Foto Boy: A New Job Review – All Hail the Janitor

Since the decline of the once-great Leisure Suit Larry franchise, the ecchi-themed adventure genre has been rather non-existent on consoles. And that’s a shame, since the light puzzle-solving of the genre felt immensely rewarding when bundled with some cheeky titillation. There have been some incredible efforts made with Flash-style PC games, often found on the likes of Newgrounds, but can their console variants ever make a proper comeback?

Introduction

Foto Boy: A New Job is an adventure-puzzle game with top-down 2D visuals resembling a retro RPG. The game was developed by Sweet Banana Games and released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as a cross-buy title by ecchi game publisher Gamuzumi on 28th February, 2025. The game aims to be the first chapter in an episodic series of misadventures.

There’s something brilliantly nostalgic about Foto Boy that many will relate to, largely due to a protagonist taking on a new job that’s perhaps outside of our comfort zone, yet is a necessary evil to generate a paycheck; one that can be tolerated though, either as a temporary fix until something better comes along, or by taking advantage of our new position to gain leverage within a dysfunctional company.

Story

Down-on-his-luck Kin has managed to land a job as a janitor at the previously all-female staffed Otona (sex)Toy company. Initially looked down on and mistreated, Kin quickly discovers his new position might just be his dream job as he’s tasked by a shifty reporter with photographing the beautiful women around the office. Kin will have to be shrewd yet bold in his task, as his sexy new co-workers won’t pose for him without a good reason.

Kin will have to earn the trust and favour of his colleagues if he wants to keep his job and impress his boss. If he messes up and causes a scene, the new kid will likely be fired on the spot. Can he succeed where others have failed and earn his boss’ respect? Be patient and observant, as sometimes opportunities present themselves when we least expect them.

Gameplay

In this retro-stylised adventure game, we’ll be exploring the vibrant little world of Foto Boy from a top-down 2D perspective. On top of interacting with the eccentric staff of the Otona Toy company, Kin will also be tasked with some very light puzzle-solving to unlock new characters, new areas, and finish his first day at work.

We also have the semi-optional task of taking up to ten photos of the women working in and around the building by pressing the R1 button. Each photo must be taken consensually to work. You’ll automatically save a copy of any successful photos to view at any time. Selling a full collection of photos to “Shifty” the reporter, or entering restricted areas of the building may result in a bad ending being achieved.

Graphics/Sound

Foto Boy utilises retro style 8bit and 16bit era graphics. Characters feature minimalist detail and animations but also display higher detailed portraits with reactive facial expressions which regularly update from line to line. Photos of each of the ten available girls are also pixelated yet feature colourful details and pretty, dynamic poses, though the fan-service is minimal here.

Dialogue is fully text-based with no voice acting included and minimalist, ambient music tracks. However, each line of text is expertly crafted to deliver plenty of comedy and innuendo. Interactions are generally cheeky and flirtatious, and even the more serious or awkward conversations can usually be quickly turned around by Kin’s relentless charm.

Replayability/Trophies

The game features three different endings which are dependent on the player’s knack for selling photos or exploring forbidden areas. Photographing each of the ten available girls (one of which is only available for a very limited time) is key in unlocking most of the game’s trophies, rather than viewing each specific ending.

What at first seems to be a very simple platinum trophy playthrough, which is achievable in as little as an hour, is unfortunately let down by one broken trophy, ‘No Holding It In’, which wouldn’t unlock in either the PS4 or PS5 versions of the game, despite fulfilling all possible requirements. It’s an unfortunate oversight which hasn’t been patched at the time of writing.

Conclusion

As someone who isn’t a fan of pixel art, I’m a firm believer that such minimalist visuals should be compensated with solid characters, an enjoyable script, and a low price point, all of which Foto Boy delivers easily. It might only be an hour long, but for less than a fiver, we’re getting a genuinely funny experience with some replay factor too.

What surprised me is how little fan-service there is in the game for a comedic adventure that could be an American Pie-era, Leisure Suit Larry-inspired sexy romp. It’s surprisingly tame for a Gamuzumi title, with an occasional cleavage-heavy pixelated photo being the best we get, yet the game successfully makes the journey as fun as the climax, if not more so.

There are some little imperfections that stop the title from gaining that perfect ten, such as the rare minor typo in the text and that one annoyingly broken trophy, yet the rest of the game is an absolute blast. It’s a fun little time-waster that would fit in nicely with the Newgrounds adult adventure genre. It’s unfortunate that we actually have to pay for this little console adventure, though thankfully not very much.