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Chapter 718 Zaboru Play Game Station.
🕑 Added 2025-10-19 04:56:11 +0000 UTCWednesday 30 December 1996.
Today is the release date of the Game Station, the latest 32-bit console from Sonaya. Zaboru had already purchased it, opting for the premium bundle that included the console along with six launch titles for a hefty price of 90,000 yen. It was expensive, sure—but to Zaboru, it was worth every yen. His excitement was through the roof. This was the world’s very first 32-bit home console, and for a gamer like him, it marked a new era. The wait was over. The machine was finally in his hands. Now, Zaboru the Gamer was ready to be unleashed. Even though it was made by a rival company, Zaboru didn’t care. This was exactly the kind of moment he had longed for in his reincarnated life—to finally play a game that didn’t even exist in his past one. It was pure joy, the kind of happiness only a true gamer could understand. For him, this wasn’t just about consoles or competition—it was about experiencing something new and magical for the very first time.
Now, Zaboru and his wife Ayumi were in their office space, setting the Game Station on the table. Ayumi’s eyes lit up with curiosity as she leaned in closer. “Hee, so this is the Game Station? I wonder if it’s hard to develop games for it... but the design is pretty cool, right Zabo?” she asked with genuine interest.
Zaboru nodded. “True. The design is sleek, and you can tell they really know what they’re doing when it comes to handling disc-based products. The way they placed the disc tray, the compact build—it just looks and feels premium,” he replied, nodding in appreciation as he studied the machine.
He picked up the Game Station controller and smiled to himself. ‘Heh, this really reminds me of the Nintendo 64 controller from my previous life,’ he thought. The resemblance was striking—especially in the button layout and overall shape. However, one notable difference stood out. Instead of the long central grip that extended beneath the N64 controller, the Game Station opted for a square frame to hold the single joystick, giving it a unique silhouette.
Ayumi pointed at the joystick, tilting her head. “I wonder what this joystick is for? It kind of stands out, doesn’t it?”
Zaboru nodded again, always happy to share his knowledge. “It’s for 3D games. When games move into 3D, you need to be able to control the camera around the character, not just move the character itself. This joystick lets you do that with 360-degree control. It’s basically essential for full 3D environments,” he explained in detail.
Ayumi nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. So it’s really built for the next generation of gameplay, huh?”
“Exactly,” Zaboru said, grinning. “It’s the start of something big.”
Zaboru grinned and turned to Ayumi. “Well, Ayumi, let’s play Ultimate Brawler 3D first.”
Ayumi smiled brightly and nodded, sharing in his excitement. Zaboru carefully placed the disc for Ultimate Brawler 3D into the console. This title was a sequel to Sonaya’s previous fighting game, the original Ultimate Brawler, which had once been seen as a mere imitation of Street Fighter. But times had changed. The new installment had evolved far beyond its roots. Now, it closely resembled the fast-paced, fluid gameplay of Tekken arcade titles from ZAGE, but with a distinct twist—Sonaya had added a magical fantasy element into the mechanics.
“Heh, they definitely took inspiration from Tekken,” Zaboru muttered with a chuckle as the intro cinematic played, showing larger-than-life fighters wielding both martial skill and flashy elemental powers. “But I gotta admit, mixing in magic and super moves like in 2D fighters was a clever touch. It gives the game its own identity.”
Indeed, the game allowed players to execute super moves—dramatic, screen-filling attacks reminiscent of classic 2D brawlers—while maintaining the depth and footwork of a 3D fighting system. The result was a surprisingly satisfying hybrid that had both strategic depth and over-the-top flashiness. As the first match loaded, Zaboru selected a sword-wielding warrior Bugi while Ayumi picked a nimble, spell-casting rogue Hion.
The two played for nearly an hour, the room filled with the sound of button mashing, battle cries, and victorious shouts from Zaboru. Ayumi pouted playfully as she lost match after match, her competitive spirit growing.
“Ugh! I can’t beat you at all!” she huffed, crossing her arms with a mock scowl.
Zaboru just laughed. “You’re getting better! Just dodge more when I go for the overheads.”
Ayumi smiled at him, then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Alright, champ. I’m going to make us something to eat. You keep playing, okay?”
Zaboru nodded, still smiling as she headed to the kitchen. “Thanks, Wifey. I’ll be waiting.”
Next, Zaboru picked up what he considered the least interesting of the bunch—J Yagyu 32, a baseball game rendered with full 32-bit 3D graphics. Though it didn’t really excite him personally, he knew that for baseball fans in Japan, this title would be a big deal. The game featured full licensing of all Japanese baseball teams, and from a technical perspective, it was actually quite solid. The stadiums were detailed, the player animations fluid for 32 bit games, and the gameplay mechanics appeared thoughtfully crafted.
Still, Zaboru couldn’t bring himself to care much. Baseball just wasn’t his thing. He gave the game a brief try, swung the bat a few times, explored the menus, and admired the graphics. But even with all the polish, it didn’t hold his attention for long. With a shrug, he exited the game and reached for the next disc in the stack.
“Alright, time for something with dragons,” he muttered with a grin. The next game was Dragon Ride 2.
Zaboru grinned. “Heh, I can’t believe Sonaya actually made a sequel to Dragon Ride.” He chuckled to himself, flooded with memories of the original game. Dragon Ride 1 was a simple yet endearing title released for Sonaya’s old 8-bit console, the MGB (MUGEN GAME BOX). Back then, it didn’t need fancy graphics or complicated mechanics to hook Zaboru—its charm lay in its simplicity.
The gameplay involved riding a dragon across various fantasy landscapes. Occasionally, enemies or projectiles would fly in from different directions, and the player had to time button presses precisely to dodge or deflect them. It was easy to pick up but hard to master. Zaboru remembered how addictive it had been—the sense of speed, the simple yet satisfying challenge, and the whimsical, almost mystical feel of flying on a pixelated dragon.
Now, with Dragon Ride 2 finally in his hands, he was buzzing with excitement.
Without wasting another second, he slid the game disc into the console. The Sonaya logo burst onto the screen in smooth, glimmering 3. Then, the Dragon Ride 2 menu faded in dramatically, complete with orchestral music and a rotating model of a dragon in the background.
Zaboru couldn’t help but grin even wider. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” He pressed the start button.
Then a fully rendered 3D cutscene began to play. A dramatic scene unfolded where an elderly man, lying on the ground and clearly at the end of his life, looked up with urgency in his eyes. “Ryuride, you must tame every dragon, or our family’s legacy will be lost forever!” he said in a strained voice.
The young man holding him—Ryuride—clenched his fists and replied with determined resolve, “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I will. I swear it!”
Without hesitation, Ryuride stood up, ran toward a cliff's edge as orchestral music swelled, and leapt into the sky. Just as he disappeared from view, the screen transitioned into a loading screen.
Zaboru burst into laughter. “It’s so over-the-top! So goofy!” he said out loud, grinning ear to ear. But despite how dramatic and silly the scene was, he couldn’t help but love it. It had that perfect mix of old-school melodrama and 3d polygon cutscene that tickled his gamer heart.
Then the gameplay began. A majestic green dragon named “Kazeryu” appeared on screen, gliding gracefully in a side-scrolling path—but it was rendered in full 3D. The terrain below shifted with hills, forests, and ruined towers while clouds drifted by in the background. Then, in a dramatic entrance, Ryuride leapt into frame and landed firmly on Kazeryu’s head, clutching its horns. A pulse of glowing energy surged from Ryuride into the dragon, triggering a prompt that flashed across the screen:
“Control and Ride the Dragon! Don’t let the environment or enemies harm it!”
Two gauges appeared—one marked “Vitality,” representing Kazeryu’s health, and a second beneath it labeled “Tame Points.” Zaboru leaned in with interest.
“Ho? What are the Tame Points?” he muttered aloud, curiosity piqued.
The action kicked off immediately. Zaboru began maneuvering Kazeryu through narrow cliff passages, ducking beneath overhanging branches, and dodging tumbling rocks. The dragon, long and slender like the Eastern dragons of myth, responded smoothly to the controls. It was fast, agile, and majestic.
Enemies began to appear—dark birdlike creatures swooping in from above, shooting projectiles. Kazeryu had two special abilities: a wind breath attack and a burst-speed dash. But both had drawbacks. Using them halted the Tame meter’s progress and caused a small loss of health. It was a delicate balancing act—aggression versus caution.
“I see,” Zaboru nodded, grinning. “Tame Points must be the bond between rider and dragon. You need finesse, not brute force.”
He focused, threading Kazeryu through waves of threats with calculated movements, resisting the urge to spam attacks. The music swelled as the environment darkened and lightning cracked through the sky—marking a stage transition.
Finally, the screen lit up with gold text: “Dragon Tamed!” Ryuride raised his fist triumphantly as Kazeryu let out a thunderous roar Then Ryuride fly to the sky and . The transition to the next stage was seamless.
A new dragon emerged—this time, a thunder dragon named Kamikiri. He was built like a tank—wider frame, electric-blue scales, and sparks pulsing across his wings. Unlike Kazeryu’s graceful glide, Kamakiri’s movement was heavy and forceful. He bulldozed through obstacles with thunder blasts and absorbed hits with his thick hide. When Kamikiri charged through obstacles, he didn’t stagger like Kazeryu—instead, he bulldozed straight through them with raw power. However, this came at a cost. Kamikiri often became destabilized after impact, forcing the player to momentarily control him in reverse, adding a unique and unexpected layer of challenge. The arena was also filled with new enemy types designed to exploit Kamikiri’s slower reaction time and bulky movement.
Kamikiri came equipped with a dramatic set of abilities. His signature Roar Flash unleashed a thunderous shockwave that cleared the screen, while his devastating thunder breath attack could obliterate multiple enemies at once—but both came with long cooldowns. Additionally, he had a defensive shield move that not only blocked incoming damage but also stunned nearby enemies, giving players a brief window to recover or reposition.
The combination of brute force and instability made Kamikiri’s stage a tense, high-risk, high-reward experience.
Zaboru’s eyes widened. “Ohh, this is totally different. Heheh, this is so good!”
The variation in dragon mechanics made each new level feel fresh. Zaboru was hooked. The game introduced a volcanic dragon next, then an ice serpent, each one demanding a new strategy.
Nearly two hours later, Ayumi returned with a tray of food and a warm smile.
“Here,” she said, placing it beside him. “You’ve been at it for a while.”
Zaboru blinked, stretching his fingers. “Thanks, Honey. Man... this game’s incredible. Alright, let’s see what’s next.”
“Let’s save the best for last,” Zaboru grinned, selecting Cham Sup as his next game. This was the only original IP—not a sequel—among Sonaya’s launch lineup for the new console, which made it stand out. He was intrigued by the bold decision to introduce a brand-new title alongside big franchise names. Without hesitation, Zaboru launched the game.
Cham Sup featured a sharply dressed, talking chameleon named Cham. Clad in a sleek black suit and sunglasses, Cham had the charisma of a cartoon spy and the agility of a platforming veteran. The gameplay was a fully 3D platformer, and while the premise seemed simple at first, there was a creative charm to its mechanics. Cham could camouflage himself into nearly any background, sneak past enemies, or use his long tongue to swing from poles, grab distant objects, or slap enemies silly. Some puzzles involved blending into walls with the correct color pattern, while others required precise timing to snatch keys from patrolling foes without being spotted.
The environments were lively, colorful, and exaggerated, featuring urban rooftops, jungle ruins, secret laboratories, and even a bizarre dreamscape level. The controls were tight enough, though a little floaty at times, which made platforming sections occasionally tricky. Still, Zaboru found himself smiling. The soundtrack was jazzy and upbeat, matching Cham’s laid-back but clever personality.
The story was light and humorous—Cham was trying to stop a villainous fashion mogul from stealing the world’s colors and replacing everything with grayscale blandness. The humor didn’t always land, but the dialogue had its moments.
Zaboru nodded as he reached the end of the first major boss fight—a flamboyant, over-the-top peacock villain named Mr. Pea-Art, who was armed with paint grenades and an exaggerated sense of flair. Mr. Pea-Art hurled colorful explosives in rapid succession, laughing maniacally as the battlefield turned into a chaotic splash of hues. Cham had to constantly dodge, use his camouflage to hide behind environmental objects, and swing across ledges to avoid the paint bombs. The fight required both agility and puzzle-solving, as Cham needed to trigger levers that would temporarily disable Mr. Pea-Art’s shield.
After a few tense minutes and a lot of near-misses, Zaboru finally beat the boss. He leaned back, satisfied, and smiled. “Not bad. Definitely charming,” he said with a stretch. “But yeah… not as good as Dragon Ride 2.”
After about an hour of play, Zaboru saved his progress and backed out to the console menu. It was time for the two games he had been truly looking forward to the most.
Zaboru grinned. “Heh, Sun Knight 4 and Sheriff Juan 4—heheh, oh, I bet this is going to be good.” With a gleam of anticipation in his eyes, he selected Sheriff Juan as the first of the two to play. He adjusted his seat, leaned forward, and gripped the controller a little tighter. This was one of the moments he had been waiting for most.
To be continue
