If you are a fan of Japanese culture, the Yakuza game series, or Kaizen Game Works 2020's Paradise Killer, you've probably heard of their upcoming release, Promise Mascot Agency. We covered the timed demo in our March Demo Disc to provide readers with just a taste of the game.
For those just catching up, Promise Mascot Agency is an open world adventure where you play as Michi. He’s an exiled yakuza member who takes on the challenge of restoring the mascot agency and town to better days. As Michi, get ready to recruit mascots, remove a corrupt politician from power, and solve the mystery of your exile. This will be simple for a yakuza right? Michi won’t be able to do it all on his own. Pinky☆ will be with you each step of the way.
Today, we get to cover the creative minds behind the Promise Mascot Agency. Gamer Social Club had the opportunity to interview Art Director Rachel Noy and Game Director Oli Clarke Smith. Read on to hear how these two led the creation of the exciting, quirky, vintage, and even sometimes cute world of Promise Mascot Agency.
GSC: Promise Mascot Agency (PMA) introduces us very quickly to Pinky, a mascot who is literally a finger. What was the inspiration for this character?
Oli: This came from Ikumi Nakamura. Along with her concept assistant, Mai Mattori, she built an art bible for us at the start of the project and designed most of our characters. We had no story or character details in mind when we started working with her and she developed a lot of the direction we went with. They really lent into ideas for mascots that were non-traditional and creepy.
GSC: Is it just a coincidence that Pinky is our partner in crime and Michi is missing a pinky? Or is there some significance to this?
Rachel: This is something that's hinted at in the main story in the game, when a yakuza makes a very serious mistake, they will sometimes conduct a ritual called "yubitsume" where they amputate parts of their little finger as a sincere apology. So no, it's not a coincidence that Pinky☆ is a little finger mascot, but I wouldn't want to spoil their journey for you!
GSC: In PMA, players get to play a modified card battle to assist mascots on jobs. Why did you choose this mechanic as the help action?
Oli: We went through a number of different mechanics for this before settling on a card game. We all play card games together like Magic The Gathering and Tanto Cuore, and thought we could do a simple, combo based card game to simulate the battles between mascots and the obstacles they face. Our game is a kind of RPG and we needed the friction of battles for a well rounded game experience. We also needed to be able to showcase the physical humour of mascots. In another world, we could have done a traditional JRPG system of a line up of heroes dealing damage to the obstacle, but I think the card game gave us the flexibility and speed of play that we needed for the player experience.
GSC: Japan has a long history and culture of mascots. Were there any notable real life mascots that inspired the mascots we will meet in the game?
Rachel: We all love mascots in all forms at Kaizen! We didn't really take inspiration from one mascot in particular, but we took inspiration from bits that we enjoy about them. We love how some are creepy, some are cute, and some are serious, and we incorporated that into the gameplay where you match a mascot's type up to a job type. Imagine sending a mascot like Chiitan to work in a shop full of valuables, it would be carnage. There's the right mascot for every job, and we had these job roles to fill in the game. So we almost worked backwards from what the mascot would be used for, just as you would do if you had to design a mascot for a real life business.
GSC: You could’ve set this game anywhere in Japan but went for a tiny village. The setting is in line with more global attention on rural revitalization attempts in Japan. Was this a consideration when creating the setting for Michi’s exile and the game as a whole?
Oli: It was something introduced to us by Ikumi and Mai. Ikumi is really into exploring ruins and has a lot of experience of deserted areas in Japan. We went with her direction on this and it really helped to develop the story and systems. You are rebuilding a bankrupt agency in a dying town. This is a really uphill battle, and it makes sense to have that struggle in a near deserted town. The story evolved to include the misappropriation of a fund given to the town by the government to help revitalise it, and we dig into the corruption around that. As it happens, Rachel and I used to live in a town in the UK that got government money to revitalise it, and it devolved into corruption by the council...
GSC: Despite the fact that it is a small town, we still also have quite a cast of human characters. They include the mechanic to the bartender to the corrupt politician. How did you decide what human characters to include?
Oli: There was a mix of characters we needed for their function. Like the shopping association chairman, and characters that had been left behind by the changing times, that would add to the story. We needed the corrupt mayor to show how the town had been allowed to wither. We needed a mechanic to contextualize the upgrades you can acquire for your truck.
GSC: So much of the world you built feels real in Promise Mascot Agency. The living breathing mascots are wandering around and the humans are not surprised at all. How do you explain how normalized these mascots are to someone who maybe is hearing about the game for the first time?
Rachel: Thank you very much for saying so! The mascots are living, breathing beings just like us. They are forced to live in the same world with the same problems that we are also forced to live in. When imagining the mascots, we tried to think about what a modern-day yokai would struggle with in life, and what would happen if they had to live alongside humans, and how they might be treated. Kaso-Machi is a run-down place where people and mascots are just trying to make a living, and mascots have always been present for the humans in our game (since the beginning of time, in-fact!), so the people in our game worry more about what a mascot is doing and who they are, rather than what they look like.
For clarity, yokai are part of Japanese folklore. Yokai can be monsters, ghosts, spirits, or any sort of supernatural creature. Yokai are not inherently evil or bad and run the spectrum of behavior and morality. Many people may be familiar with the idea of an Oni (a type of yokai) from other popular video games.
GSC: The timed demo drops us right into the gameplay, removing exposition/story telling. This felt like an amazing decision to get players just to understand the gameplay mechanics. How did the decision to cut the story for the demo come up?
Oli: For the full game, the player really needs to play through the events that lead to their exile to the cursed town, but that didn't make sense for the demo. We have had trouble communicating to people what our game is, so for the demo, we wanted to drop them right in.
GSC: The vintage camera filter really adds to the aesthetic of Promise Mascot Agency. In a world where many games seem to move to a more realistic style, what inspired this filter?
Rachel: We really wanted to go for a nostalgic feel. We watched a lot of ShÅwa-era camcorder footage and advertisements as reference. A lot of our reference bible contained hazy old footage, so we wanted to include this in the game somehow. Our programmer Harry came up with it and as soon as we tried it out we fell in love. It just upped the nostalgic feeling so much. We know it's a little divisive though, so we have added the option to turn it off.
We interrupt this interview to provide you some quick context on the ShÅwa-era of Japan. The ShÅwa-era refers to the time period between December 1926– January 1989. Within the demo and based on Rachel's answer, we're really honing in on 1960's – 1980s. Many now refer to this style as ShÅwa retro. ShÅwa retro includes warm tones in their coloring and design style, evident in the filter used within the game.
This era was also signified by lots of possible growth in Japan. The theme of possible growth during the ShÅwa-era is also part of the core game. As Michi with the mascots, you are helping to revitalize a small dying town. Alright, enough history, back to the interview.
GSC: The game has an amazing cast of voice actors to help bring the characters to life. What was the process like of finding the right voice for the characters? How did you know "yes this is the voice of Michi" for example?
Oli: We left all of this to our amazing localiser, Roppyaku Tsurumi and Kure-san at the recording studio. They held auditions for some of the main characters and picked from portfolios for others. Roppyaku really understood our tone and characters. I have barely had to answer any questions about the jokes and slang I wrote which shows how good he is. He sent us the auditions for the main characters and we made our choices. Then he told us we were wrong and that he thinks other actors were a better fit. That was fine by me because I totally trusted him, and he made amazing choices. Takaya Kuroda was the voice of Michi because he just turned up to the audition without being asked, and no one says no to Takaya Kuroda.
GSC: Do you ever see a future where the game could have dubbing in a language such as English? If so, do you have a dream cast for Michi and Pinky?
Rachel: I'd love to do an English dub! We picked Japanese as ultimately that's where the characters live. We wanted to highlight Japanese voice talent first and foremost, but I'd love to do an English dub! Michi is a guy who has found himself quite confused with where he's ended up in life but will get the job done anyway, and if we are going for completely unrealistic dreams I'd go for Keanu Reeves as he does the confused tough-guy role PERFECTLY.
Rachel: As for Pinky☆, that's a tricky one, but the first thought that popped into my mind was Arleen Sorkin (who sadly passed away recently) who did the voice for Harley Quinn in the Batman animated series I watched a LOT when I was growing up. I loved her Harley Quinn so much and the characters have similar vibes in my head. It would definitely have to be someone who can do creepy, cute AND unhinged, just as Ayano Shibuya managed to pull off in Pinky☆'s Japanese voice!
GSC: In an open world game there is so much to explore and find. What is something you really want players to find as they explore Promise Mascot Agency?
Oli: There are some hidden supernatural and occult parts of the game that are well off the beaten track. I'm excited to see if people find them.
GSC: Those who have already played the demo have been getting in touch with you through your subreddit. How does it feel getting all that feedback and how beneficial are the reports from players?
Rachel: It feels amazing to see people playing it! We didn't have anywhere near the same amount of people talking about the game before launch on Paradise Killer as we were an unknown team then, so it's definitely been something new to get used to. It's really helpful feedback as we all play a certain way subconsciously and we have a limited variety of hardware and controllers etc. So it's been super helpful to have people play the game slightly differently and in a different order and come across things we hadn't thought about. Some of it has been a big surprise, and for other things it's been a confirmation of some things we already suspected. Making an open-world game is really tough, so it's always good to get as many eyes-on as possible.
GSC: Once the game is out and you have some time to enjoy the game's success, what is next for Kaizen Game Works?
Rachel: A big sleep first and foremost. We've got some ideas but we're not 100% sure what we're doing next. Either way we've enjoyed the ride so far and hope to carry on!
Thank you so much to Rachel and Oli for their time in answering our questions. Personally, I can’t wait to dive in and drive around town with this interesting crew. If you can’t wait for Promise Mascot Agency, check out Kaizen Game Work’s previous game Paradise Killer!
Promise Mascot Agency is due out April 10th, 2025 on PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch!
