20 Recent Incredible Video Games That Came Out Of NOWHERE

14. Promise Mascot Agency

The weirdness of Promise Mascot Agency is a big selling point in itself, and its extremely creative genre mashing just seals the deal. However, unless you were a big fan of developer Kaizen Game Works’ previous game, Paradise Killer, Promise Mascot Agency’s arrival likely came as a surprise. 

The game is such a mashup of mechanics it’s hard to even begin to describe, but we’ll try our best: players take on the role of ex-Yakuza member Michi, who is currently 12 million yen in debt after a bad business deal. 

Some of the gameplay does surround running the titular mascot agency, which is where the game’s management mechanics come in, but there’s also elements of everything from deckbuilders to detective games to slice-of-life sims.

It’s also important to note that, in this world, mascots are real. Mascots like a half-opened boiled egg, giant severed finger, and crying piece of tofu are all living creatures, and you’ll wind up doing side quests for many of them. 

This weirdness put Promise Mascot Agency on the map immediately, with many players finding it similar in some ways to the Yakuza series, which is a very complimentary — and apt — comparison.