Tuesday, October 14, 1992
As always, Zaboru remained laser-focused on preparing for ZAGE's October game releases. There were still a couple of weeks left before the planned launch date, which would coincide with the U.S. debut of the ZGB ads and the official ZGB release in America. In the meantime, Zaboru was tweaking final gameplay elements, coordinating marketing assets, and starting to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming November lineup. His energy never dipped, and he remained seated at his desk, engrossed in designs, charts, and playtest reports.
That morning, his assistant Yumi knocked at the office door.
"Boss, Ayumi-san and Akechi Hamazou are here. They said they want to submit a new game," she said with a warm smile.
Zaboru blinked, mildly surprised. "Really? Alright. Ask them to wait for me in the Quality Control room. I'll be right there."
Minutes later, Zaboru entered the QC room to find Ayumi and her older brother Akechi standing beside one of the dev stations. Ayumi's eyes sparkled with excitement, and Akechi, typically stoic, had a faint but visible smile.
"So," Zaboru began, "Is this another collab, like back in August when you released Beast Ninja: Usagi Shinobi? That game was great."
Ayumi beamed. "Yes! We collaborated again! This one is even better, I swear!"
Akechi nodded. "We've built on the design and refined the mechanics. This is our next big step."
Zaboru nodded. "Alright then, let me see what you've got."
Ayumi handed over the prototype cartridge. The game was titled Usa-Guns! The cover art depicted four cybernetically enhanced rabbits in modern ninja gear, each wielding unique weapons. Zaboru raised an eyebrow.
"Usa-Guns? Seriously?" he asked with a smirk, glancing at Akechi.
Akechi sighed. "I told her the name was terrible."
Ayumi pouted. "You two just don't get it. It's a pun! A clever one!"
Yugo, who had been nearby examining another game build, chimed in. "Actually, I think it's kinda cool."
Ayumi grinned triumphantly. "See! I told you!"
Zaboru sighed and chuckled. "Alright, alright. Let's judge it by the gameplay."
The moment the game booted, a stylized intro played, showing Earth under threat from alien invaders. A secret team of cyber-ninja rabbits was humanity's last line of defense. The player was then prompted to choose one of four characters. Each rabbit had a name, a role, a unique weapon, and special abilities:
BUNJI "Red Fang"
Role: Leader
Weapon: Twin Katana Carrot Blades
Special: Blazing Crescent Slash – a fiery spinning dash attack
Personality: Stoic, serious, bound by honor
Bio: The last disciple of the Ranin Temple. Trained in Bushido and ancient rabbit ninjutsu. After the fall of the Ranin Clan, he vowed to protect Earth from alien threats.
MINT "Cyber Spin"
Role: Tech Specialist
Weapon: Chakram Discs
Special: Circuit Storm – an electric field AoE attack
Personality: Sarcastic, brilliant, unpredictable
Bio: Former hacker bunny who got cybernetically enhanced after being captured and escaping from a machine hive. Now she fights for revenge—and fun.
RUSTY "Boom Thump"
Role: Brawler & Heavy Hitter
Weapon: Shock Gauntlets
Special: Thumpquake – stuns all enemies nearby
Personality: Loud, energetic, protective
Bio: Built like a bear, hits like a freight train. Rusty used to fight in illegal mech brawls until Bunji recruited him after a massive underground tournament.
SHIRO "Moon Flash"Role: Stealth & Speed
Weapon: Photon Dagger
Special: Afterimage Dash – instant teleport and backstab
Personality: Mysterious, silent, ghost-like
Bio:A ninja from the hidden Lunar Shadows tribe. Shiro communicates through hand signs and only speaks when absolutely necessary.
"Wow," Zaboru muttered as he flipped through the selection screen. "You two really put a lot of thought into this." The UI for character selection was sharp and sleek, on par with the best he'd seen in-house, especially reminiscent of ZAGE's own Z-Man title. Each character came with detailed profiles, portraits, weapon stats, and a dynamic preview animation that played as he hovered over their names. Zaboru was visibly impressed. The care in presentation and polish reflected a clear understanding of game design.
Akechi nodded. "We designed the characters around gameplay utility. The class roles are functional."
Ayumi added, "And each character has mid-game unlockable abilities, depending on usage and progression."
"And you can swap between two characters mid-mission?"
"Exactly!" Ayumi clapped. "The game encourages adaptability. Some levels require stealth, others brute force. You have to use the right rabbit at the right time."
The gameplay began, and Zaboru was immediately immersed. The graphics were rich for ZEPS standards, and the hybrid between Ninja Gaiden and Contra-style combat worked perfectly. There were vertical and horizontal levels, dynamic movement inputs, and hidden areas only accessible to specific characters types specific abilities (hacking, stealth, heavy fire) to complete secrets or boss fights. It was polished, fast, and creative.
Zaboru then said, "The gameplay feels like a brilliant blend between Ninja Gaiden and Contra—fast, responsive, and packed with action. And the Role system? It's not just window dressing; it genuinely shapes the gameplay strategy. That level of integration is seriously impressive. Well done."
Akechi added, "We also have four unlockable characters. They each require certain in-game choices or hidden items to access."
Zaboru was visibly impressed. "You even borrowed my TMNT unlock system. Smart."
Ayumi blushed. "I loved ZAGE TMNT, but always wished they were rabbits. So... here we are!"
Akechi looked away, arms crossed. "Also, ninja are the peak of coolness."
Then Akechi added, "We always look to your games for inspiration. ZAGE titles, especially the ones you create are exceptional, Zaboru. I hope you don't mind that we draw from them."
Zaboru laughed lightly. "Of course not, Akechi-san. I make these games to inspire others. If someone wants to take what I've done, rework it, and make it their own, I'm all for it. That's how creativity spreads."
Ayumi giggled, "See, Nii-sama? Zabo's so weird. He actually gets happy when competitors make great games—even if they borrow his ideas! It's like he just wants more good games in the world, right Zabo?"
Zaboru grinned, and nodded. "Absolutely right, Ayumi. At the end of the day, I'm a gamer first. If the game is good, I'm excited to play it no matter who made it."
Then Zaboru smiled. "Anyway This is another high-quality work from Akaishidan. You've got yourselves another greenlight. I'll pass this over to the dev ops team for final testing and polish. When it's ready, we'll schedule it for release."
Ayumi squealed and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Zabo!"
Akechi simply nodded, satisfied. Even he couldn't hide the small hint of pride in his expression.
"I can't wait to play the full game," Zaboru said, standing up. "You two really did something amazing again."
The three of them lingered in the room for a while longer, talking about future concepts, character designs, and the possibility of branching the Usa-Guns universe into other formats—maybe a comic, or even a short animated series. Yugo, still nearby, excitedly pitched his own fan theories.
Eventually, they all returned to their individual work, but the energy lingered. For Ayumi and Akechi, it was another creative milestone. For Zaboru, it was yet another reason to believe in the people around him and get another good game to play!.
To be continued.
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