TWOLER: Mr. Saitou is a sincere commentary on the absurdities of service

If you click a link and purchase we might get a little commission. Read our editorial policy.

You likewise play as a llamaworm, there’s that too

Irritatou, a frustrating Saitou, smiles straight into the electronic camera as Mr. Saitou weeps in the background.

Japan’s harsh working culture isn’t precisely a trick. You’ve most likely heard the scary stories, or a minimum of, got the basic essence that success in Japanese organization frequently corresponds to time. You do not always require to be doing work, you simply require to be present as the clock hands shift. A difficult employee is minimized to a statue that just springs to life once again when their manager gets up to leave.

Mr. Saitou is a brief pixel art RPG that provides a humorous commentary on the absurdities of working culture in Japan, with periodic flashes of severity. Completable in one sitting, it’s a video game I ‘d advise to anybody.

Mr. Saitou comes thanks to Laura Shigihara, the dazzling mind behind Rakuen, another pixel art RPG of a comparable ilk which we definitely loved. Mr. Saitou is an extension of that universe, however if you’ve not played Rakuen, do not stress! Mr. Saitou informs its own story and you do not require any anticipation to enjoy its brief tale.

The video game stars Mr. Saitou, a typical clerical employee who’s being squashed under the weight of overwork. A mix of burnout and social seclusion lead to a health center see, where he awakens to discover an innocent kid called Brandon concealing in his space. At the time, Brandon is whatever Saitou isn’t: relaxed, fun-loving, passionate. The only things Saitou has the ability to summon are small inflammation and a frown.

Brandon ultimately draws Saitou as a Llamaworm – a cross in between a llama and a worm – in the middle of a gaggle of other llamaworm good friends. They’re all called Saitou according to Brandon, as he discusses that even if the broader llamaworm is called Widetou, they’re all variations of Saitou. It’s at this point where things shift from truth as we understand it, to one that’s made up of llamaworms and huge blue owls called minimoris.

Saitou, a llamaworm, and Brandon, a pink pickle thing, ride a train together in Mr. Saitou. — Shigihara states the video game’s completable in 2-3 hours, which lines up with my playtime of around 2.5 hours. I like this! Yes to video games that are little and completable. Oh, the video game likewise includes excellent tunes from Shigihara, Toby Fox, and No Holds Bard.

Saitou is distorted to a workplace that mirrors his own in truth, other than in this one, he’s a llama worm. Everybody is a llamaworm. His manager is called Bosstou, a stringent person who has a moustache that radiates authority. Among your extremely first jobs is to gather packages of paper merely called “metrics” – since apparent choices can’t be made without metrics!

From there on, the video game ends up being a really basic RPG where you guide Saitou around, chat to folks, and total standard puzzles. There’s a small aspect of backtracking later, however the course forwards is mainly apparent and skillfully built. Without ruining excessive, the huge bulk of the video game does not occur in a workplace, however sees you check out the strange cavern systems of the llamaworms. Your overarching objective is to gather the blue owls and position them on platforms, which opens something I will not enter into.

Saitou, Bosstou, Robtou, and Widetou are caught in a workplace filled with blue owls in Mr. Saitou. — I discovered Widetou to be a fascinating character. He likes cake and has a soothing personality, frequently concerning Saitou and others’ help when they require peace of mind. I could not shake the sense that he’s this sort of envoy for obedience. He’s helpful of other Saitous, however he mostly informs them to manage their circumstance. Perhaps I’m checking out excessive into it?

Throughout, I discovered the video game to be really amusing. Like, I in fact chuckled and laughed to myself in reality, thanks to Saitou’s exceptional interactions with his quirkiest buddies like Robtou, an odd guy who is identified to get a bear to pay its taxes. There’s likewise a blast of funny gold when you’re challenged by Irritatou, who, err, truly gets up in your face.

While a number of your chats and interactions are ridiculous, the video game’s overarching style hangs over everything. You find that llamaworms state “Have a long day!” to one another as they part methods. Or when you’re required to opt for beverages after work, Bosstou is identified for you to drain (you consume mud, naturally), as how else are you going to blow off steam?! Shigihara may minimize Japan’s work culture and how it’s baked into Saitou, however that’s exactly the point. She handles to extract Japan’s absurd working ruleset by putting it in a similarly ludicrous setting. The 2 mesh awfully well.

Mr. Saitou is a terrific, brief RPG which sees a distressed salaryman rediscover little bits of himself, all thanks to a brilliant kid with an imagine his own. And while there’s some major bits therein, Shigihara skillfully makes sure that the overarching style of Japan’s working culture exists as absurd – due to the fact that it is. Eventually, organization is unusual, so make certain it’s your organization to provide the video game a try.