Summary
Many games take place in a dying, depopulated town - it’s a staple of the farming,life simulation, and city builder genres. ButPromise Mascot Agency’sKaso-machi is a little bit different. Its bleak state is part natural depopulation, part mysterious curse, and reviving it involves not farming or crafting but finding jobs for its out-of-work mascot population. When creatingPromise Mascot Agency,developer Kaizen Game Works drew from the real-life phenomenon of depopulation in Japan to create the rural “ghost town” yakuza-in-exile Michi finds himself banished to at the beginning of the game.
Game Rant spoke with four members of the Kaizen Game Works team: game director Oli Clarke Smith, art director Rachel Noy, game developer Phil Crabtree, and marketing and communications lead Sam Smith. The team detailed the research process that went into creating Kaso-machi, their decision to switch from an urban to a rural setting, and the contributions ofIkumi Nakamuraand Mai Mattori, who were instrumental in making the “dying town” setting a key element ofPromise Mascot Agency.
Japan Is Full Of Ghost Towns And Near-Ghost Towns
An aging population, declining birth rates, and migration to larger cities with more solid infrastructure have resulted in many “ghost towns” scattered across Japan. These are especially prominent in rural areas such as Hokkaido, Shikoku, and parts of Kyushu. Other towns have not fully become “ghost towns,” but have sunk in population as the younger generation increasingly moves to urban areas, businesses shut down and available jobs decrease.Promise Mascot Agency’sKaso-machi is one such town - it is slightly more populated than the near-empty Paradise Island of Kaizen’s first title,Paradise Killer,but not by much.
Noy explained that Ikumi Nakamura sent the team an “art bible” filled with references drawn from throughout Japan, which drew their attention to the phenomenon of depopulating towns. Although they ultimately chose to place Kaso-machi inFukuoka Prefecturedue to its yakuza presence, their research process included “Google maps, holiday photos” and more from locations throughout Japan. Noy was particularly inspired by reams of “decayed movie posters” fluttering in the breeze in Yubari, Hokkaido, an image that is strikingly captured in Kaso-machi’s near-empty shopping district.
Promise Mascot Agency’s Setting Changed From Urban To Rural
Originally, Rachel Noy explained, the team envisionedPromise Mascot Agencytaking place in a city, such as Tokyo or Osaka. It was Ikumi Nakamura and Mai Mattori who suggested Fukuoka Prefecture, an area of Kyushu known for the presence of dangerous, highly activeyakuzagroups such as the Kudo-kai. Once Nakamura and Mattori introduced the Kaizen team to Fukuoka’s yakuza history and the predominantly rural concept of “depopulating towns,” Kaso-machi’s final form quickly came together.
“It sparked some ideas in us: a hot, hazy town in the south, decaying in the sun. We hadn’t really thought about that kind of vibe. But once they suggested that, we were like “Yeah, this is what we want to do.””
Game Rant had the opportunity to play a demo ofPromise Mascot Agency,and found Kaso-machi to be an eerie, chilling yet compelling location to explore. Its few remaining residents are a mix of stubborn locals, profit-seeking entrepreneurs, and mascots tied to local concepts, such as grated yam and burial mounds, who feel that they can’t live anywhere else. The result is a memorable location that effectively reflects a very real phenomenon currently occurring throughout apan: rural towns dying a slow, drawn-out death with no hope of revitalization. Kaso-machi, however, has hope in the form of the titular Promise Mascot Agency and Michi and Pinky, the bizarre duo who run it. The Fukuoka town may be a far cry fromStardew Valley’sPelican Town or the titular setting ofMy Time at Sandrock,but it too can be brought back to life by determined players whenPromise Mascot Agencylaunches in 2025.
