The successor toRakuenappears as a Steam Next Fest demo
Since my teenage years, RPG Maker has always fascinated me. While the engine is often associated with low-effort RPGs that claim inspiration from some combination ofChrono Trigger,Final Fantasy 6, andEarthbound, it is also a platform for artists with lesser coding experience to bring imaginative concepts to life.To The Moon,Ib, andA Bird Storyare all examples of how creatively this engine can be used, and fans of those should absolutely giveMr.Saitou a look.
Mr. Saitouis the newest game from Laura Shigihara that is set in the world of her previous title,Rakuen. Among other works, you may know Shigihara as the talent that gave usDon’t Forget inDeltaruneandthe absolute banger of an ending song fromPlants vs Zombies.Rakuen’s a widely loved game that I’ve meant to play for years now, so I wanted to see ifMr. Saitouworked as a standalone title. After playing the demo, I can confirm thatMr. Saitouis a fun piece of what looks to be an endearing game. This is mostly a good thing.
An overworked man meets an imaginative child
The titular Mr. Saitou is a busy man. Through a visually stunning montage, we see the man work and drink himself to exhaustion before passing out in a train station. It’s a short sequence that lasts all of a handful of seconds, but it conveys plenty about Mr. Saitou and the life he lives.
The next thing we know, Mr. Saitou is in the hospital. After some cursory gameplay, our protagonist reluctantly meets a child named Brandan. The child shows Mr. Saitou his drawing of a llama/worm hybrid, and on the spot, he decides this creation is also named Mr. Saitou. He even makes llamaworm Saitou a salaryman, just like the human counterpart! Yet it’s not just one llamaworm; Brandan draws many llamaworms with some variation of Mr. Saitou’s name after citing it’s “a common name.”
This initial section ofMr. Saitouis evocative yet wholesome. Without context, you might think the game will focus on these two stuck in the hospital. Then this happens.
Adult life through childlike eyes
So yes, the core ofMr. Saitouis a businessman’s life imagined as a llamaworm doing work that probably makes sense for creatures like these. There are reports, there are analytics, and there are opinionated plants. I’d continue this description, but I’d run the risk of spoiling this 20-minute demo. That said, this is a small slice of a game that Shigihara herself calls short in the Steam store description, so don’t expect any plot twists before the demo ends.
Even without playingRakuen, it’s apparent that this childlike view of Mr. Saitou’s unsettled life is the game’s hook.Mr. Saitouis grounded in quirky absurdity, since you’ll find characters who are as prone to talk about unfaithful manga adaptations as they are to discuss business expenses. There are even unique sprite animations of Saitou and company recoiling into the ground in case you forgot that these characters are, in fact, meme-y looking animals and not actual businessmen. Don’t expect top-tier satire, but it’s relatable in the way an episode ofRugratsis when you watch it as an adult.
The story so far works by itself, butMr. Saitouis clearly intended as a supplemental experience toRakuen. Just a few minutes of playingRakuenafter I was done gave me important context to understandMr. Saitoubetter.They’re even being bundled together on Switch, which should indicate Shigihara’s intention.Rakuen‘s already a short game with a budget price, so consider this more a heads-up than a notable barrier to entry.
Let’s talk about music
Funny enough, the highlight of this demo wasa scene that features music by guest composter Toby Fox. You might know him forwriting a song about some guy climbing a towerandmaking a track inspired by aLive a Livesong. It’s not that Fox’s contribution is theonlyreason why this scene worked well, but it did ironically make a character intended to be annoying come off as strangely endearing.
I mostly mention this because Toby Fox’s contribution toanythingis a conversation starter. That said, Shigihara’s music is ample enough reason to be excited forMr.Saitou. Every track here exudes personality and blends into the scenery of the game impeccably well. Even the abrasive track that plays when you see the…thingallegedly infesting the llamaworm office building is strangely catchy, which is a testament to Shigihara’s talent in this department. This shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’re familiar with her work, but if you aren’t, now you know.
More music from the game has since been posted to Shigihara’s YouTube channel, and these tracks make me really excited to see the placesMr. Saitouwill go when the full game is released. However, this brings me to my sole sticking point with this particular demo.
Should you play the demo?
While I like theMr. Saitoudemo, I’m not sure who it’s for.
If you lovedRakuen, you likely were sold on this game already. GivenMr. Saitouwill officially launch on March 23rd, there’s little need to whet our appetites. Meanwhile, if you’re on the fence, the demo doesn’t do much to sell you on the experience. It’s too short to establish where this story is going, and there’s no compelling gameplay to show off in a title like this.
I bring this up becausethe trailer for the game already paints a very evocative picture of the themesMr. Saitouwill tackle. This makes the demo feel redundant by comparison, especially since it doesn’t offer further insight into either Mr. Saitou or his wormy counterpart. For now, I can only say it’s impossible to take a small chunk of a short story to showcase what the finished product will look like. You need to have enough faith in Shigihara that the full game will be as stirring and heartwarming as the trailer promises.
On the whole,theMr. Saitoudemo is primarily a showcase for the sillier dialogue you could expect to see in the finished product. Though no joke in this demo elicited more than a smile from me, these more wholesome experiences are welcome breaks from combat-centric titles. If your favorite adjectives for indie games are “quirky” and “charming” then theMr. Saitoudemo will absolutely make your day. For everyone else… well, there is what appears to be an exclusive scene for the demo where Shigihara herself turns into a toilet.
On second thought, forget everything I said. Absolutelydownload the demoforMr. Saitouand experience this masterpiece adventure for yourself.
