2025 was an utterly brilliant year for gaming in general, but indie games saw a tremendous push. From the “Friendslop” genre rising from the ashes to have its greatest year to date, to massive games that swept award ceremonies, players were treated to one of the best years since the early 2000s. But, throughout all of the chaos that was 2025, one game stood high on a pedestal for me. A game so unabashedly weird, psychotic, and deranged that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even as credits rolled on the year 2025, Promise Mascot Agency withstood the turmoil of the year and took home my personal Game of the Year Award.

If you’ve ever seen Promise Mascot Agency or anything about it, you’ll instantly know if it’s for you. It’s outsider art in its most refined form. A game about a former member of the Yakuza trying to repay a debt by… managing an island full of misfit mascots. All while driving a Kei Truck that can sprout wings and fly. Oh yeah, and your partner is a severed pinky that wants to murder people. It’s unhinged in all of the right ways, and it’s a game that I hold incredibly near and dear to my heart.

‘Promise Mascot Agency’ Is 2/3s Unhinged and 1/3 Wholesome, Even if the Pinky Wants To Kill People

Look, if you get Takya Kuroda involved in your project, I’m already going to love it. But if you pair it with an incredibly batshit insane story, beautiful visuals, and a quirky cast of characters, I know you’re aiming for my heart. After seeing the reveal trailer for Promise Mascot Agency, I knew that Kaizen Game Works was cooking up something fierce. But I was wholly unfamiliar with their previous work, Paradise Killer. I knew that before I jumped into this one, I would need to play through their original magnum opus.

Pardise Killer, for those unfamiliar, is an adventure game with plenty of style, flair, and panache. As Lady Love Dies, you need to investigate the case of a mass murderer, chat with an eclectic group of suspects, and unravel a brilliantly paced mystery. It’s great, and one of the best mystery games I’ve ever played. But at the end of the day, Promise Mascot Agency took what made Paradise Killer great and built upon it in so many different ways.

How Did Kaizen Game Works Even Think up This Idea in the First Place?

Promise Mascot Agency is so much more than just an open-world exploration game. It’s a management simulator. A visual novel. Story-driven action adventure. Somewhat role-playing game, too? It’s a multitude of different things at the same time, and I would pay a substantial amount of money to gain some behind-the-scenes insight into how this whole idea came to be in the first place. But most importantly, it’s just a goddamn good video game, and one of the best sleeper gems of 2025.

If Promise Mascot Agency has a million fans? I am one of them. If Promise Mascot Agency has ten fans? I am one of them. If Promise Mascot Agency has only one fan? Then it is me. If Promise Mascot Agency has no fans? Then that means I am no longer on this Earth. If the world is against Promise Mascot Agency? Then I’m against the World.

A Spectacular Group of Cameos Cements the Voice Acting as Something Fantastic

As I mentioned before, Promise Mascot Agency features the voice of the legendary Takya Kuroda as Michi, an ex-Yakuza member who becomes the savior of a demented island full of forgotten mascots. Where have you heard that name, or that voice, you may be asking yourself? Well, if you’ve ever played the Yakuza or Like a Dragon franchise, he’s the voice of Kazuma Kiryu. Alongside his sultry voice, Ayano Shibuya (Zelda), Eri Saito (Chainsaw Man), Shuhei Yoshida (formerly PlayStation Studios), and SWERY (Deadly Premonition) lend their pipes to the game. Regardless of whether Promise Mascot Agency was a AAA game or an indie, it’s an impressive list of vocal talent to have in a game.

For a silly little game about managing mascots, Promise Mascot Agency has some of the best-written dialogue that I’ve ever encountered in a game. It’s silly, serious, disturbing, and hilarious, all at once. The world of Kaso-Machi truly feels alive in every aspect, even though a more fantastical world has never existed. Every Mascot I encountered, from a sentient block of Tofu to a cat covered in a “mysterious” fluid with a wicked porn addiction named Trororo, is memorable and interesting. Everybody has a backstory, and they’re all incredibly thought out, with fantastic character development for every member of the squad. With 20 recruitable mascots, that’s not a simple task to do, but somehow, Kaizen Game Works has done the impossible more than once here.

The Soundtrack, Composed by Alpha Chrome Yayo and Ryo Koike, Is Beyond Words

Passionate folks are willing to do whatever they can to see a passion project proceed. Outside of the fantastic characters and wonderful visuals, one particular part of Promise Mascot Agency stands out from every other game I played in 2025. The soundtrack. Have you realized that a lot of game music seems rather… forgettable nowadays? Back in the early days of gaming, you could find a song that would be stuck in your brain for years, seemingly never leaving the small alcove dedicated to these types of memories. Mute City from F-Zero? Always in my mind. But ask me to find something like that in a newer game, and I will likely struggle.

That isn’t the case when it comes to Promise Mascot Agency. As I’m writing this particular paragraph, the song Touched by Death from Alpha Chrome Yayo is blaring in my ears. At times, the soundtrack of Promise Mascot Agency can be haunting, deeply disturbing you down to your core, especially when interacting with the shrines. But more often than not, the soundtrack absolutely fucks. Inspired by City Pop hits of yesteryear, I don’t think there’s a single track on either of the soundtracks that misses the mark. Promises Lost (Promises Found) is one of the most popular songs, but even the management music evokes a ton of emotion. Even if this hasn’t convinced you to play Promise Mascot Agency (which you should), take some time to listen to the tracks composed for the game.

Oh Yeah, I Should Mention You Can GRIND THE TRUCK LIKE A GODDAMN SKATEBOARD in Promise Mascot Agency

Promise Mascot Agency is a game that doesn’t take itself seriously at all. What do you MEAN that I can jump using the Kei Truck and grind like I’m in a goddamn Tony Hawk game? It’s so goofy, yet the story doesn’t lose any sort of meaning from these sorts of silly happenings going on. It’s an excellent story of betrayal, revenge, and most importantly, BDSM. There are a ton of collectibles, plenty of things to do, and more content than it’s $25 price tag demands.

There are a lot of reasons as to why Promise Mascot Agency was my favorite game of 2025. It’s a game meant for the sickos. The weirdos. All of the strange folk like myself out there who aren’t afraid to put their authentic self on the line. It’s a game about friendship, about talking mascots with a thirst for murder, and it has a ton of incredibly endearing moments that may make a grown-ass adult cry. Oh, plus, I just need to reiterate once again — YOU CAN GRIND THE GODDAMN TRUCK LIKE A SKATEBOARD. How cool is that shit, LOL.