Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

Saturday, 26 August 1994 – Morning, ZAGE-U Official Stores.

It's still hours before the official stores open, but there are many players already queuing for the ZEPS 8 games, and there's also a bundle: if players buy all 8 games, the total price will be around 62,000 yen, which lets them save another 2,000 yen.

Raku Okoshu is queuing in front of the ZAGE-Utsunomiya store, letting out a long sigh, "Damn, it's still 6:30! And the queue is already this long!" Okoshu sighed again; ZAGE was just wildly popular. Whenever ZAGE dropped something big, the lines were always massive. But then, a grin crept across his face as he thought, At least I get to play eight new games! Hehehe, I saved up and even sold my bicycle! Totally worth it! Raku had parted with his beloved bike, knowing he'd have to walk to school, but in his mind, trading it for eight ZAGE games was a no-brainer. He smirked, What should I play first? Hmmm… I think Super Mario World is a must! Then maybe Spawn — I'm dying to know what that guy's all about! Heheh, so many ZAGE games waiting for me!

Raku was practically bouncing in place, thrilled beyond words — not 1, not 2, not 3, but 8 games from ZAGE! It's absolutely worth it! He clutched his ZAGE POWER magazine tightly, flipping through the pages as he waited, eyes darting game previews, and interviews with developers. Every few minutes, he let out an excited sigh, glancing ahead in the long line but not minding at all. Just being part of this moment, surrounded by other fans equally hyped, made the wait feel like part of the adventure.

At 8:15, he finally got his hands on the eight release games, sold at 62,000 yen. Thanks to the ZAGE-U store's large and efficient staff, they served customers quickly and smoothly. After opening at 8:00, Raku had his bundle in just 15 minutes, delighting him beyond words. With a spring in his step, he grinned wide, proudly carrying the ZAGE store bag brimming with eight shiny new games. On the way home, he smiled ear to ear; pedestrians glanced his way, but when they saw the familiar ZAGE bag, they just nodded or smiled knowingly. Scenes like this had become common — just another gamer thrilled to dive into his latest treasure trove of games.

After arriving home, he rushed to his father and mother, his face lit up with excitement. "Mom, Dad! Just like I promised, this week I won't take any chores because I want to focus on gaming! And I already did all my chores during the week!" His mother chuckled, patting his head, "Okay, okay, just don't forget to eat, Raku." His dad gave a small sigh, shaking his head with a faint smile, "I still don't get what's so fun about those games." Raku let out an exaggerated sigh, grinning, "It's just fun, Dad! Trust me, it's hard to explain! Anyway, I'm off!"

With that, Raku carefully placed the eight games in front of him, grinning wide with anticipation. He picked up Super Mario World Deluxe first, his hands almost trembling with excitement, and opened the box carefully. Inside, he found four items: the shiny game cartridge, a colorful video game manual, a ZEPS 2 games flyer listing all the current titles, and a sleek black-and-silver Z coin, hinting at the appearance of ZABO-man in the game. Raku let out a satisfied breath, his eyes sparkling. He held the manual close and inhaled deeply, laughing softly, "Hmmm, smells like fun!" With a giddy grin, he slid Super Mario World into his ZEPS 2 console. The ZAGE logo flashed across the screen, followed by the main menu with the familiar 1-player or 2-player options. Without hesitation, Raku selected 1-player mode, his heart racing. The opening cutscene rolled — a vivid 16-bit cinematic of Princess Peach being kidnapped once again by Bowser, set in a new realm called Dinosaur Land. Raku's grin stretched ear to ear, his fingers itching on the controller, "Heheh, this is going to be so good!"

The gameplay started, and Raku was instantly hooked: Mario could jump or spin jump, grab items just like in Super Mario Bros 2, and everything felt smooth and responsive. Raku always adored Mario games; they carried a unique charm, a blend of bright colors, whimsical music, and clever design that no other game quite matched. Halfway through the first stage, he stumbled upon a glowing coin, and then — to his delight — a green dinosaur appeared! "Hahaha! This is fun!" he cheered. Riding Yoshi filled him with pure joy; the way Yoshi swallowed up enemies with a playful gulp made Raku laugh out loud. His fingers danced across the buttons, fully immersed, "Heheh, Super Mario is really something special!"

He played for a while, fully soaking in the new mechanics like Mario gliding smoothly when equipped with a cape, and the sheer joy of riding Yoshi through cleverly designed levels. The game delivered everything Raku loved about Mario: vibrant, eye-catching backgrounds, catchy background music, slightly tricky platforming, and even unique stage mechanics that kept things fresh. He laughed out loud when he discovered hidden blocks, cheered when he nailed a tricky jump, and grinned as Yoshi gobbled up enemies. After nearly two hours of joyful play, his hands were a little sore, and his stomach grumbled softly. He stretched and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "Well, let's set Mario aside for now! Time to start the Spawn game! Wait! I still didn't find Zabo-man… hmm, could he appear if I beat the game without dying first, like in most Mario games? Well, let's find out later, hehehe."

Raku then took out the Super Mario World cartridge from his ZEPS 2 and opened the new game, Spawn.

He put in the Spawn game and quickly pressed start, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Hehehe, I wonder what this Spawn dude's deal is. He's popped up in many games — I've got to see what makes him so popular!" he murmured, bouncing slightly in place, his fingers already itching to dive into the action.

The 16-bit cutscene began, describing Spawn's (Al Simmons) backstory.

Al Simmons was a highly skilled U.S. Marine, later recruited into the CIA as a black ops assassin. Ruthless but loyal, he began questioning his superiors' morality, especially after witnessing countless civilian deaths. Betrayed by his boss, Jason Wynn, and burned alive during a mission, Simmons' soul descended to Hell. There, desperate to see his wife Wanda again, he made a deal with the demon lord Malebolgia: serve as a Hellspawn general in exchange for one last chance to see Wanda. But Simmons was tricked. Returned to Earth five years later, his body was a burned, necroplasm-fueled corpse with fragmented memories, a living weapon wrapped in chains and a cloak of darkness. Wanda had moved on, remarried, and even had a child. Now, Spawn wanders between Earth, Hell, and Heaven, torn between revenge and redemption, battling demons, angels, criminals, and his own torment, in a relentless search for meaning in a life twisted beyond recognition.

Raku's eyes widened, "That's… so cruel and sad…" The gameplay kicked in, drawing him in immediately. Raku controlled Spawn, reading the on-screen text: "Those damn Clown, The Violator. I'll definitely teach him a lesson this time!" The game began. Raku took a second to absorb the controls: D-pad for movement, X for jump, Circle for dash, Square for normal attacks, Triangle for the green projectile attack. R1 and R2 didn't seem to do anything yet, but L1 raised Spawn's cape in defense, and L2 was inactive. Raku leaned forward, laser-focused, as the first enemy appeared — a gray, bat-like Hell creature. With practiced fingers, he dispatched it, then tried the Triangle attack, noticing the green gauge under Spawn's health rising instead of falling. "Huh? What's this bar? Is it a super gauge or something?" he muttered, eyebrows furrowed, curiosity already pulling him deeper into the game's mechanics.

Raku paused for a moment, curiosity piqued, then reached for the manual. It explained that the green bar was called the Necroplasmic Bar — essentially, it fueled Spawn's Hell magic abilities. But there was a twist: if the bar filled completely, Spawn would be dragged back to Hell, ending the game. "Be careful!" the guidebook warned in bold letters, adding an extra layer of tension and strategy to the gameplay.

Raku's eyes widened, "Whoa! So it souldn't be filled? Interesting, hehehe." Raku then continued playing, noticing a chest he opened and got a gun!

Name: Assault Rifle

Damage: 4-8

Rarity: Normal

Bullet: 30/300

Raku was really surprised, "What!? A gun? I thought this was magic-based? But it's cool!" He equipped the gun in Spawn's inventory as a "sub-weapon," since the main weapon was already the "Necroplasm Chain." When Raku tried it, Spawn fired the gun smoothly, adding a whole new layer to the gameplay. By pressing L2, Raku now had more variety in his arsenal, switching between magic attacks, chain strikes, and gunfire. "Man, this game has everything!" Raku chuckled, already imagining the combos he could pull off.

Raku then continued playing and noticed that Spawn could level up as well, unlocking abilities — mainly Necroplasm magic or enhancements for the Necroplasm gauge. Intrigued, Raku chose to learn Necroplasm Blast. After unlocking it, the game prompted him to assign the skill to one of the four action slots: Circle, Triangle, X, or Square. He assigned it to Circle, then the game prompted him to press R1, showing a list of spells: R1 + Circle = Necroplasm Blast! Excited, Raku eagerly tried the new move. Spawn charged energy into his palm, the green glow pulsing with power, and then hurled it forward. Upon impact, it erupted in a massive explosion, obliterating enemies — but Raku quickly noticed the Necroplasm gauge spiked sharply. "Whoa! Such massive damage! But the cost is huge too," he muttered, both impressed and cautious. Leaning back, he grinned, "Next time, I need to increase the Necroplasm gauge when I level up. But what would really happen if I filled it? Am I just dead? Well… we'll find out later, hehehe."

Raku kept playing; he was quite a good gamer. He didn't use the magic unless absolutely necessary, like when some elite enemy — a big fly — appeared, then he would use Necroplasm Blast on it. Finally, Raku got to the first boss, The Violator.

"Hoho, Spawn! Such an eyesore!" Violator sneered in text. Spawn shot back, "This time you'll learn your place, Clown!" Violator giggled maniacally, bloating grotesquely until he exploded — from the burst, countless maggots swarmed together, twisting into the shape of a blade. Suddenly, another Violator emerged, wielding the disgusting Maggot Blade. "You will suffer, Spawn!" Raku grimaced, "What! A maggot sword!? That's so disgusting!"

The boss fight began. Violator lunged, slashing wildly, while maggot-like creatures erupted from the ground, forcing Spawn to leap and dodge. Raku's fingers flew over the controls, keeping Spawn nimble. Violator then summoned a balloon that transformed into a Hell Rocket, blasting toward Spawn. Raku quickly hit R1 to raise Spawn's cape, reducing the impact, and retaliated with swift attacks. When Violator charged another Hell Rocket, mid animations Raku unleashed Necroplasm Blast, dealing massive damage. The intense fight cycled between brutal Maggot Sword strikes and unpredictable Hell Balloon barrages, but after a tense showdown, Raku triumphed. "Yes! Not bad for the first boss!" he cheered, grinning wide, his heart still racing.

Then Violator, after being defeated, shouted, "NOO, NOO, I can't be defeated! Wait, actually, I can? Anyway, screw you, Spawn, you'll see me later! HAHAHA!" With one last cackle, he exploded again, this time leaving behind orange flames that twisted into the obscene gesture "FUCK YOU." Spawn clenched his fists, clearly furious, and the screen displayed his dialogue: "That fucking clown!" But just as Raku smirked at the over-the-top scene, Spawn was suddenly shot — the screen locked into a cutscene, and Raku's controls froze. "Well, it's a cutscene," Raku murmured with a grin, leaning forward eagerly, his heart racing with anticipation for what was coming next.

A woman in revealing nun clothes, big silver crosses strapped to her back, stepped into view, hefting a massive double-barrel shotgun. She wore a white blindfold with black cross as engraved and calmly puffed on a cigar, her aura both intimidating and magnetic. Raku's eyes widened, "Oh my god! She… she's so hot." Spawn sighed, and said in text "Bertha, I told you, I'm not you or your EXO enemy." Bertha exhaled a puff of smoke, then fired without hesitation. Spawn whipped up his cape to block. "Sorry, honey, just business. The EXO higher-ups would have my head." Spawn groaned, "Like I said, that Constantine guy, one of your EXO execs, is in deep with demons!" Bertha smirked, firing again, "Maybe so, but it's all for a good cause." Spawn narrowed his eyes, "He's fooling more demons than you know!" Bertha chuckled, taking another drag, "All the better, isn't it? Trickery's a holy art when it's demons." Spawn let out an exasperated sigh "Fine then have your way" — and another boss fight kicked off.

Raku gasped, "What! Another boss fight already?" The screen blazed: BERTHA, High Striker Nun of EXO. She blasted at him with the shotgun, summoned glowing holy books that burned through Spawn's defenses, and moved with dangerous grace. "Whoa, she's tough!" Raku said, biting his lip, fingers tense on the controller. At half health, Bertha yanked the massive cross off her back — it transformed into a holy gun, spewing searing bullets. One shot slammed into Spawn, chunking his health bar. "That's insane!" Raku yelped. But after a tense, sweaty fight, he emerged victorious.

In the cutscene, Bertha panted, "I'm really no match for you, Hellspawn General." Spawn let out a breath, "Alright, enough. Like I said, Bertha, I'm not your enemy — we're fighting the same enemy. When will you understand that?" He opened a swirling portal and disappeared. The camera lingered on Bertha. Moments later, two figures appeared — one with a katana, wrapped in blue flames, leaping down, and another blinking into place and after he blink there are slight of red flames around him, strolling casually in a long coat, cigar between his fingers. "You're late, John, Rin," Bertha murmured with a smirk. Then the screen flashed: "Chapter 1 End." Raku practically shook with excitement. "That's insane! I can't wait to see what's next!"

To be continued

AN : "It's been a while since i created reaction chapters like this , i really love this actually but it took many chapters to make these types of chapters lol and do you guys know who Bertha is ? well Shes a character from Moba game from Japan called Warsong i don't know if you guys know or not but let me insert her picture"

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