Another solid helping of Golden Idol mysteries, this time pivoting into the more spiritual/mythological work that was dominant in the last game's DLC.

I broadly enjoyed my time with this one! I like the way the narrative is pieced together and unfolds across the chapters. I also just generally enjoy the decoding that tends to take place when the game turns to these types of settings.

All that being said, I think it's weaker than The Sins of New Wells in a few key aspects. First, the connection to the main game's narrative is more casual than the last DLC. It feels like an ancillary side story that doesn't tell us much about the overarching story. I also found that the DLC's plot was far less surprising and contained no major twists that really surprised me. It has a twist, but I didn't have enough investment to actually care. Lastly, I also found myself trial-and-erroring my way through this one more than previous efforts. I felt like I had a decent grasp on what occurred, but minor details were very difficult to nail down and felt a bit too vague. I don't want things spelled out, but it felt too hard to confirm deductions and I was guessing my way through certain challenges just based on what felt like reasonable thoughts.

It's still decent DLC and I'm happy to be playing anything coming from this dev team, but I definitely think this is one of the weaker efforts on the DLC front so far. Hopefully the final two DLC packs contain some fun shake-ups.

I'd score it 7/10.

I need a life coach like Pinky

I've said it before and I'll say it again: style can make up for a lot. That seems to be a philosophy that Kaizen Game Works live and die by. Paradise Killer was a flawed attempt to create their own take on Danganronpa, but it oozed coolness with a bizarro aesthetic informed by various mythologies, vaporwave, and their own brand of quirky visual novels. And while I had my complaints, I really enjoyed exploring its world. It was one of those games that made me really take note for how singular its identity was and had me making a mental note about KGW to keep an eye on their output.

Well, it's been five years and here we are with them going for broke with their take on Yakuza. KGW have collaborated with the likes of Ikumi Nakamura to deliver a thoroughly unique spin on management games with the player working as an ex-Yakuza running a mascot agency in an effort to redeem himself. And while I do have criticisms to level and caveats to provide to anyone considering buying this game, I honestly loved my time with PMA.

PMA takes a kitchen sink approach to game design, melding elements of open world collect-a-thons, management games, deckbuilding fighters, and visual novels into a freakish amalgamation. While not super refined in any singular aspect, its blend is novel and its general vibe is so excellent that it's an incredibly endearing package. You get to whip around in a dinky truck with your trusty sidekick, a severed pinky, while completing various side quests and raking in money through mascot events. It's so bizarre to see and yet, when you've spent enough time in the game, it just feels like home.

World exploration is wonderful, as it was in Paradise Killer. There's tons to see in find and the flavor of the whole experience makes it a breath of fresh air as you putter around the Japanese countryside with a list of errands. There are a number of truck upgrades also that make exploration funnier and smoother.

The mascot agency is the other major component with you assigning mascots to business events to earn money. The catch is that mascots get into trouble and you'll need to bail them out through card battling. The cards are based on the various characters you encounter throughout the world and are upgraded by completing quests. There's a nice back-and-forth between the open world exploration and management gameplay. The money earned from management is used to upgrade both the agency and the island. Seeing the island come alive as you invest is really a joy. And all of this feeds back into various quests for NPCs, including the mascots, allowing you to deepen your connection to the game's characters and indulge in the games whacked out writing.

I think this game really shines though in the writing. Promise Mascot Agency is one of the funniest games I've played in ages. Its humor is incredibly risqué and adult without being offensive. It walks a fine line between being crude/silly and being clever with a lot of strong banter. Pinky really is the star of the show with countless hilarious moments that had me audibly laughing. The writers really knew how to be out of pocket with it coming off as "lol random" humour.

I do have a few complaints to make note of relating to pacing and dwindling returns. Earning money becomes practically pointless about three quarters into the game as it transitions into basically being a visual novel with free roam travel intermissions. It's just a bit too easy to earn money without enough things to really blow it on. I wish there were more ways to decorate the island and more things to spend on, because I realized past a certain point that I was just kind of wasting time. I also think the final act drags. It's like a traditional anime with something taking fifty lines that could've been said in three. I just felt myself wanting to wrap it up and roll credits. Lastly, the ending is a bit too predictable. I was really hoping to see some wild curveballs in the finale where crazy twists would be unveiled. Instead, the plot is relatively straight-laced, which feels so at odds with you running an agency with fantastical mascot creatures out of a failed brothel.

Promise Mascot Agency is definitely a niche title. It's not flashy, nor is it mechanically refined. But what it lacks in those regards, it doubly makes up for in great comedic chops, wonderful world exploration, and by providing one of the weirdest and most compelling settings in a minutes. It's a game for soaking in the atmosphere and just relaxing, and I really get down with that when the gameplay jives so well with my tastes as a player.

There truly is no group like Kaizen Game Works. They continue to confound and surprise with games that feel like true blue passion projects birthed out of a desire to see old-school game designs revisited through a modern, post-punk lens. They're uncompromising in their vision and it's up to you to get on their wavelength. But I promise (pun-intended) you that if you're willing to take a chance and go along with their ideas, you'll be greeted with an experience like no other.

I'd score it 9/10.