Monday, October 6, 1991
The morning sun filtered through the windows of the ZAGE office as Zaboru sat with Yugo and Yuna, ready to introduce the next two games for development. Over the weekend and in his free time, he had meticulously planned out the designs and core mechanics, bringing each project to about 35% completion. Now, it was time to take things further.
He placed the first set of design documents on the table, revealing the concept art for The Legend of Akechi.
"Let me explain the gameplay for The Legend of Akechi," he began. "The player takes on the role of a young Iga ninja named Akechi, on a mission to rescue Princess Kiri—the Shogun's daughter—from the villainous warlord Yoshiro and his evil samurai Nosuke.
The objective is to traverse five action-packed stages to save Princess Kirihime. These stages are teeming with enemies, but Akechi has a variety of skills and weapons at his disposal to overcome them. The player is armed with a kodachi and an unlimited supply of shuriken. Akechi must battle his way through a dense forest, navigate a secret passageway, scale a fortress wall, and infiltrate a castle, rescuing the princess three times before achieving ultimate victory."
He flipped to the next set of documents, detailing an interesting mechanic. "Each time the princess is rescued, the seasons change—from summer to fall, then winter, and back to summer. This will visually showcase progress while also impacting gameplay. Some enemies may behave differently depending on the season, and certain paths may open or close based on the time of year."
Yugo leaned forward, eyes shining. "That's such a cool idea! I love the seasonal shifts."
"There's more," Zaboru continued. "Picking up a crystal ball changes Akechi's clothing color, granting him special abilities like enhanced speed or larger shuriken. If he gets hit while in a powered-up state, he reverts to his default red outfit instead of dying instantly. Mastering these transformations will be key to progressing through tougher stages."
He then laid out character sketches, showcasing the various designs he had created. There were detailed illustrations of Akechi's different outfits, the menacing samurai Nosuke, and the imposing warlord Yoshiro. Yugo couldn't contain his excitement. "This is awesome! I can't wait to play it!"
Zaboru smirked. "This time, you two will help me fine-tune the mechanics. I've already outlined the core gameplay, but there's always room for improvement. If you think of any additional mechanics, let me know. I want this to be an unforgettable ninja experience."
Yuna and Yugo nodded in agreement, eager to contribute.
With The Legend of Akechi covered, Zaboru moved on to his next project. He pulled out another set of sketches, this time featuring a blue hedgehog with red shoes.
"Now, onto the next game—Sonic the Hedgehog."
Yugo and Yuna both leaned in, intrigued by the unique character design.
"The story is simple" Zaboru explained. "Doctor Eggman, the main villain, invades South Island to find the six Chaos Emeralds hidden there. He plans to use their power to conquer the world. To do this, he captures the local animals and turns them into his robotic minions called Badniks. Our protagonist, Sonic, rushes in to stop him."
Yugo's eyebrows shot up. "So he's fighting to free the animals? That's actually kind of cool."
Zaboru nodded. "Exactly. Now, let's talk about the gameplay. Sonic the Hedgehog is a side-scrolling platformer where the goal is to reach the end of each Act within ten minutes. The player starts with three lives and controls Sonic, who can perform the Spin Jump and the Super Sonic Spin Attack to take out enemies."
He pointed to the next section of the design document. "Throughout each Zone, Rings are scattered everywhere. Collecting them acts as a shield—taking damage makes Sonic lose all his Rings, but as long as he has at least one, he won't die. If he gets hit with no Rings, he loses a life and restarts from a checkpoint or the beginning of the level. Collecting 100 Rings earns an extra life."
Yugo's mouth curled into a grin. "So it's all about speed, momentum, and keeping your Rings? That sounds super fun!"
Even Yuna, usually more reserved, seemed impressed. "The character design is really unique. Sonic's look is simple, but memorable."
Zaboru smiled, pleased with their enthusiasm. "The goal is to make the player feel the thrill of speed. Sonic is all about momentum-based platforming, rewarding smooth movement and quick reflexes. The more skilled the player, the faster they can complete a stage. Mastering Sonic's jumps and acceleration will be essential."
Then Yugo, practically bouncing in his seat, blurted out, "Boss-sama! Where are we putting *Zabo-man *in these two games?!"
Zaboru chuckled, already expecting the question. "You know me well, Yugo. But for Zabo-man, that's for me to decide. I'll reveal my plans when the time is right. For now, let's focus on finishing these games by the end of the week. Then, I'll let you in on my next move."
Yugo let out a dramatic sigh but quickly dove into his work, while Yuna gave a small smile and got started as well. She was particularly interested in Sonic's mechanics, wondering how different environments could influence gameplay. Could ice levels make Sonic slide? Could strong winds affect his jumps? She jotted down ideas, determined to experiment.
Zaboru glanced at his eager team and nodded to himself. These games had the potential to be massive hits. If they could execute them properly, ZAGE would give more options to gamer as part of gaming diversity
With that, the ZAGE team began full development on their two newest titles—The Legend of Akechi and Sonic the Hedgehog. ZEPS fans will get another new games in short term
To be continued...