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Chapter 535: Insane Collaboration
🕑 Added 2025-07-23 02:09:30 +0000 UTCWednesday, 10 October 1994
After the interview with Shinji Mikami last night, Zaboru quickly informed his HR team and secretary that he had a new recruit, whom he had personally interviewed. It didn’t take long before Shinji Mikami arrived at the ZAGE offices, finalized his contract, and officially joined ZAGE.
Excited to start immediately, Mikami was assigned to the Quality Control division under Yugo’s leadership, taking the role of vice head of the team. The te
am was delighted to have him, and Mikami couldn’t help but notice how incredible the working environment at ZAGE was — the atmosphere was vibrant yet disciplined, with everyone deeply passionate about their craft. Everything was highly organized, and at the Tokyo branch, they were currently working on the Yu-Gi-Oh! game, filling the office with a sense of excitement and anticipation.
What surprised Mikami most was how skilled Zaboru was at overseeing work. He assigned tasks with precise details, making it easy for developers to solve problems efficiently and confidently. Whenever developers got stuck, they often asked Zaboru directly — and he almost always had a clear, insightful solution ready. Mikami noticed how Zaboru balanced creativity with practicality, offering encouragement without sugarcoating problems. That’s when Shinji Mikami understood why ZAGE could create so many games with insane quality in short amount of time— the answer was simple: it was because of Zaboru himself, the rare leader who inspired excellence while keeping the team grounded and have insane technical skills.
As for Zaboru, he was working alongside the Tokyo branch to complete Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories. The project was progressing fast because Zaboru had already designed many of the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in his free time, complete with stats, effects, and balance notes. The team’s main task now was not only to create the storyline and integrate the card effects into the game but also to fine-tune animations and audio cues that would make each duel feel exciting and immersive.
Meanwhile, at the Osaka branch, Zaboru had left the development of Ganbare Goemon in the hands of Shigeru Miyamoto. He had already provided Miyamoto with a basic script, general gameplay concepts, and even the soundtrack. From there, it was up to Miyamoto to improve and expand the project — and based on experience, Zaboru knew Miyamoto would not disappoint. Miyamoto’s creativity and attention to detail had always been good , and Zaboru trusted that under his touch, the game would become something charming, quirky, and fun.
That night, as the day wound down and most employees had gone home, Zaboru was still inside his workshop, sketching out ideas and planning for the next game. The soft hum of equipment filled the room, and scattered notes lay across his desk. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. When he stepped outside, it was none other than Yugo and Hideo Kojima, both grinning with an air of excitement. “Oh, Yugo, Hideo! What’s up?” Zaboru smiled warmly, setting his pen aside.
He was already close with Hideo Kojima and called him by his first name. Yugo grinned, eyes bright with excitement. “Boss-sama, Hideo and I have something to talk to you about!” Hideo Kojima nodded and smiled warmly. “That’s right, boss. As Yugo said, could you spare some time to talk with us?” Zaboru chuckled, pushing his chair back with a stretch. “Sure thing.” He closed his workshop, locking the door behind him, and followed Yugo, with Hideo Kojima walking beside them, the three of them sharing quiet anticipation as they headed down the softly lit corridor.
“So… what’s this all about?” Zaboru asked, curious.
Hideo Kojima began explaining with a playful smile. “Well, Yugo and I were always arguing, boss — which is better: insane fantasy like Yugo’s game Koro-Cool, or insane sci-fi like my game Zone EX? We went back and forth on it, debating ideas late into the night… and eventually, we decided — why not collaborate and create a game together?”
Yugo nodded enthusiastically.
Zaboru’s eyes widened. A game from Yugo’s wild imagination combined with Kojima’s mind-bending ideas? This could be something incredible…
He grinned. “Really? Do you have a draft already?”
Kojima nodded and handed over a folder. On the front, it read: Project BEATEMUP Y&H.
Zaboru raised an eyebrow. “A beat-’em-up game? Interesting…”
He opened the folder. The working title was Robot or Monster. The gameplay concept was a beat-’em-up game centered on four teenagers kidnapped by aliens and turned into homunculi. They rebel and try to escape — but with a twist. There were two entities watching them for entertainment: the Monster God and the Robot God. Occasionally, during gameplay, “Upgrade Orbs” would appear. Players could use these to upgrade body parts — left weapon, right weapon, torso, legs, head, eyes — adding an extra layer of strategy and excitement.
Here’s the catch: each part could be upgraded either with Monster God powers or Robot God powers. For example, if a player chose Robot upgrades for their legs, they’d get sleek robotic legs capable of rocket jumps — but they’d become vulnerable to water and certain EMP attacks. If they chose Monster upgrades, the legs might transform into muscular horse-like limbs, giving high speed and agility but lowering defense and stability. The choice wasn’t just cosmetic; it shaped each player’s strategy, playstyle, and even how they navigated different levels.
Each character — Yugo, Hideo, Albert, and Cassie — had different base weapons: Yugo used his fists, Hideo used guns, Albert wielded a sword and shield, and Cassie fired energy blasts. So, upgrading their weapons would yield wildly different results, adding layers of complexity and personality to each playthrough. These differences encouraged players to experiment, strategize, and find creative combinations that suited their style, making every run feel fresh and exciting.
Each upgrade path could evolve twice. For instance, after upgrading to Robot Legs, players could upgrade again along the Robot path for enhanced speed boosters or choose to the Monster path, mutating into robotic horse legs with added raw power but reduced stability.
Zaboru’s eyes sparkled. “This… is really great. It has so many possible builds, hahaha!” His excitement was unmistakable, his mind already can't wait to play this game. He was genuinely impressed. “Well, this is okay by me. When are you planning to release it?”
Yugo and Hideo looked at each other, then said in unison, “We’re aiming for a January 1995 release. Is that possible, boss?” Zaboru chuckled and nodded, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “Sure thing. Go ahead and complete the draft — once it’s ready, I can allocate manpower to this ‘Robot vs. Monster’ game. It’s really interesting, seriously. I can already imagine players going wild over the upgrade system.”
Kojima and Yugo nodded eagerly, then excused themselves to head home.
Meanwhile, Zaboru chuckled to himself. “Such an insane idea… but still, it’s worth a shot if the game’s fun.”
He smiled, shaking his head. He hadn’t expected Yugo and Kojima to work together on a game, but honestly, it wasn’t a bad thing at all. He was also quietly amused at how many friends Kojima had at ZAGE. In his previous life, Zaboru knew Kojima had worked in an unhealthy environment at Konami during his younger days, where he had more enemies than friends. But here at ZAGE, Kojima was thriving in a healthy, supportive environment — and he had many friends. Even Zaboru’s father, Zanichi, was quite close with Kojima.
"Hehehe, it's really exciting." Zaboru then decided to continue working, this time planning a trip to Europe.
To be continued.
AN : Kojima was bullied by Konami in his early days. Konami is just trash workplaces greedy bastard , worst they actually create a good games then just be killed next.
