Sunday, September 21, 1991
In a small neighborhood in Japan, a fifth-grader named Nobuo had been obsessed with Super Mario Bros. ever since he played it at the ZAGE truck during a promotional event.
Now, he was begging his parents to buy him a ZEPS console.
"Mom, Dad! Please buy me a ZEPS! I really want to play it!"
His mother raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that thing you played in the park back then?"
Nobuo nodded eagerly, while his father crossed his arms and smirked. "Well, Nobuo, you've been doing well in school lately, huh?"Nobuo grinned and nodded proudly.
"Yes, Dad! I aced my exams!"
His father chuckled. "Well then, since you've worked hard, let's get you that ZEPS as a reward."Nobuo jumped in excitement. "Yeah! Thank you, Dad!"
Without wasting any time, Nobuo and his father, Nobusawa, headed to a nearby electronics store called Kenji Electronics.
The store was one of the official retailers for ZEPS, and as they walked in, they were greeted by Kenji, the store owner.
"Welcome! Looking for something specific today?" Kenji asked with a friendly smile.
Nobusawa nodded. "Yeah, Boss. Do you have ZEPS? We saw the banner outside."
Kenji grinned. "Of course! We have two packages available—
The standard bundle for 32,000 yen (includes the console and three games).
The full package for 52,000 yen (includes the console and all six available games).
"So, which one do you want?"
Nobusawa turned to his son. "Well, Nobuo? Which one do you want?"
Without hesitation, Nobuo shouted excitedly—
"I want the full package!"
Nobusawa chuckled. "Heh, of course you do. Well, this is your reward, after all. Alright, Boss, we'll take the full package."
Kenji's grin widened. "Great choice! Give me a moment to pack everything for you."
After a few minutes, Kenji handed them a neatly packed box containing the ZEPS console and all six games.
"Thanks, Boss!" Nobusawa said as he left the store with Nobuo, who could barely contain his excitement.
As soon as they arrived home, Nobuo could barely stay still. His father quickly helped him set up the console, carefully following the instruction manual.
Once everything was ready, Nobuo looked at the six available games, eyes sparkling with excitement.
His father smiled. "Go on, son. Pick one to play. I'm curious too."
Nobuo thought for a moment, then grabbed the game he was most familiar with—Super Mario Bros.
He admired the box art, showing Mario jumping heroically.
"So cool!"
Carefully, he opened the box, revealing four items inside:
The game cartridge
The Super Mario Bros. guidebook
ZEPS Volume 1
A black-and-gray Z Card with a 'Z' on it
Curious, Nobuo examined everything, then took a deep sniff of the guidebook, grinning at the fresh new-book smell.
Then, his eyes landed on the mysterious Z Card.
"Hmm? What's this?"
He flipped it over and read the message on the back:
"Treasure your life, and you will meet me."
Nobuo tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? What does that mean?"
He turned to his father. "Dad, do you know what this is?"
Nobusawa took the black-and-gray card and examined it.
"Hmm… I have no idea. Maybe it's some kind of secret or collectible?"
Nobuo nodded, setting the card aside. He didn't think too much about it—he was too eager to start playing!
As soon as he pressed START, Super Mario Bros. began, and he was completely absorbed in the game.
His father watched from the side, smiling as he saw his son having fun.
And Nobuo wasn't the only one—
In many other households, children who had received ZEPS consoles that day were also fully engrossed in their new games.
From Excitebike to Punch Out!!, kids across the neighborhood were experiencing the magic of gaming for the first time.
The next day—Monday, September 22, 1991—at school, Nobuo couldn't wait to talk about ZEPS.
As soon as he arrived, he excitedly asked his friends—
"Hey! Do you guys have ZEPS!?"
One of his classmates nodded excitedly, but most of them had no idea what he was talking about.
So, along with his friend who also had a ZEPS, Nobuo explained everything—from the awesome games to the mysterious Z Cards.
His classmates listened with growing curiosity.
By the end of the day, the name "ZEPS" was being whispered across the school, spreading from one student to another.
And just like that—
The legend of ZEPS had begun.
To be continue