Thursday, January 14, 1993
After indulging in a full day of gaming yesterday, Zaboru the gamer had now returned to his usual self—the meticulous developer. Today, his focus shifted back to productivity, especially to assisting Kojima and Yugo in completing their respective projects. Both developers had been given ample time to craft their visions, and the progress had been steady, thanks in no small part to oversight from Zaboru's father, Zanichi Renkonan, the CTO of ZAGE.
Zaboru trusted both of them to develop their respective games with creative freedom. For Yugo, this marked his second game since the release of Koro-Cool 1 last year, and he was clearly eager to prove himself once again.
Determined to check in, Zaboru first made his way to Hideo Kojima's workspace. He invited him to the meeting room for a quick discussion.
"Kojima-san, could you please come to the meeting room? I'd like to speak with you personally about your game," Zaboru said. Kojima looked momentarily surprised but nodded and followed Zaboru toward the meeting room.
"So, Kojima-san, how's Zone EX: Interceptor Protocol coming along?" Zaboru asked.
Kojima nodded. "It's going well, boss. With support from the ZAGE team and your earlier input, progress has been solid. We're on track for a 22 January completion, well ahead of the 25 January release. But there's one thing that's been bothering me—not technical, more conceptual. Actually, this might be a bit of a spoiler—hope you don't mind. The final boss mirrors the player's weapons and abilities, and while it's a tough fight, something about it feels underwhelming. Narratively, it makes sense for the boss to be this way, but I can't help feeling it needs more impact. Any ideas on how to elevate it?
Zaboru leaned back and smiled. "Try this: make the first phase of the boss fight brutally hard. Then, after the player manages to overcome it, transition into a second phase where both the player and the boss lose all weapons. Just bare fists—robotic punches. But here's the twist: include a short cutscene or dialogue snippet that explains why they resort to this, something raw and human—like a mutual respect forged in battle or a shared history. Show their exhaustion, their determination, their desperation. That kind of storytelling adds emotional weight and makes the finale unforgettable."
It was an ironic twist—Zaboru had just handed Kojima the very style of boss fight that, in his previous life, Kojima would become famous for: intense drama, layered storytelling, and unexpected twists. In a strange way, Zaboru had passed the torch of vision from one timeline to another, guiding this version of Kojima at ZAGE toward the same brilliance the world once knew.
Kojima's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant. It'll definitely make the ending more powerful. I'll incorporate it right away. Thanks, boss!"
"Anytime, Kojima-san," Zaboru replied with a nod.
After that, he made his way to his own workshop and called Yugo over. As always, Yugo arrived brimming with energy.
"Boss-sama! Long time no see!" he beamed.
Zaboru chuckled. "Yeah yeah, Yugo. How's your game Koro-Cool The Chainsaw Man progressing?"
Yugo gave a thumbs-up. "Everything's great, boss-sama! I don't need your help this time. But you HAVE to play it when it's done!"
"Ooh, bold of you to say you don't need my help—I like that," Zaboru said with a grin. "Of course I'll play your game, Yugo. By the way, do you have any ideas for your next project after Koro-Cool? Or are you thinking about turning it into a trilogy—or maybe something even bigger?"
Yugo shook his head enthusiastically. "Nope! Koro-Cool is my only focus right now. I want to give it everything I've got. Maybe new ideas will come later—but not today!" He paused, then added with a proud grin, "And yes! I definitely want to make Koro-Cool even bigger—more levels, more characters, crazier power-ups. I want it to be the kind of game kids talk about at school for weeks!"
Zaboru patted him on the shoulder. "Got it. Keep pushing forward. I'm excited to see how it turns out."
As Yugo bounced out of the room, Zaboru sat back and reflected. I've got three standout developers here—Kojima, Yugo, and my father. Maybe one day, I'll need to assign full development teams to individual projects. But for now, this works.
Zaboru imagined a future where ZAGE had grown into a massive company, boasting ten or more full development teams, each working on exciting new titles. In that vision, ZAGE would be pumping out high-quality games regularly, thriving in a fast-paced production cycle. But for now, the current setup with a medium, close-knit group and Zaboru leading hands-on still felt right. It was the kind of environment where ideas could flourish and creative risks were encouraged.
With that, Zaboru picked up the phone and called Nando Michio for updates on the 1942 and Captain Commando arcade machines.
"Nando-san, how are the arcade cabinets coming along? Can they be ready by January?" Zaboru asked over the phone.
"Yes," Nando replied, "but it will be very late January—maybe around the 29th—when we can begin distributing them across Japan."
Zaboru nodded. "That's fine. It still fits our timeline. Just make sure I get to try it first once it's done."
Nando chuckled. "You'll be able to play the arcade version as early as January 21. Let's meet then—I'd love to get your feedback."
Zaboru smiled, nodding. "Sounds great. I'm looking forward to it."
After that, Zaboru returned to his desk, deep in thought. He opened his notebook and began scribbling ideas, contemplating what the next big release from ZAGE should be. Should it be a bold new genre, a spin-off from a current hit, or something entirely experimental? And where should he release it? ZEPS, ZGB , Arcade , PC ?He tapped his pen against the desk, eyes scanning the walls filled with concept art and design notes.
Zaboru then thought "Maybe I should develop games based on movies or series from my previous life. Those stories had strong foundations, and even though 8-bit hardware has its limitations, the right adaptations could really shine. Then again, maybe it's smarter to focus on sequels to the titles I've already released—there's so much potential to expand on those worlds. Or... what if I remake the ZEPS games for the ZGB? A ZEPS title, originally designed for the home console, could feel completely fresh on the ZGB handheld. The controls, pacing, and visuals would need to be rebalanced for portable play, but that's exactly what makes it exciting. There's a unique charm to playing something that used to play on a bigger screen to play it on a smaller screen, in the palm of your hand. I'm sure players would appreciate that kind of experience—it could feel great yet novel at the same time but it might still too early for that"
Zaboru continues to brainstorm and obviously he's having fun with it.
to be continue
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