Mr. Saitou Review: Return to Rakuen

Although I’m admittedly a huge crybaby, only one game has ever made me uncontrollably sob to the point where I needed to be consoled by my husband, held in the fetal position like a dumb little emotional baby: Rakuen. I won’t spoil anything for those who have yet to play this literal masterpiece (seriously, go play it), but those who have definitely know what I’m talking about. The characters are whimsical yet realistic, the world is fantastical yet familiar, and the story… oh God, the story…

So, like anyone else who bawled their way through Rakuen, I was instantly sold on Mr. Saitou, a short and sweet stand-alone title that expands Rakuen’s universe. Developed and published by the too-pure-for-this-world Laura Shigihara, Mr. Saitou depicts the unlikely friendship between a struggling salaryman and a kind-hearted child during their shared hospital stay. And while Mr. Saitou is only a 1 – 2 hour casual romp through fairly charted territory, it delivers a powerful message about life, love, and happiness.

Mr. Saitou opens up on our titular overworked salaryman going about his routine — training it in bright and early to stare at a computer screen until the sun goes down, followed by a lengthy stop at a ramen bar to sleep off the stress (and one too many drinks). Stumbling through the streets and collapsing in the middle of the train station proved to be an odd wake-up call for Mr. Saitou, who found himself in the hospital due to this unhealthy lifestyle. It was here where he met the imaginative and inquisitive Brandon, who envisioned a whimsical world full of llamaworms all named Saitous — one that, like the characters in Rakuen, both Brandon and Mr. Saitou magically ended up in…

If you’ve played games like Rakuen and To The Moon before, you’ll be all-too familiar with how RPG Maker games like Mr. Saitou work. You run around a pixelated world, complete some missions, solve puzzles, and talk to NPCs. And if you’ve played Rakuen before, you’ll hear familiar music as you run around a familiar world and even spot some familiar characters. I don’t want to say much more because this is a pretty short game; with that being said, Mr. Saitou is enjoyable and understandable on its own, but you’ll get more out of it if you’ve played Rakuen before.

For better or worse, Mr. Saitou being heralded as “a new Rakuen game” definitely sets some high expectations when it comes to emotionality — I know I was fully prepared to openly weep when I booted it up. But like Shigihara herself stated on the game’s Steam page, “Mr. Saitou serves as a fun enhancement of that world, rather than a direct sequel.” It certainly discusses some heavy topics that can be sadly relatable, and the overall message is one we all need to hear on repeat, but I didn’t get that same emotional gut punch that I did when the credits rolled on Rakuen. I want to stress this isn’t the fault of Mr. Saitou at all, as the game is perfectly portioned and says what it wants without unnecessary filler — rather to say that anyone getting into this tiny title should set their expectations accordingly.

With all that being said… I kinda wish I had that unnecessary filler. Mr. Saitou was fun! It had a silly corporate world with great characters that I wanted to know more about. I enjoyed pushing Subpartou’s buttons. I got a kick out of talking to all the plants. I would have loved a taco night with the Basic Math Sphinx. I literally interacted with every item that I saw at least twice just to see if anything different happened. I don’t know how else to say it, but Mr. Saitou felt like a kind of Rakuen fanfiction game in a way — a little title composed of leftover elements from Rakuen made with so much love that was juuuust big enough to be on its own, but barely so. I would welcome a longer version of Mr. Saitou just as much as I would welcome a series of episodes into the world of Rakuen, Mr. Saitou serving as the first one. Am I crazy for thinking this way? Have I had too much mud to drink? I’ll need more metrics to decide.

Mr. Saitou is a short but sweet romp through the universe of Rakuen, a silly little homecoming to a wonderfully whimsical world. Although it’s not as emotional as the first game, it’s not trying to be; with that being said, I still shed a few tears during the two hours I spent with it. If you listen to Mr. Saitou and set your expectations accordingly, you’ll emotionally relate to the realistic struggles of adult life while feeling healed by the cheerful innocence childhood has to offer. In the very least, Mr. Saitou offers a brief return to the world of Rakuen and the feeling of being hugged by a game.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available on: Switch, PC (Reviewed); Publisher: Laura Shigihara; Developer: Laura Shigihara; Players: 1; Released: March 23, 2023; MSRP: $11.99

Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Mr. Saitou provided by the publisher.