Promise Mascot Agency is a game that kind of came out of nowhere for me. I hadn't seen much buzz for it, then randomly came across the steam page for it and decided to add it to my wishlist. It was recently on sale on Playstation so I picked it up there.

I haven't gotten too deep into the game yet, but it is shaping up to be a mix of a collectathon and a simple management game. The premise is pretty simple; you're an ex-Yakuza exiled to this weird town and put in charge of a mascot agency with the goal of making enough money to repay your debt. To do this, you recruit mascots and send them out on jobs. Meanwhile, you drive around in your truck and pick up a bunch of collectables and upgrade blueprints, which you can use the money from completing jobs to put in place.

I only played about an hour so far, but the silliness and charm is undeniable, and the game map seems large enough to let the game breathe without being an overwhelming monster. There are a few different types of collectables for variety, and traversing the map is simple but fun. The music is pretty catchy too.

This game got rave reviews, and from my short time playing I can see why. I wish there were more of these AA-quality collectathon games. It's a clear step up from your usual indie fare while still being affordability and more importantly, beatable in a reasonable time frame. I also have the previous game from these devs, Paradise Killer, and if it's anything like this one, I'll be playing that soon.

Verdict: Keep Playing

Part of the Game Library Project