Saturday 4 July - 2000
Zaboru was now on the 52nd floor of ZAGE Tower, a place designed more like a private lounge than a typical workspace. It felt less like an office and more like a personal retreat, somewhere he could relax without completely stepping away from his world. He had just returned from spending the afternoon with his family, and now he was finally taking some time for himself. Instead of heading somewhere else, he simply brought everyone along, turning the usually quiet 52nd floor into a warm and lively space filled with casual conversation and small moments.
Zaboru leaned back in his seat, relaxed in a way that rarely showed during work. In front of him were games he had been meaning to try, and for once, there was no rush, no pressure—just the simple intention to enjoy playing.
Nearby, Zanichi was sitting with Arumi, who was completely focused on his beard, gently pulling and playing with it as if it were her favorite toy. Zanichi chuckled softly, letting her do as she pleased, clearly enjoying the moment just as much as she was. After a while, his attention shifted toward Zaboru, who was still deciding what game to start.
"You know, son," Zanichi said calmly, his tone thoughtful rather than critical, "I always thought that once you became successful, your desire to play games would fade." He paused for a moment, watching Zaboru. "I figured that as you got older, you'd lose interest in playing and focus only on creating them."
He shook his head slightly, a faint smile forming.
"But it seems I was wrong about you."
Ayumi, who was watching Zenshin as he quietly sketched at the table, smiled and said, "Well, if Zabo ever stops loving games, then something is definitely wrong, dad… hehehe." There was a light teasing tone in her voice, but it also carried a bit of certainty, like she couldn't even imagine that version of him. Zaboru leaned back in his seat, stretching slightly before replying, "Hey, this is my real hobby. And honestly, like Ayumi said… if one day I'm not interested in games anymore, then that probably wouldn't be me anymore. It'd be a skin walker or something that possessed me." He chuckled after saying it, clearly treating it like a joke.
Zanichi raised an eyebrow at the word "possessed," momentarily surprised, but he didn't push it. Instead, he just gave a small, casual smile, as if humoring him. Ayumi shook her head lightly, still smiling. "There's no such thing as skin walkers or possession, Zabo. You're overthinking it."
Zaboru only shrugged, completely relaxed. "Who knows… hehehe."
The moment passed like a normal conversation, but the irony lingered quietly beneath it. In a way, what he said wasn't entirely wrong. Even now, Zaboru was someone who had taken over this life—his soul merged with the original Zaboru, becoming something that was no longer one or the other, but both at once. Meanwhile, a fragment of the original Zaboru's soul still existed as a ghost within his Emulator Mind, currently busy learning game development as a new hobby.
Zanichi then said with a faint grin, "I guess that statement you used to repeat over and over—so much that I almost got sick of hearing it—still stands, huh? 'On my business card, I'm a company owner. In my head, I'm a game developer. And in my heart… I'm a gamer.'"
Zaboru groaned immediately, rubbing his forehead. "Dad, come on… I didn't repeat it that much…"
Ayumi couldn't help but giggle softly. "You did, Zabo…" she said, clearly amused by his reaction.
Even Sanika, who was quietly eating mochi nearby, joined in without hesitation. "Yes, you did, Nii-san," she added casually, as if confirming an obvious fact.
Zaboru looked around at all of them, then let out a quiet sigh, leaning back into his seat again. "…Alright, maybe I said it a few times," he admitted, though his tone made it clear he still refused to fully accept it.
Zanichi only smiled, clearly satisfied, while the rest of the room filled with light laughter.
Then Zaboru focused on the games in front of him. There were three of them, each with a surprisingly polished and eye-catching cover, but what really caught his attention wasn't the artwork—it was the logos. He paused for a moment, then let out a quiet chuckle.
'These are definitely the logos of EA, Blizzard, and Ubisoft from my previous life…' he thought. The resemblance was obvious, but the names were slightly different. Instead of EA, it was now "DA" for Digital Arts. Blizzard had become "Glacier," and Ubisoft had turned into "Uni-Soft," short for Universal Soft. The similarity was almost uncanny. Zaboru found it amusing that those famous companies didn't exist in this world, yet somehow their "counterparts" still emerged in a different form, almost like an echo of another reality.
Even more interesting was that their games reflected that resemblance as well. Digital Arts had released a game called "MADDEN 2000," which appeared to be their first major title. Zaboru tried it briefly, but since he didn't have much interest in American football, he only played for a short while before moving on. Still, he could tell it was well-made and clearly aimed at a specific audience.
Then there was Glacier, which developed a game called "Galaxy Trope." It was an RTS game, and at first glance, it felt very similar to StarCraft, though the setting and some mechanics were different. The gameplay itself was solid, and Zaboru found it somewhat ironic that Glacier ended up creating something so close to StarCraft—especially when the original had already been made by ZAGE in this world.
Finally, there was Uni-Soft. Their game, "Vay-Man," featured a character that looked very similar to Rayman, though not identical. The gameplay leaned heavily into that same style as well, resembling a 3D Rayman experience from his previous life. The twist, however, was that Rayman already existed in this world as a ZEPS 2 title..
Zaboru leaned back slightly, still amused by the situation. These companies felt familiar, yet different—like distorted reflections of something he once knew. Even so, he couldn't tell whether they would grow into giants like their counterparts from his previous life. After all, in this world, ZAGE already existed—and that alone changed everything.
Zaboru found himself genuinely interested, realizing just how much the video game industry was evolving. Ever since he made Steam available and released Unreal Engine for free in exchange for data, more and more developers had started entering the space. On top of that, ZAGE's policy of offering affordable platform access made it even easier for smaller studios to publish their games, turning the entire ecosystem into a thriving and sustainable business environment.
What excited Zaboru the most, however, wasn't just the growth—it was the creativity. There were now unknown studios creating strange, unique, and completely unexpected games. As he tried some of them, he couldn't hide his surprise. These weren't just copies or inspired ideas from ZAGE games, they were entirely new concepts that had never existed before.
That was exactly what he had been hoping for. He didn't want this world to simply recreate what he already knew—he wanted it to move forward, to create something original. And now, seeing that there were already many developers doing just that, Zaboru felt a quiet sense of satisfaction. The industry wasn't just growing… it was evolving in its own direction.
"This is such a smart… and strangely absurd mechanic," Zaboru said with a laugh as he played a game called "One-Eye," developed by a German studio named XL-Soft for PC. The game followed a soldier fighting in a fictional war set in Africa, but what made it stand out was its core concept—the soldier had lost his left eye, leaving him with limited vision.
That detail wasn't just part of the story; it directly affected gameplay. As a first-person shooter, the screen was partially obscured with a dark, impaired field of view, simulating the character's one-eyed perspective. At first, it felt uncomfortable and even frustrating, as it made aiming, awareness, and even simple navigation much harder than usual. Enemies could appear from angles he couldn't fully see, and depth perception felt slightly off, forcing him to slow down and think more carefully about every movement. But the longer Zaboru played, the more he began to appreciate it.
It wasn't designed to be "fun" in the traditional sense—it was meant to feel restrictive, to force the player to adapt. And because of that, it created a strong sense of immersion and realism that most games didn't even attempt. Combined with a surprisingly solid story, the experience felt unique, almost like stepping into someone else's limitations rather than just controlling a character.
It also gave a subtle understanding of how difficult it is for someone with only one functioning eye to perceive the world. Their peripheral vision is heavily limited, and even basic awareness becomes something that requires constant adjustment. That small detail turned what could have been a simple gimmick into something meaningful.
Zaboru leaned back slightly, still holding the controller. "It's not exactly enjoyable… but it's really interesting," he admitted with a small grin. Overall, he liked it.
Then there was another game for ZEPS 3 called Toro-Loco, developed by a Spanish studio named "Roja-Soft." The concept alone was already ridiculous—instead of cars or bikes, the entire game was built around racing with bulls as the main "vehicles." And not just normal bulls. There were many types, each with their own absurd traits. There was the "Buff Bull," extremely muscular, powerful, and hard to knock back, but slow and heavy to control. Then there was the "High Speed Bull," much slimmer with flaming feet, leaving trails of fire as it ran, making it fast but harder to handle.
But the game didn't stop there. It went completely wild with its designs. There were "Minotaur" types that looked like mythological beasts, "Skeleton Bulls" that were literally just bones running around somehow still alive, and even "Robot Bulls" that moved with mechanical precision. One of the strangest ones was the so-called "Gigago Bulls," including a bull wearing a red and black jersey with the number 23, nicknamed "Bulchel Bordan," which felt like a very obvious parody but somehow fit perfectly within the chaos.
The gameplay itself was just as crazy. While it shared some similarities with Kamen Rider Grand Prix in terms of chaotic racing and ability usage, Toro-Loco had its own identity. One of its main mechanics involved the classic red flag—if a player activated it at the right moment, all nearby bulls would immediately charge toward it, creating sudden collisions, crashes, and unpredictable turns in the race. It turned positioning and timing into something both strategic and hilarious at the same time.
Overall, the game didn't try to be serious at all, and that was exactly why it worked. It embraced its absurdity fully, turning every race into something unpredictable, messy, and genuinely fun.
Zaboru was now fully immersed in the game, and he was clearly having a blast. "Hahaha! This is really good!" he laughed, leaning forward slightly as the chaos unfolded on screen. He had always loved absurd games like this—games that didn't try to be serious, that simply focused on being fun. To him, it didn't matter if something was unrealistic or ridiculous. As long as it was enjoyable, that was enough.
What made him even happier, though, was what this represented. The video game industry wasn't just growing—it was growing in a healthy, creative way. There were all kinds of games now: good ones, bad ones, experimental ones, and completely absurd ones like this. And most of them didn't exist in his previous life. That was the part he appreciated the most.
This world wasn't just copying what he already knew—it was creating something new. And Zaboru intended to experience all of it, one game at a time.
To be continue
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