Chapter 149: Z-Man, SpongeBob, and Karate Bunny Release!Saturday, 25 January 1992

Time had passed since Zaboru's interview with TV Tokyo, and the reception from gamers had been overwhelmingly positive. Many saw him as a Mysterious ,charismatic and cool figure in the gaming industry. His confidence, passion for gaming, and mysterious helmeted persona had earned him admiration from fans across Japan. Some even referred to him as "Real life Zabo-Man," inspired by his unique way of presenting himself.

After that interview Zaboru continue working like always there is not unusual happening and his game progress and handheld game progress continue to progress steady than ever.

But today was not about interviews or media presence—today was the highly anticipated release of a new batch of ZEPS games! Fans were excited, and game stores across Japan were bustling with activity.

Kenji Electronics – The Game Store Buzz

Sawada Takeshi, a devoted fan of ZEPS, was among those eagerly waiting in line at Kenji Electronics, one of the largest game retailers in the area. Unlike smaller stores like Dekapon Electronics, Kenji Electronics had a massive space with multiple cash registers, making the queue more manageable. Sawada had been waiting for this day ever since the announcement, and now he was finally here to grab the latest ZEPS titles: Z-Man, SpongeBob, and Karate Bunny.

As he stood in line, he debated his purchase. "Should I buy all three?" he wondered. "Z-Man is a must-have, and SpongeBob looks pretty fun too... but Karate Bunny? Hmm, I'm not too sure about that one. It's not even made by ZAGE—it's developed by some company called U-Bunny, though it's published by ZAGE. Well This is the first officially released ZEPS game not made in-house by ZAGE. Might as well give it a shot."

His thoughts briefly shifted to something else—his upcoming interview at ZAGE's offices next week. He had been selected for an interview after applying for a position there, and it still felt surreal. With a smirk, he thought, I can't believe it—I'm going to be interviewed by ZAGE! If I land this job, my dream of working in the gaming industry will finally come true.

With that thought energizing him, he confidently approached the counter, paid for all three games, and walked out of the store with a bag full of excitement.

Arriving Home

Back in his apartment, Sawada eagerly sat down in front of his ZEPS console, staring at the three new game boxes. He scratched his head, pondering which one to play first. "Hmm… Z-Man? Nah, I should save the best for later. Maybe SpongeBob? Yeah, let's go with that one first."

He placed the SpongeBob game box on display and carefully unboxed it, revealing its contents:

The game cartridge,A detailed game manual,ZEPS Monthly Volume 5—a promotional magazine featuring list of games that released by ZAGE Z-Man and SpongeBob as the additional titles,And, as usual, the now-iconic black and gray "Z" cards with the mysterious phrase: "Look around closely everywhere and I will be there."

Sawada chuckled as he examined the card. "Looks like Zabo-Man is making another cameo somewhere in this game. I'll have to keep an eye out for him , and its seems Zabo-man just another brief cameo in this game hmm"

Without wasting another second, he inserted the SpongeBob cartridge into his ZEPS and powered it on.

The SpongeBob Experience Begins!

As the game booted up, Sawada was greeted with an energetic 8-bit chiptune rendition of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme. The title screen displayed SpongeBob and his friends grinning at the player, with "START" and gray out "CONTINUE" options beneath them.

Sawada hit "START," and the game began with a vibrant text introduction with some relaxing music:

"Ah, Bikini Bottom. Home to the friendliest creatures under the sea. But how do you know if you're truly from Bikini Bottom?"

The scene then transitioned to a series of humorous in-game cutscene:

"This is how you catch jellyfish." - SpongeBob was shown catching jellyfish with his net, and jumping obstacles."And this is how you make the legendary Krabby Patty!" - The screen switched to the Krusty Krab, where players had to follow Squidward's rapid-fire burger orders. Picking the wrong ingredients led to a very angry Squidward, and less money earned led to Angry Mr.Krabs"And this is how you kick butt in Texas!" - A beat`em up gameplay of SpongeBob, wearing oversized red karate gloves, fighting off fish thugs alongside Sandy Cheeks in bikini bottom street."And this is how you drive!" - A chaotic driving minigame where SpongeBob tried (and mostly failed) to pass Mrs. Puff's boating school exam, all while she screamed at him in the background Spongebob avoided obstacles and broke a lot of properties.Finally, "But how do you truly know you are from Bikini Bottom?" - The game then cut to SpongeBob stepping out of his iconic pineapple house, declaring, "I'm SpongeBob!"

Sawada burst into laughter. "This is gold! Looks like fun!"

As the game properly began , he ready to explore what SpongeBob games offer to him

To be continue

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