In February, I played the demo for Laura Shigihara’s new game Mr. Saitou and wrote about it in my fortnightly (not that one) column Indie Insights. Now it is time to finally experience the full adventure of Mr. Saitou. Let’s dive into the world of Llamaworms and crippling existential doubt as the full game releases on Steam!
Mr. Saitou Introuces You to Llamaworms
The beginning of the game is the same as the previously released demo. After an accident leaves tired Salaryman Mr. Saitou in hospital, he meets Brandon, the most enthusiastic child that has ever lived. Brandon has created and drawn a species called Llamaworms and also makes friendship bracelets. He promptly names the Llamaworm he has drawn Saitou, then draws more, naming them all Saitou, apart from the one wider than the others. He’s called Widetou.
After Brandon leaves, Mr. Saitou sleeps and wakes up in a meeting room surrounded by co-workers and his boss with a presentation to give. Also, he and everyone else is now a Llamaworm.
You must first find seven metrics and give them to your boss, Boss-tou. Then, explore the office, chat with your co-workers (and the house plants), and avoid Irritatou, the office jerk (whose theme was composed by Toby Fox), before turning in your metrics and going to an after-work drinks gathering despite very much not wanting to. Mr. Saitou is a very relatable Llamaworm.
The next day, Mr. Saitou wakes up to find a strange flower bud child in his apartment and a recurring infestation of Minimori. Minimori, as well as their larger versions Megamori and Gigamori, are gormless-looking birds that plop down wherever they feel like it. Mr. Saitou is deathly afraid of them. The strange flower bud child is called Brandon (I think we all knew this would be the case), and he gets rid of the Minimori for Saitou.
Brandon is on a mission to find the Flooded Gemstone Caverns near where Mr. Saitou lives. Seeing as Mr. Saitou has already slept in and missed his presentation, he offers to help Brandon enter the caverns.
Adventure Awaits!
This seems like I’ve given a lot of background, especially considering the game’s short length. But as you will see when playing Mr. Saitou, it is much more about the story and the people than about gameplay. The game is only about an hour and a half long; honestly, it’s more of an interactive narrative than the puzzle game it appears to be.
To reach the Flooded Gemstone Caverns, you have to help handsome meme Llamaworm, Archaeolotou, build his Minimori café. To do this, you must find varying sizes of Minimori in the networks of caves. You will then bring them back out to sit on their corresponding stones.
As you explore the caverns with Brandon, you must solve strange puzzles involving Minimori and occasionally golf balls. The puzzles are governed by gigantic, seemingly sentient calculators on the walls of some caverns. These puzzles have the same answer because, as I said, the puzzles aren’t the point.
There are mushroom people to meet, sentient trees, Old Aunt Onions, and various other interesting and beautiful weirdos to meet on your journey. My personal favorites are Tony the bear, the Sphinx of Math, Rob-tou, and Widetou. Rob-tou and Tony have a connection, but I won’t spoil that. I also decided back when I played the demo that J.K Simmons played Boss-tou in full J. Jonah Jameson mode. It makes it about 100 times funnier. It’s a role I truly believe he would play when the inevitable Mr. Saitou movie is optioned.
The game has wonderful dialog and runs the gamut from silly to serious. For example, one second, Boss-tou asks, “Is this your small, pink son?” about Brandon. The next, you learn that Brandon spends most of his time at the nursing home making friends with the residents before inevitably having to say goodbye for the last time.
Wrapping Up
Mr. Saitou is a game about conquering fears, living for yourself, and discovering who you are. Before his adventure with Brandon, Mr. Saitou tried to dig to the center of the Earth. But, unfortunately, llamaworms that try to do this don’t return. The sequence where Mr. Saitou explains this to his new little bud friend is intercut with moments from the real Mr. Saitou’s life. It culminates in him standing on the edge of a train platform as it speeds toward him.
The game also packs a surprisingly emotional punch. Have you ever cried over a purple tie with a dessert pattern? I have. The balance between silly, funny, and serious is perfect. Coupled with the wonderful soundtrack and inventive visuals, it makes for a surprisingly impactful experience. This will be no surprise for those familiar with Laura Shigihara’s previous game, Rakuen. There may also be some fun little crossovers.
Mr. Saitou is released on Steam on March 23!