Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

While Raku was playing Super Mario World and Spawn, other ZAGE players were diving into the rest of the ZAGE release games, and they were all delighted. Just as the players suspected, there was no weak link in this lineup.

For example, Endo — the champion of the R.C. Pro AM and Street Fighter tournaments, widely known as the "Gamer God" right now — got all "The Eight" games for free thanks to his ZAGE Champion Card. Eager to test his skills, he picked Contra 2: The Alien Wars, but the game turned out to be so brutally challenging that even someone as skilled as Endo found himself sweating through every stage, struggling to beat it.

First, Contra 2: Alien Wars packed in a surprising number of mechanics. Players now had an inventory system to save and swap special guns on the fly, making strategy much deeper. There was also a thrilling vehicle section where players could hop into various rides mid-stage, plus cool hanging mechanics that let them swing across gaps or avoid hazards. Dedicated stages highlighted these new features, keeping the gameplay fresh. Unlike the older entries, this Contra let players boost their health, making them more durable, and even introduced a top-down stage, adding an unexpected but exciting layer of variety.

It might sound more convenient, but boy — this game was far tougher than the previous Contra on ZEPS 1. Zaboru had crafted this Contra to echo its intense arcade roots from his past life, refining every detail. Enemies didn't just hit harder; they swarmed in overwhelming numbers, keeping players on edge at every turn.

Endo was playing Stage 3, the motorcycle and missile stage, using Lance. Similar to the previous Contra on ZEPS 1, Lance's ability was True Grit, granting him brief invincibility for 2 seconds or two consecutive hits. Endo skillfully timed the ability, weaving through chaos with sharp reflexes, but the stage's brutal design still had him dying over and over.

"Damn it, the damn missile!" Endo shouted, laughing despite himself. "This game is insane! But I love it!"

In the end, Endo was able to beat the game for the first time. He then unlocked the first character: none other than the recurring Joe Rembo. To his excitement, there were three more characters to unlock, meaning he'd need to beat the game four times! Endo was thrilled, pouring his whole day into mastering the game, and after nine hours of intense gaming, he finally completed it and unlocked all six characters: Bill Rizer, Lance Bean, Joe Rembo, The Terminator T-800, Zabo-man, and a new, notoriously hard-to-get character: The Punisher. Yes, The Punisher from Marvel — added as a special unlockable because Zaboru owned Marvel and couldn't resist slipping him into Contra. The Punisher wasn't just a cameo; he was seriously powerful and added an extra layer of fun to the roster.

The next game, Tales of Phantasia, delighted many JRPG fans. One of them was Wataru, now in college. A lifelong JRPG lover since his Dragon Quest days a few years back, he was thrilled to dive into the new Tales of Phantasia.

Immediately after he started, he fell in love with the design, story, and music — it had everything he loved about JRPGs. But the most notable thing was how different it was from other current JRPGs.

Unlike the turn-based battles common in RPGs like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, Tales of Phantasia introduced the Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS), where battles unfolded in real time on a 2D side-scrolling field. Players directly controlled the main character, Cress, executing attacks, blocking, and performing skills in the moment, while AI handled the other party members. This created a fast-paced, action-packed combat system that felt both fresh and exhilarating, keeping Wataru glued to the screen as he mastered combos and battle tactics.

Also, the characters had voice acting during battle, which was new for games at the time — something that made Wataru even more delighted.

The story? Well, it was ZAGE, so Wataru knew it would deliver. It was on par with the recent Final Fantasy 3, also crafted by ZAGE, with rich depth and emotional weight that kept him hooked.

Tales of Phantasia tells the story of Cress Albane, a young swordsman from the quiet village of Toltus. His peaceful life is shattered when his village is destroyed and his parents are killed by soldiers under the command of the dark sorcerer Dhaos, an ancient evil who was sealed away long ago but has now been revived.

Together with his best friend Chester, Cress begins a journey for revenge, but soon they realize that Dhaos threatens not just their village, but the entire world. Along the way, they meet companions like Mint, a kind healer; Klarth, a scholarly summoner; and Arche, a mischievous half-elf mage.

The group learns that to defeat Dhaos, they must travel through time, journeying to the past and future to uncover the secrets of his power. As the story unfolds, Cress and his friends face not just battles and magic, but moral choices, betrayals, and emotional trials.

They must uncover the truth about Dhaos's motives, the origins of magic, and the cost of peace. In the end, Tales of Phantasia delivers a tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the struggle to protect both the present and the future.

Overall, Wataru was having a blast playing this game — and yes, Zabo-man made a cameo in this game as an NPC walking in town, simply saying, "You are very cool."

The next game, Beauty and the Beast, was enhanced significantly by Zaboru, and players praised the story for its charm and depth — much like Takayuki, the gamer who also worked as a supermarket cashier and often reached the finals or semifinals in ZAGE tournaments. Takayuki, a skilled and dedicated gamer, loved Beauty and the Beast for its heartfelt themes of love, redemption, and seeing beyond appearances also lot of actions.

The story was detailed in 16-bit cutscenes:

The young, selfish Prince Adam is transformed into a hideous Beast by an enchantress who curses him with a "Bloody Roar" as punishment for his arrogance. She hands him a magical rose that will bloom until his twenty-first birthday; if he can learn to love and be loved in return before the last petal falls, the curse will lift. If not, he is doomed to remain a beast forever.

The Beast roams the jungle and discovers a man sneaking into his castle, whom he captures. The man's daughter, Belle — a bright, spirited girl who loves fantasy books about romance and adventure — pleads with the Beast to take her in her father's place. The Beast agrees, intrigued by her courage.

But then, Prince Adam's kingdom is suddenly attacked by another Kingdom, led by a fearsome half-human, half-ox warrior known as The Minotaur. The Prince's army struggles to hold the line, forcing Adam to reveal his hidden appearance and power as The Beast — The Lion Beast — roaring into battle to defend his people.

After defeating the Minotaur, Adam and Belle find themselves drawn to each other. Belle clearly doesn't mind the Beast's appearance, and the Beast begins learning to be a better person, showing more kindness and vulnerability as they spend time together.

Then comes Gaston, the village hunter, consumed by jealousy and determined to marry Belle. Lacking the strength to defeat the Beast, Gaston strikes a dark bargain with a cloaked man who offers him the Bloody Roar Stone, a cursed relic that temporarily transforms him into a powerful half-wolf beast, amplifying his physical abilities. Even in this monstrous form, Gaston retains his hunting weapons, like his deadly bow, making him a formidable opponent.

The black-cloaked man also grants Gaston a savage minion to aid in the assault on the Beast's castle. Adam confronts Gaston on the rooftop in a fierce showdown also Gaston is the game Final Bosses. Despite Adam's valiant effort, Gaston wounds him severely before falling to his own death. Belle rushes to Adam's side, weeping as he lays dying. With his final breath, Adam confesses his love, and through her tears, Belle whispers that she loves him too.

The rose has only one petal left, but the Beast finds his true love and transforms back into a human. Adam and Belle live happily ever after — yet soon, Adam discovers he can still shift into Beast form, which secretly delights him as it allows him to protect his kingdom with newfound strength. The enchantress visits again, warning him that others out there wield the Bloody Roar curse, and not all are as noble — urging Adam to stay vigilant for the challenges yet to come.

Zabo-man makes a cameo in the cutscene as a soldier who died when the Minotaur attacked, but then his corpse mysteriously disappears — someone, or something, clearly took it. 

Takayuki loved the story of redemption. He thought, maybe he could change too — become a better, stronger person? But he shook his head and continued playing.

Gameplay-wise, Zaboru enhanced it significantly. The game remained an action side-scroller and platformer, but the animation, stages, and bosses were all upgraded, making it one of the standout titles. Zaboru also introduced new mechanics that added fresh depth and excitement to the gameplay.

Now the Beast had two forms: humanoid beast form and full beast form. In full beast form, he became larger, hit harder, and looked more ferocious, but players needed to fill the Rage gauge to activate this powerful state, adding an extra layer of strategy to when and how it was used.

The Beast also gained new skills every two levels:

Level 2 = Full Beast Form Transformation

Level 4 = Beast Roar (adds defense and attack buff)

Level 6 = Beast Bite (life steal attack)

Level 8 = Enhanced Claw (passive, increases basic attack damage)

Level 10 = Feral Attack (lunge at enemies)

Level 12 = Full Beast Form Enhanced (enhances full beast transformation buff)

Level 14 = Beast Aura (enhances basic attack and adds life steal)

Level 16 = Beast Madness (increases speed and attack but decreases health)

Level 18 = Primal Roar (decreases enemy defense)

Level 20 = King of the Beast Mode (turns into supreme beast coated in lightning)

Controls were: D-pad to move, Circle for strike, Triangle for heavy strike, Square for dodge, X to jump, L1 to defend, L2 to use healing items, and R1/R2 for special abilities, with eight total skill slots.

The last game was Raiden Trad, beloved by ZAGE shoot-'em-up fans. What stood out most was its true shmup feel — you piloted a sleek fighter jet, dodging waves of enemy bullets, destroying tanks, helicopters, ships, and massive bosses, all while trying to survive through increasingly brutal stages.

The power-up system was a major draw. Players loved collecting weapon upgrades like spread shots, homing missiles, and powerful lasers, along with bombs that could clear the screen in desperate moments. There was also a Z power-up that turned the Raiden ship black and gray, firing black projectiles — another playful Zabo-man Easter egg — adding extra charm and making fans smile at the clever in-game reference.

Visually, Raiden Trad impressed players with its detailed backgrounds, large enemy sprites, and satisfying explosions, especially considering the SNES hardware limits compared to the arcade. The intense soundtrack and arcade-like sound effects added to the adrenaline rush, making each stage feel urgent and high-stakes.

Finally, fans appreciated the difficulty — tough but fair, rewarding memorization, quick reflexes, and smart positioning. It became one of the standout shoot-'em-up games, enriching ZAGE's library.

Alas for the next game is none other than Super Punchout.

To be continue

AN : I actually want to focus on the Beauty and The beast game but i decide to use Summary instead. It's fine , anyway what do you guys think about detailed chapters like Spawn? Thats because i want to make Super Punchout and Moonwalker games in similar fashion.

Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 10 advance chapter for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997 

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