructed the road that Michi will reply with, however quite the emotion or intent behind the dialogue. It’s one thing I desperately wish to see in different narrative pushed video games, as I’ve come throughout video games so usually the place I needed to reply positively, however the opposing character would react in surprising methods. Right here no matter Michi will say I do know he’ll be both [supportive], [reassuring] or [direct]. It leaves the participant with freedom of selection in addition to giving the writers the liberty as to the way to painting Michi and whomever he’s speaking to. As I used to be enjoying Promise Mascot Company it began to present me the identical emotions as Paradise Killer, which might be the best praise I can provide it. Kaizen Sport Works has embraced its identification, and I believe that Promise Mascot Company is even higher than their earlier title. And my god, its soundtrack is very unbelievable. Using the artist Alpha Crome Yayo who has this unbelievable mix of lo-fi, Japanese Metropolis Pop and this ‘90s arcade really feel that matches the environment of Kaso-Machi completely at each flip. It’s the cherry on prime of this extraordinarily enjoyable sundae.
The largest downer right here is that the Nintendo Swap model may be an absolute mess at instances. An inconsistent framerate, a delay in rendering of both 2D or 3D belongings, loading instances and particularly pop-in when driving across the open world make it a tough promote for anybody who can solely be enjoying this recreation on the Nintendo Swap. Whereas I believe it nonetheless suffices and doesn’t detract from the expertise, should you occur to have one other platform accessible to you, I’d advocate going with that. Simply because the sport appears like an homage to a distinct period of video games doesn’t imply you must essentially need the sport to seem like that. Two software program crashes occurred for me whereas enjoying and the ultimate act of the sport particularly suffered much more from stuttering framerates and small bugs and glitches.
Lastly, whereas I take pleasure in that the sport helps you to free to deal with the chapters and major quests everytime you need, I did discover myself having a lot enjoyable driving round and finishing all of the aspect aims early that I blazed by way of the final three chapters as soon as the company was operating at most effectivity. Promise Mascot Company doesn’t essentially gate development, however for anybody on the market who’s taken with enjoying this recreation, don’t depart the primary quest hanging and intention to work together together with your mascots every time they’ve a ‘life satisfaction overview’. I did all of those in a row (for all mascots) close to the top of the sport, and that’s one thing I wouldn’t essentially advocate to nearly all of gamers. Technically it is a little bit on account of an abundance of methods that may be overwhelming to maintain observe of to start with. So take your time, speak to Pinky usually when driving across the overworld and chat with individuals of curiosity you come throughout in your journey as quickly as you possibly can.
Promise Mascot Company appears like a cult-game that was launched within the PS2 and GameCube period. I say this with nothing however love, as you possibly can inform that a lot coronary heart went into conveying a enjoyable story, with lovable characters and a splendidly designed explorable world. It’s uncommon to come back throughout video games lately that dare to be completely different: video games that don’t default to evaluating themselves to different video games or studios. In an trade that’s turning into an increasing number of risk-averse, I used to be shocked by how refreshing Promise Mascot Company feels. However above all that, Promise Mascot Company is assured: assured in its means to decide to its weird world and gameplay that defies norms with a narrative that’s all about one fulfilling their very own goals. Whereas enjoying I may really feel the enjoyment the creators had in making this world and shaping its characters. Promise Mascot Company is in contrast to something you’ve performed earlier than, however should you let it into your coronary heart (and select one other platform if doable) it’s an expertise that may stick with you for some time to come back.
