NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Making The Last Games for Akechi
After finalizing his work with Ayumi and thinking about patents, ZAGE progress and future ,Zaboru sat at his desk, deep in thought. He needed to develop one last game for Akechi this week before shifting his full focus to ZEPS. Because next week With just a week left until its launch, hiring employees and preparing advertisements would soon take priority.
This might be the last game I make early for Akechi. I need something I can develop quickly while still maintaining quality, Zaboru mused. He tapped his pen against his notebook, contemplating his next move.
What game can I make using my existing resources while adding fresh mechanics? He pondered before snapping his fingers. The original Metal Gear is a perfect candidate. With a few new design elements and mechanics, I can finish it in six days. A couple of all-nighters should do the trick.
Grinning, he immediately set to work.
Six grueling days passed, with Zaboru fully immersed in developing the game. He refined its mechanics, enhanced level design, and introduced new characters. Despite pushing himself with little sleep, he felt a surge of satisfaction as he saw the project come to life. His passion and dedication were paying off as the game started to take shape beyond his initial vision.
At its core, Metal Gear was a stealth-action game designed to challenge players with strategic infiltration. The player controlled a military operative codenamed Solid Snake, whose objective was to sneak into the enemy base without being detected. The gameplay revolved around evasion, requiring players to avoid patrolling guards and security measures.
If Snake was spotted, the game would enter Alert Mode, forcing the player to escape or engage in combat. There were two levels of alert:
Single Exclamation Alert (!) - Localized Combat:If only a single exclamation mark appeared over an enemy's head, only those on the current screen would pursue Snake.Escaping was as simple as moving to an adjacent screen.Double Exclamation Alert (!!) - Reinforcements Incoming:Triggered if Snake made a loud noise, was seen by security cameras, or activated an alarm.Reinforcements would flood the area, making escape more difficult.To evade pursuit, players had to eliminate all enemies, enter an elevator, or trigger a boss fight.
Snake started unarmed but could collect a variety of weapons, including firearms, explosives, and a silencer to mute gunfire. Limited ammunition forced players to manage resources wisely. Additionally, melee combat allowed for silent takedowns—punching enemies undetected sometimes rewarded rations or extra ammo.
The enemy base spanned three interconnected buildings with multiple floors, basement levels, and locked doors requiring key cards. Players had to rescue hostages for information, and saving five increased Snake's rank, boosting his health and carrying capacity. However, accidentally killing a hostage would demote the player's rank.
To aid in the mission, Snake could communicate via a transceiver with key allies:
Big Boss – His commanding officer, providing general mission guidance.Schneider – A resistance member with intelligence on enemy locations.Diane – A contact with knowledge about bosses and their weaknesses.Jennifer – A mole inside the enemy base, offering valuable supplies if certain conditions were met.
To make the game more dynamic, Zaboru introduced a special cameo: Zabo-man. If a player performed exceptionally well, avoiding detection for an extended period, Zabo-man would appear on the stage, running across the screen to distract the guards. However, this came with a risk—sometimes, instead of distracting them, Zabo-man would panic and run toward Snake's location, inadvertently exposing the player and causing chaos.
Zaboru also added a challenge mode where players could attempt speedruns with limited resources, emphasizing strategic movement and enemy avoidance. He implemented hidden collectibles that unlocked additional lore about the game's world, enticing players to explore every corner.
With all these mechanics in place, Metal Gear was finally complete. Zaboru sat back, rubbing his tired eyes but smiling with satisfaction. After extensive testing, everything ran smoothly. Now, all he had to do was wait for Akechi.
About thirty minutes later, the bell at ZAGE's front entrance rang.
Zaboru stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Right on time."
He stood up and made his way to greet Akechi, eager to present his latest masterpiece.
To be continued…