After Zaboru released Ecco the Dolphin and Kolibiri, a lot of things began to move at once. The small experimental launch quietly spread among players, but at the same time, ZAGE itself was entering one of its busiest periods in October, with multiple major projects reaching completion.
First of all, ZAGE's October release consisted of two main titles: Nightmare Creature and Alone in the Dark. Nightmare Creature was developed by Team OMNI, while Alone in the Dark was handled by Team Enigma.
Zaboru did not assign any new tasks to Team Enigma. Instead, he deliberately allowed them to continue focusing on their current workload, knowing they still had plenty to refine and stabilize. Pushing them further at this stage would only risk lowering quality, and Zaboru had no intention of doing that.
However, for Team OMNI, it was a different story. After reviewing their progress and current capacity, Zaboru decided to assign them a new project, Team Buddies. This game was quite unique and, in his previous life, it was an underrated title. The concept itself leaned toward an RTS style experience adapted for console play, something that was not commonly executed well at the time.
Zaboru planned to refine and expand the gameplay significantly, improving control clarity, pacing, and accessibility so it would better suit console players without losing its strategic depth. He wanted the game to feel both chaotic and tactical at the same time, something easy to pick up but still rewarding for skilled players.
For this project, Zaboru gave Team OMNI a total of 13 months, targeting a release in November 2001. The timeline was tight enough to maintain momentum, but still gave them room to properly polish and iterate on the core systems.
Next, there was also a request from Koji Igarashi, one of the leads of Team Nova. He wanted to create a game of his own, based on one of ZAGE's most popular IPs—Castlevania. However, he admitted that he still needed time to fully think through the outline and establish the core direction of the game before properly starting development.
Zaboru smiled when he heard that and approved it without hesitation. He found the situation quite amusing, because in his previous life—where ZAGE didn't exist—Koji Igarashi himself was the one who defined and shaped Castlevania into what it became. Because of that, Zaboru was genuinely curious to see what kind of Castlevania game Koji would create in this world, now that the roles were slightly different.
It wasn't just approval, but also interest. Zaboru wanted to see Koji's interpretation, his direction, and how he would approach the IP when given full creative freedom within ZAGE's system.
Koji Igarashi requested a full two years for development, estimating a release around October 2002. It was a long timeline compared to other projects, but Zaboru understood that this kind of game required careful planning, iteration, and refinement, especially if Koji was still defining its foundation.
Even so, Zaboru made it clear—if Koji needed more time, he would not hesitate to grant it. For a project like this, quality mattered far more than speed, and Zaboru had no intention of rushing something that could potentially become one of ZAGE's defining titles.
Next ZAGE release on October Halloween are something else, and first is Alone in the Dark. This game is quite scary, and this version is based on Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare from Zaboru previous life, adapted carefully into this world with the same core feeling but refined pacing and presentation.
What makes Alone in the Dark truly frightening is not just monsters or sudden shock, but the constant tension it builds. The game relies heavily on atmosphere—dark environments, limited visibility, eerie sound design, and the feeling that danger is always nearby even when nothing is happening. The use of light becomes an important mechanic, forcing players to navigate darkness carefully, making every step feel uncertain. The camera angles, slow movement, and resource management further amplify the pressure, making players think before acting rather than rushing forward.
Alone in the Dark leans more into psychological tension. It creates fear through isolation, mystery, and the unknown. The player is not powerful; instead, they feel vulnerable, constantly questioning what might be waiting in the next room. This creates a slower, heavier experience that stays in the player's mind even after they stop playing.
When compared to ZAGE's other famous horror franchise, Resident Evil, the difference becomes even clearer. Resident Evil focuses more on action-survival balance—players are given weapons, combat is more direct, and while tension exists, there is also a sense of control and progression through fighting enemies. It mixes fear with empowerment.
Alone in the Dark, however, strips much of that control away. It emphasizes uncertainty over action, atmosphere over combat, and psychological fear over adrenaline. Where Resident Evil makes players feel like survivors fighting back, Alone in the Dark makes them feel like intruders trying to endure something far beyond their understanding.
Because of that difference, Alone in the Dark offers a more haunting experience—slower, heavier, and more unsettling, making it stand out even among ZAGE's strong horror lineup.
This game also quickly became popular in streaming circles. Even though it was released on ZEPS 3, some streamers had already figured out ways to properly capture and broadcast gameplay using third party tools, which allowed the experience to reach a much wider audience than expected. Because of that, Alone in the Dark gained strong visibility online, especially among viewers who enjoy horror content.
What made it even more appealing was the type of fear it delivered. Many people love watching horror games, but hesitate to play them themselves due to the tension and pressure. This game fit perfectly into that space. Watching someone else struggle through darkness, react to sudden sounds, and slowly uncover the mystery created an engaging experience that felt almost like watching a live horror performance.
As a result, the game didn't just succeed as a product to be played, but also as something to be watched. Streamers amplified its presence, and audiences who were too afraid to experience it firsthand still became deeply involved through those broadcasts, further increasing its popularity.
Aside from that, there was another major release—"Nightmare Creature"—and this was a project where Zaboru truly indulged his vision. In his previous life, this concept would be closest to a "Bloodborne" demake, and Zaboru leaned into that idea completely, translating its essence into this world with his own interpretation and limitations of the current technology.
The story takes place in a town called "Nihilus," once known as a famous and prosperous city. It was a place of culture, intellect, and rapid advancement, but beneath that success lay a dangerous obsession. The people of Nihilus were not satisfied with ordinary progress—they craved knowledge beyond human limits, specifically the forbidden knowledge of an Outer God known as the "Night Beast."
This entity was believed to grant extraordinary gifts—sharper instincts, heightened intelligence, and stronger physical capabilities. Driven by ambition, the people began experimenting with arcane techniques, eventually developing an art known as the "Purple Curtain." Through this ritual, they embedded fragments of the Night Beast's essence into their own bodies, believing they could harness its power without consequence.
At first, everything seemed to work. The town flourished even more, its people becoming stronger and more capable than ever before. Nihilus became a symbol of evolution and enlightenment… but it was all built on something unstable.
Then, one day, everything collapsed.
It was as if the Night Beast itself had become aware. The moment it realized that its essence was being used and manipulated by mortals, something changed. Whether it was anger, rejection, or something beyond human understanding, the result was the same—it retaliated.
The essence within the people began to react violently. Those who had used the "Purple Curtain" started losing their sanity, their minds breaking under the influence of something far greater than themselves. The once-great city descended into chaos, filled with madness, violence, and creatures no longer fully human.
However, not everyone lost themselves completely. A small number managed to retain their sanity, or at least a distorted version of it. These individuals began calling themselves "The Night Beast Worshipers." Instead of resisting the influence, they embraced it, believing that the Night Beast was a divine being meant to descend upon the world.
To them, the outbreak was not a tragedy… but a revelation.
And now, in the ruins of Nihilus, they seek to bring that Outer God fully into existence.
While the story, the main character "Nightmare Creature" is a fallen noble who willingly chose to become a test subject before the night descended into chaos, and from that moment his journey begins. This premise alone already feels unusual for this era, because instead of a chosen hero or someone destined for greatness, the protagonist is essentially just an ordinary man who made a questionable decision at the worst possible time. He is not blessed with special power, not guided by prophecy, and not even particularly heroic in the traditional sense. What makes him compelling is exactly that—he survives, struggles, and adapts in a world that is collapsing around him. As the city of Nihilus falls into madness, he is forced to navigate through both external horrors and the consequences of his own choice, slowly uncovering the truth behind the Night Beast and the experiments that led to the outbreak. This grounded approach to the protagonist makes the experience feel more personal and raw, because the player is not controlling a legend, but someone who could easily fail, hesitate, and suffer, making every step forward feel earned rather than given.
This game is essentially the first Souls-like in this world, but Zaboru deliberately refrains from using the infamous storytelling method from his previous life, the one told purely through item descriptions. He saves that approach for a future title. Instead, this version still carries narrative depth, but presents it in a more direct way, allowing players to discover the lore through journals, notes, and environmental hints scattered across the world. It creates mystery, but not confusion, giving players a clearer thread to follow while still encouraging exploration.
For the gameplay itself, it is a fully 3D early Souls-style experience. Zaboru also adds a subtle "Bloodborne" influence into the design, especially in the aesthetic. The clothing leans toward old European, almost Victorian-like coats, giving the characters a distinct and grim appearance. The weapons are grounded and brutal, consisting of swords, spears, shields, hammers, and maces, each with weight and purpose. Zaboru also implements a stat and weapon system similar to Souls games, where builds matter, choices matter, and players must understand how they want to approach combat rather than simply relying on reflex alone.
As for difficulty, Zaboru intentionally makes the game extremely hard. Not artificially hard, but demanding. He introduces core Souls mechanics such as losing all accumulated resources upon death, forcing players to return to the place where they died to recover them. If they fail, everything is lost. On top of that, resting resets the world, bringing back every enemy the player has defeated, creating a constant loop of risk and tension.
This design forces players to be careful, to learn, and to improve. Every mistake has weight, every victory feels earned, and progress is never handed freely. It's punishing, but fair in its own logic, pushing players to grow rather than simply survive.
The game is extremely hard, and at first many JRPG players—especially casual ones—react negatively to it, saying things like "It's not balanced" or "This is too punishing." The difficulty feels overwhelming in the early stages, especially for players who are used to more forgiving systems where progress is steady and failure is rarely severe. Here, mistakes are costly, and that alone creates frustration for a large portion of the audience.
However, as time goes on, especially after the first week of release, the perception slowly begins to shift. More players start to understand the design philosophy behind the game. They begin to realize that while it is harsh, it is not unfair. Every enemy has a pattern, every system has logic, and every failure carries a lesson. It doesn't punish randomly—it punishes carelessness.
Gradually, a new wave of players begins to emerge—those who don't just tolerate the difficulty, but actually fall in love with it. They enjoy the tension, the sense of accomplishment, and the feeling of overcoming something that once seemed impossible. For them, the difficulty becomes the identity of the game itself.
And sure, the game is still hard. At times, it even feels unfair. But it is never truly impossible. There is always a way forward, always a method to improve, and that becomes more visible as skilled players start showcasing their gameplay.
Especially through streaming, many players begin to watch others master the mechanics, learn enemy patterns, and progress further into the game. Seeing someone succeed where they once failed changes their perspective—it proves that the game is not broken, but simply demanding.
And because of that, what started as criticism slowly transforms into admiration.
And with that, October comes to a close. It is now early November, and Zaboru shifts his focus once again, this time toward music. He begins preparing to record a new batch of songs with his band, Zaraki, for an upcoming Guitar Hero album. The process is already underway—writing, arranging, and refining each track with the same intensity he brings to game development. Alongside the recordings, he also plans to perform several of these songs live later this month, marking a rare moment where his creative work steps beyond the studio and into a stage performance.
To be continue
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