Saturday 27 sept 1991
The morning sun peeked through the curtains as Zaboru groggily opened his eyes. Like clockwork, he went through his routine—freshening up, taking a quick shower, and dressing casually before heading out. Unlike his employees, who had the weekend off, Zaboru had work to do. Today was a brainstorming day, a crucial step in planning the future of ZEPS games.
Arriving at his office, he found solace in the quiet ambiance of the empty workspace. He leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. His eyes wandered to the cassette tape player in the corner—a relic left behind by Akechi-san from the previous office. It was a sturdy, and expensive model, the kind that was built to last.
A grin spread across his face. "This is 1991, but entertainment, whether it's movies, music, or games, still feels stuck in 1981. Not that I'm complaining—music from the '70s and '80s is legendary," he muttered to himself.
Feeling inspired, he decided to step out briefly. He made his way to a Western music store nearby and browsed through the cassette tapes. After a short search, he picked up 'Best of Led Zeppelin,' 'Black Sabbath's Greatest Hits,' and 'Deep Purple: The Classics.' At 1,500 yen each, it was a bargain. Holding the tapes, he chuckled to himself. "If I bought these in 2024, they'd be worth a fortune."
Back at the office, he inserted the Led Zeppelin cassette and pressed play. The room filled with the powerful, atmospheric sounds of Kashmir. Zaboru nodded to the beat, the music fueling his creative process. He quickly grabbed a notebook and started scribbling down ideas.
First on his list was fulfilling his promise to Akechi. He had already thought of a plan—he would modify The Legend of Kage, replacing its protagonist, Kage, with Akechi and renaming it The Legend of Akechi. It was a simple yet meaningful change, one that would tie into their brand while keeping the core gameplay intact.
Then, another thought struck him. He had originally considered replacing Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa with Akechi, but he immediately dismissed the idea. Hayabusa was too iconic for that—Ryu Hayabusa and Ninja Gaiden legacy was far greater than being relegated to a secondary character in *Dead or Alive *in his previous world. The thought of people recognizing Hayabusa more for DOA rather than Ninja Gaiden irked him. Although DOA is good fighting game , Ninja Gaiden and Ryu Hayabusa legacy is way more than that.
"I'll do it justice," he muttered, sketching out rough ideas for a potential Ninja Gaiden adaptation. He debated between following the NES version or the Sega Master System version, each with its unique strengths. Lost in thought, he activated his Deep Dive Memory ability to recall every detail of The Legend of Kage and Ninja Gaiden's mechanics.
As time passed, the cassette flipped sides, now playing Highway Star by Deep Purple. The energetic guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore coursed through his veins, compelling him to drop his pen and play an imaginary guitar. His fingers moved as if strumming along with Ritchie Blackmore's legendary solo, and he closed his eyes, fully immersed in the music.
Then, laughter erupted from behind him.
Startled, he turned to see his entire family standing in the doorway. His mother giggled behind her hand, his father was trying to suppress a laugh, and Sanika was outright howling with amusement.
Zaboru's face turned beet red as he quickly dropped his air guitar and awkwardly returned to his notebook.
"Haha! I didn't know you were a rockstar, son!" Zanichi laughed heartily.
"Nii-san, you were so cool but so silly!" Sanika chimed in between fits of laughter.
Keiko smiled warmly. "Don't tease him too much," she said, though the amusement in her voice was clear.
Zaboru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Huft… Anyway, what are you guys doing here?"
Sanika beamed. "We came to play!"
Zanichi nodded. "Yeah, hope that's not a problem?"
"Not at all. Go ahead and relax. Nobody's around today anyway."
His mother immediately began tidying up the office while Sanika booted up the ZEPS console in the lounge area. His father made himself comfortable on the couch, observing everything with an approving smile.
Despite his initial embarrassment, Zaboru smiled to himself. It was nice to have his family around, enjoying the space he had worked so hard to build. As Highway Star played on in the background, he turned back to his scribbles, filled with fresh inspiration.
Another Saturday well spent.
To be continued…