In July, following the explosive release of the new ZAS arcade game Marvel vs ZAGE, major developments unfold across the ZAGE empire. First, the official opening of ZAGE's Osaka branch is completed. Zaboru fully staffs the branch with new hires and appoints his father—also the CTO of ZAGE—to oversee its operations. The branch's infrastructure and requirements are handled by Zanichi. Zaboru directs the Osaka team to focus on developing ZGB games, but initially assigns them the task of producing numerous ZEPS titles. This acts as a training phase before they're entrusted with building full-scale ZGB games from scratch.
As for Zanichi, he will continue working in Tokyo while also scouting the most suitable candidate to lead the Osaka branch. Interestingly, one of the top prospects is his old friend Seiya—the same person who sold ZAGE its current Osaka building. Zanichi trusts Seiya deeply, and Seiya has prior experience leading large teams from their time at Sonaya. The big question is whether Seiya is willing to return to office life, especially since his real estate business is currently booming. It's now up to Zanichi to persuade him and see if that door is still open.
That same month, Zaboru released two games. For ZEPS: Chicken Tales. For ZGB: Excitebike: Motocross Mania.
Chicken Tales draws heavy inspiration from Duck Tales in Zaboru's previous life. However, since Duck Tales characters already exist in comic and cartoon form, Zaboru alters the characters—swapping ducks for chickens. The new main character is named Ron. The game retains the classic charm and gameplay style of its inspiration, but with several enhancements. Players can upgrade their jumper, and there's a hidden easter egg featuring Zabo-man. Inside the game, a massive chicken statue awaits, difficult to climb. If the player succeeds, Zabo-man appears floating in his cape, iconic Z-helmet, and black coat, saying: "You are at peak! You are very cool." He then disappears. The game receives positive feedback. Players particularly love the smooth jumping mechanics and one boss in particular: Rock—a fire-breathing, muscular humanoid chicken who ends up stealing the spotlight from Ron himself. Because Ron design is very unique muscular chicken that walk with two feet while breathing fire.
On the ZGB front, Excitebike: Motocross Mania is a massive hit. Zaboru makes it deliberately tougher than the original in his previous world, providing a satisfying challenge for skilled players while leaving casual gamers with something to aspire to. Zabo-man makes another appearance, this time as a merchant who sells in-game upgrades to the protagonist. The game is praised for its difficulty, speed, and replayability. It became one of those games that skilled players proudly brag about, boasting their records and accomplishments. For less experienced players, it's a source of awe and motivation—a game they dream of mastering, pushing themselves to train harder in hopes of reaching the same elite level.
Meanwhile, at the USA branch, no new PC games are released in July. Instead, Zaboru focuses his team on preparing a groundbreaking title for August or September: Maniac Mansion. Inspired by his previous life's LucasArts game of the same name, Zaboru begins laying the foundation for a game engine that functions similarly to SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion), a powerful scripting system created by LucasArts in his previous life. It was designed to simplify game development by allowing developers to create dialogue, puzzles, and gameplay logic without needing to write extensive low-level code. His goal is to replicate that flexibility to streamline development for future narrative-driven ZAGE PC games. While not a traditional graphics engine, SCUMM allows developers to script dialogue, puzzles, and game logic without hardcoding everything—essentially, a flexible toolkit to streamline game development.
The final major event in July is the airing of Behind the E-Sport, a one-time special on TV Tokyo. The 90-minute documentary dives deep into the ZAGE E-Sport tournament, focusing on the 32 Street Fighter finalists. The show includes interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and candid insights from the players. The audience is genuinely interested in hearing the participants' insights and perspectives. Viewers are delighted to see gamers being acknowledged and respected on such a prominent platform, which elevates the community as a whole. However, the program ends with a critique of Zaboru for stealing the spotlight from the champions. In response, Zaboru appears at the end of the program and issues a public apology. He vows never to challenge the champions again and instead promises to host special events where players can face off against him as a fun exhibition. The response from fans is mixed. Some fiercely defend Zaboru, while others appreciate his humility and willingness to correct his course In addition to Zaboru's segment, a few non-gamer commentators—so-called "experts"—voiced their dissatisfaction with the program. They argued that competitive gaming lacked depth, a remark that sparked outrage among the gaming community. Many fans saw it as a dismissive take, undermining the effort and skill of the players showcased in the tournament.
Privately, Zaboru makes amends with Endo by presenting him with a unique reward: a custom-designed card engraved with the name Hayabusa - Endo. The card features an anime-style illustration of Endo drawn by Zaboru Himself with his iconic R.C. PRO-AM car, the Endo-F1, behind him, flanked by his favorite Street Fighter characters—Guile and Ken. The bold title "Hayabusa" stands above a caption that reads: "ZAGE Champion: R.C. PRO-AM - Street Fighter."
Endo is overwhelmed with emotion, moved to tears as he receives the card directly from Zaboru. Even though Endo had insisted Zaboru had done nothing wrong, the gesture means everything. The card itself has special power—it can be used to purchase any game once from any official ZAGE store completely free of charge. However, only Endo can use it. If the card is ever lost or stolen, it remains inactive to anyone else.
Endo held the card like his life depended on it. Zaboru even gave him a custom case to protect it—something sleek and secure. For Endo, it was a treasure beyond dreams.
When he showed the card to his friends, they went absolutely nuts. "That's so cool!" they shouted, brimming with jealousy. And Endo? He took every chance to show it off, proudly bragging about it. To him, the card wasn't just a reward—it was a symbol of pride.
To prevent any form of duplication, Zaboru went to great lengths. The card was handcrafted by him, making replication nearly impossible. Additionally, every card could be verified through a special ZAGE scanner available only in official ZAGE shops, ensuring its authenticity without question.
That wraps up ZAGE's eventful July.
To be continued...
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