The Happiest Game I've Ever Played (Promise Mascot Agency)
I've never been so happy playing a game, stretching back over almost fifty years.
You're a disgraced yakuza sent to a cursed town to take a run-down mascot agency and return it to its former greatness, all the while making cash to send back to the family to pay off a massive debt.
Oh, and mascots are actually a species that live among humans. They're not wearing costumes. Your sidekick is a wisecracking, gigantic pinky that's roughly 5'6" tall.
It's utterly wacky, and also incredibly warm. It's also very Japanese in the best way.
It's also very, very funny, certainly the funniest game I've ever played.
You have a truck (a kei, which is specific to Japan) which also turns into a plane, and traveling in either mode is utterly fantastic. You traverse the island, never walking, and go about your business. There's no combat, though there is conflict, although it's genuinely light-hearted.
Even though the game is tremendously funny, it's also remarkable how incredibly well it's designed. It's a masterpiece in game design, and the gameplay loop is addictive.
I don't have a single bad thing to say. It's just aces all the way through.
I played it on PS5, but it's also on Xbox and Steam (Steam link here).
Oh, and don't feel bad for hating Mike Miller. Everyone does.
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