Chapter 105: Yugo's Game Idea

Monday, November 25, 1991

After finalizing his plans, Zaboru left his personal office. He wanted to prepare for a brainstorming session while also helping his employees finish the three games scheduled for the December release. Just as he stepped out, Yugo came running toward him, his face brimming with excitement.

"BOSS-sama! I need your opinion on this!" Yugo exclaimed.

Zaboru was momentarily surprised but then chuckled. Yugo was a special employee—if he hadn't warned Zaboru about Sonaya's attempt to poach ZAGE's workers, things might have turned out very differently.

"Relax, Yugo. What's going on?"

"Can we have a one-on-one meeting?" Yugo asked eagerly.

Zaboru nodded and led him back into his office. Once they were inside, Zaboru sat down and gestured for Yugo to speak.

"So, what do you need me for?"

Yugo excitedly spread out several concept sketches and game mechanics blueprints on the desk. "It's my game idea, Boss-sama! I've been working on this, and I call it… Koro-Cool!"

Zaboru's lips twitched. Koro-Cool? That name sounded… odd. "What does Koro-Cool stand for?"

Yugo beamed. "Well, the main character's name is Korosi, based on korosia (which means 'killer'), and 'Cool' means, well, cool! So it's Korosia Cool! Or Cool Killer!"

Zaboru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yugo… I think you might want to reconsider the name. But let's set that aside for now. Let's hear about the gameplay."

Yugo pouted, clearly fond of the name, but he nodded and moved on to his main pitch.

"So, here's the story! It takes place in the future, where Earth has been invaded by an alien race called Poli-men! They have green skin, black eyes, and are much stronger than humans. Their technology is also highly advanced. Our protagonist, Korosi, is a legendary Poli-man killer. He's taken down countless enemies, but one day, a powerful Poli-man general named Zatsu severs both of his hands and throws him into the sea!"

Zaboru raised an eyebrow. "That's dark. Go on."

"Korosi survives, thanks to a secret organization called Poli-Resistance! They oppose the Poli-men and have their own underground network. While recovering, Korosi meets a brilliant but eccentric scientist named Sumarto Peruson!"

Zaboru's eye twitched. Sumarto Peruson? Did he just name him after 'Smart Person' in English?

Yugo continued, oblivious to Zaboru's reaction. "Peruson implants advanced Poli-man technology into Korosi's arms, turning them into powerful weapons! Now, Korosi is ready to take revenge on Zatsu!"

Zaboru nodded, taking it all in. "The story is… unique. A bit on the dark side, but it has potential. Now, what about the gameplay?"

Yugo grinned and pointed to his blueprints. "I took a lot of inspiration from your work, Boss-sama! The gameplay is similar to Mega Man, but with a twist. Instead of acquiring projectile-based weapons from bosses, Korosi's abilities are entirely melee-based! His arms can transform into different weapons—swords, shields, axes, spears, and gauntlets!"

Zaboru leaned forward, intrigued. "Interesting. So what's the core mechanic?"

"Each time Korosi defeats a boss, he gains an upgrade that enhances his arms' abilities. But instead of just getting a new weapon, the player also unlocks new ways to move and fight! I also took inspiration from Metroid—there will be areas that players can't access early on, but later, when they acquire the right abilities, they'll be able to backtrack and explore new paths!"

Zaboru was genuinely impressed. Yugo had clearly put a lot of thought into the game. "That's a solid foundation. Have you planned out the stages and boss battles yet?"

Yugo scratched his head. "Not yet, Boss-sama, but I plan to! If you approve, I want to fully develop this game for future release!"

Zaboru smiled. "There's a lot of room for improvement, Yugo. For example, why limit yourself to traditional weapons like swords and axes? Since this is based on Poli-man technology, why not go full sci-fi? Plasma blades, energy shields, shape-shifting weapons—you can get creative with it!"

Yugo's eyes widened as he frantically scribbled notes. "That's a great idea, Boss-sama! What else?!"

"Since it's melee-based, dodging will be crucial. You should add a dash mechanic—something like double-tapping the X button to dodge attacks. Also, some enemies should be weak to specific weapons while resisting others, so players are encouraged to switch between them strategically."

Zaboru then continue "You also can make The player can upgrade Korosi abilities in Base! , each time The stages are cleared the player will back to the Poli-resistance Base to upgrade his abilities , instead of just getting it instantly, so its improve immersion."

Yugo's excitement was through the roof. "That's an amazing idea! It'll be tough to implement, but who cares? I'll make it work! Boss-sama, please help me make this game a reality!"

Zaboru chuckled. "No need to rush. It's a solid idea, and I'll definitely help. ZAGE will release your game in the future, but it has to be fully ready first. For now, focus on our current projects. When the time comes, we'll work on this properly. Also… we really need to rethink the name."

Yugo crossed his arms stubbornly. "No way! The name is perfect, Boss!"

With that, he bolted out of the office, brimming with motivation.

Zaboru leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh. "So Yugo already has game ideas, huh? It's actually not bad… In fact, I'm looking forward to playing it myself. Heh… I'll make sure it gets released, even if it doesn't sell well. Sometimes, setbacks are just part of the journey to success."

With that thought, Zaboru stood up and returned to work, ready to push forward with his plans.

To be continued…

*Author note :

So, I've decided not to make paid chapters on Patreon. Why? Because honestly, I don't think I can charge people to read my novel—LOL.

Also, I'm afraid that if I suddenly stop writing in the future, all the patrons paying me monthly would be disappointed, and I don't want that. Plus, with Patreon, I'd need to stick to a solid release schedule, which sounds like a hassle, so I'd rather avoid it.

Anyway, this fic will remain 100% free, and I'll keep releasing a bunch of inconsistent chapters like usual—LOL! But hey, if you want to support me and give me more motivation, you can donate here: www.patre*n.com/zaborn_1997.

But if you don't want to, that's totally fine—I don't even know why anyone would want to donate, lol!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!*