Chapter 1490 1407 Triangle Soft ZEPS 4 Gameplay

Thursday, March 26, 2002

Meanwhile, on the same day, inside the offices of Triangle Soft in Japan, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Tetsuya Takahashi were sitting side by side in front of a pair of powerful development PCs. Multiple monitors surrounded them, but the program occupying most of their attention was obvious.

ZAGE Unreal Engine 4.

Triangle Soft was finally preparing its first proper game designed around ZEPS 4.

The studio had enjoyed another strong year in 2001. Their biggest release had been Jewel Sword 3, the newest installment in Triangle Soft's flagship JRPG franchise, while their other notable project had been something considerably stranger: Worona, a smaller platforming game starring an orange monkey capable of breathing fire and temporarily transforming into a gorilla.

Worona had been ridiculous.

It had also been surprisingly fun.

Both games sold well on ZEPS 3, although Jewel Sword 3 naturally remained the much larger success. At this point, the Jewel Sword franchise had become one of the most respected JRPG properties outside ZAGE itself. Whenever people discussed the largest role-playing franchises in the industry, Triangle Soft could legitimately stand alongside ZAGE's Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Shin Megami Tensei, Tales and the rapidly growing Trails series.

That alone was something Hironobu took considerable pride in.

Triangle Soft wasn't ZAGE.

They didn't possess Zaboru's seemingly infinite collection of bizarre ideas.

They didn't have dozens of development teams spread across multiple countries.

They certainly didn't have ZAGE's ridiculous financial resources.

But they had survived.

More importantly, they had developed an identity of their own.

And now they had ZEPS 4 hardware in front of them.

Hironobu leaned closer to the monitor while moving through several UE4 tools. He adjusted an environment prototype, modified the lighting, changed several materials and watched everything update almost immediately.

He stared at it for several seconds.

"...This is cheating."

Tetsuya glanced toward him. "What?"

"This."

Hironobu gestured at the screen. "Do you remember how much work we had to do just to make environments look decent during early ZEPS 3 development?"

Tetsuya laughed. "Unfortunately."

"And now I can change the lighting like this..."

Hironobu moved several settings.

The entire jungle prototype transformed.

"...and it just works."

Tetsuya grinned. "Yeah, Boss. These tools are fucking ridiculous. Even the version ZAGE gave us is special."

Hironobu slowly turned toward him.

"Don't start."

Tetsuya immediately became even happier.

He pointed toward the information displayed near the top of the development package.

UE4 — Triangle Soft Development Branch — Hironobu Sakaguchi Package.

Tetsuya laughed. "Come on! They literally gave you something internally labeled the Hironobu Sakaguchi version. ZAGE isn't even pretending anymore!"

"It's probably just a development package."

"Sure."

"It is."

"Absolutely."

Hironobu narrowed his eyes.

Tetsuya continued mercilessly. "Boss, ZAGE has been trying to recruit you for years."

"I know."

"Zaboru keeps trying."

"I know."

"They give Triangle Soft preferential technical support."

"Because we're an important third-party developer."

"They personally optimize tools for you."

"Because—"

"They named the fucking package after you."

Hironobu sighed.

Tetsuya leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Maybe you should finally accept, Boss. Honestly, I'd understand. I'm already fucking tired of dealing with our shareholders."

"Tetsu."

"I'm serious! Greedy bastards complain every time we spend money, then when the game becomes successful they suddenly act like they believed in us the whole time."

Hironobu rubbed his forehead.

"The only reason they haven't interfered more is because they're terrified you'll leave," Tetsuya continued. "Which is honestly hilarious."

"Enough."

"Fine."

Hironobu returned his attention to the monitor. "We're talking about games, not my employment."

Tetsuya smiled innocently. "For now."

Hironobu ignored him.

"Anyway, Jewel Sword 3 only released last year. The next Jewel Sword is obviously going to happen eventually, but I don't want to immediately begin another numbered sequel. Let that series breathe for a while."

Tetsuya nodded.

"So," Hironobu continued, "we need something new."

He glanced toward his younger colleague.

"And before you say anything, yes, I know Worona was your idea."

Tetsuya immediately smiled proudly.

Hironobu sighed. "I don't hate Worona. Actually, I genuinely enjoyed developing it. But an orange monkey breathing fire and transforming into a gorilla isn't exactly what people imagine when they hear Triangle Soft."

"That's why it was fun."

"I knew you'd say that."

"We make JRPGs constantly. Sometimes I want to make something stupid."

"Worona was definitely stupid."

"Successful stupid."

Hironobu couldn't argue with that.

He leaned back.

"Alright. What do you have?"

Tetsuya's expression suddenly changed.

The joking disappeared almost immediately.

That caught Hironobu's attention.

Tetsuya opened a folder.

PROJECT RAGUNA

Hironobu raised an eyebrow.

Tetsuya smiled. "This one is much closer to our usual territory."

A series of concept illustrations appeared on the monitor.

Dense magical forests.

Gigantic trees towering hundreds of meters into the sky.

Ruined temples buried beneath enormous roots.

Creatures moving through glowing rivers.

Floating islands trapped between tree canopies.

A young boy standing beside an enormous ape whose fists appeared to contain magma.

Hironobu leaned forward.

"...Okay."

Tetsuya's grin widened.

"I knew you'd like this."

"Explain."

Tetsuya immediately started.

"Raguna is a JRPG inspired by several things. Pokémon and Digimon obviously influenced the creature side. Tarzan influenced the protagonist and jungle environment. And honestly, I stole—"

Hironobu looked at him.

"...referenced."

"Better."

"I referenced some ideas from Zaboru's manga Nurarihyon no Mago, especially the idea of gaining strength through relationships with supernatural beings."

Hironobu nodded slowly.

"So what's the story?"

Tetsuya opened another concept page.

The protagonist appeared.

PASMIN.

"Pasmin starts as an ordinary human child," Tetsuya explained. "He gets separated from human civilization and ends up deep inside an enormous magical region called the Raguna Forest. Except calling it a forest is misleading because Raguna is basically its own world."

The concept map showed an absurdly large ecosystem.

Jungles.

Mountains.

Swamps.

Ancient ruins.

Volcanic regions.

Underground caves.

Floating forest islands.

Even entire settlements belonging to intelligent magical creatures.

Tetsuya continued, "Raguna contains hundreds of magical species. Some behave almost like animals, others are completely intelligent, and several have their own civilizations, territories and cultures."

Hironobu's interest increased.

"And humans?"

"Rarely enter. Most humans are terrified of Raguna because powerful creatures live there. There are also people who hunt Raguna creatures for materials, magical organs, weapons, whatever they can sell."

"So Pasmin gets trapped there."

"Exactly. But instead of being killed, he's found by this guy."

Tetsuya changed the artwork.

An enormous ape appeared.

Dark stone-like fur covered much of its body, while cracks across its arms glowed orange. Heat radiated from its fists and shoulders, and smoke occasionally escaped from around its mouth.

ROJALO — MAGMA APE.

Hironobu stared at it.

Then slowly looked toward Tetsuya.

"...Again?"

Tetsuya looked confused. "What?"

"Another flaming ape."

"It's cool!"

"You have a problem."

"I don't have a problem."

"You absolutely have a problem."

"Boss, look at him!"

"I'm looking."

"He is an ape."

"Yes."

"Made partially from magma."

"I can see that."

"That's fucking awesome!"

Hironobu sighed.

Tetsuya continued passionately. "And Pokémon still doesn't have exactly the kind of Flame Ape I want! Digimon doesn't either! I'm telling you, someday somebody is going to realize how fucking obvious this idea is!"

Hironobu stared at him.

"You're strangely confident about that."

"Because I'm right."

"Whatever."

Tetsuya happily returned to his explanation.

"Rojalo finds the boy nearly dead and brings him back to his group. Pasmin doesn't remember much about his family anymore, so Rojalo's tribe basically adopts him."

"And Pasmin isn't his original name?"

Tetsuya shook his head. "Rojalo gives him that name."

That detail made Hironobu smile slightly.

"So we're doing Tarzan."

"Magical JRPG Tarzan."

"With Pokémon."

"And Nurarihyon."

Hironobu rubbed his chin.

"That's an incredibly dangerous combination."

Tetsuya grinned.

"Exactly."

Then came the core gameplay mechanic.

Tetsuya opened another page.

At the top was written:

FRIENDS HELP

Hironobu blinked.

"...That's really the name?"

"Placeholder."

"Thank God."

"Although I kind of like it because Pasmin don't know what it's originally called."

"We're changing it later."

"We'll see."

Hironobu sighed. "Explain it."

Tetsuya leaned forward.

"Pasmin doesn't capture creatures."

That immediately interested Hironobu.

"There are no balls, cages or storage systems. Raguna creatures are living characters. You meet them through the story, quests, exploration or sometimes completely accidentally."

"And they fight for you?"

"Sometimes."

Tetsuya changed the screen.

It showed Pasmin touching Rojalo's fist.

Their bodies briefly glowed.

Then magical patterns resembling molten cracks appeared across Pasmin's arms.

"Pasmin has a unique ability. A Raguna creature that genuinely trusts him can temporarily share part of its existence with him."

Hironobu's eyes narrowed with interest.

"Fusion?"

"Sort of. The creature doesn't disappear permanently. Think of it as Pasmin temporarily borrowing its characteristics."

With Rojalo, Pasmin gained immense physical strength, resistance to heat and the ability to surround his fists with magma.

Another concept showed him borrowing traits from a giant bird.

Feathers formed along his arms.

He gained limited flight and wind attacks.

Another creature produced armored skin.

Another granted underwater breathing.

One allowed Pasmin to climb enormous trees at ridiculous speed.

One granted enhanced hearing.

Another produced poisonous claws.

Hironobu slowly nodded.

"Okay."

Tetsuya smiled.

"Now you see it."

"I do."

The system wasn't simply a combat gimmick.

It affected exploration too.

Certain creatures could help Pasmin cross environments that were previously inaccessible. A water creature could allow deeper underwater exploration. A flying creature could reach elevated areas. Smaller creatures might allow him to enter narrow spaces, while others could reveal hidden magical objects.

But there was an important limitation.

Hironobu pointed toward the design.

"If the creature is powerful enough, why doesn't Pasmin simply borrow the strongest one constantly?"

Tetsuya grinned.

"Because he'd fucking die."

Hironobu looked at him.

"Good answer."

"The stronger the creature, the harder it is for a human body to contain its power. Rojalo is already difficult early in the game. If Pasmin tries borrowing power from something dramatically stronger than him, the fusion becomes unstable."

"So there are physical limits."

"Yeah. Pasmin has to become stronger himself."

Hironobu immediately started thinking.

That created natural progression.

Pasmin wouldn't merely collect stronger creatures.

He would have to develop relationships with them while simultaneously increasing his own capacity.

Even better, trust could affect the strength of the transformation.

A creature that barely trusted Pasmin might only give him one simple trait.

A close friend could provide much more.

And powerful bonds could potentially unlock completely different forms.

Hironobu leaned back.

"So the player's strength isn't based on capturing monsters."

"Nope."

"It's based on building relationships."

"Exactly."

"Meaning if we design this properly, every major creature can become an actual character rather than equipment."

Tetsuya pointed at him.

"Now you're getting it."

Hironobu smiled.

That was where Triangle Soft could make the concept their own.

They were known for JRPG characters.

Emotional storytelling.

Large worlds.

Long journeys.

If Raguna creatures possessed personalities, conflicts and relationships, then gaining their abilities could become emotionally meaningful rather than simply mechanical progression.

Helping a frightened creature might eventually earn its trust.

Resolving a conflict between two tribes could unlock entirely different abilities.

A creature might refuse to help Pasmin because humans once killed its family.

Another might initially attack him.

Some could betray him.

Some could die.

Some could eventually accompany Pasmin through most of the game.

Hironobu's mind was already moving rapidly.

Tetsuya recognized the expression.

He laughed.

"There it is."

"What?"

"That look."

"What look?"

"The 'I'm about to steal your idea and make it ten times bigger' look."

Hironobu looked offended.

"I'm your boss."

"Exactly."

Hironobu stared at the concept again.

Raguna.

Pasmin.

Rojalo.

Creature relationships.

Fusion.

Exploration abilities.

A magical ecosystem large enough to support multiple cultures.

There was a lot here.

Potentially too much.

Which meant it needed structure.

But the foundation?

Very strong.

Hironobu sighed.

"So basically Pokémon's creature appeal, Digimon-style bonds, Tarzan's human-raised-in-the-wild concept, and some Nurarihyon no Mago influence..."

"Yes."

"...combined into a Triangle Soft JRPG."

"Yes."

Hironobu remained quiet for several seconds.

Then smiled.

"Interesting."

Tetsuya grinned triumphantly.

"I fucking knew it."

"Don't celebrate yet. This still needs enormous amounts of work."

"That's your job."

Hironobu's smile disappeared.

Tetsuya immediately started laughing.

Hironobu remembered.

The bet.

Months earlier, Tetsuya had confidently claimed that ZAGE would never stop trying to recruit Hironobu. Hironobu had disagreed strongly enough that the argument somehow became a stupid wager.

Hironobu lost.

And the punishment was simple.

Triangle Soft's next original game had to begin from one of Tetsuya's concepts, and Hironobu wasn't allowed to simply reject it because it sounded ridiculous.

Hironobu stared at him.

"You planned this."

"Maybe."

"You deliberately saved this idea for the bet."

"Maybe."

"And now you're dumping the difficult parts on me."

Tetsuya smiled beautifully.

"Absolutely."

"...Bastard."

"Thank you, Boss."

Hironobu sighed before returning his attention to the UE4 screen.

Then he looked at Raguna Forest again.

A massive jungle stretched across the prototype environment.

UE4's lighting filtered naturally through the canopy.

Particles floated through the humid air.

Leaves reacted to movement.

Water reflected the enormous trees above it.

And somewhere in the distance, a gigantic unfinished Magma Ape model stood inside the forest.

Hironobu stared at it.

Then sighed.

"Fine."

Tetsuya immediately leaned closer.

"We're doing it?"

"Yes."

His fingers moved toward the keyboard.

PROJECT: RAGUNA

Hironobu created the official development directory.

"Raguna will be Triangle Soft's next original ZEPS 4 project."

Tetsuya raised both fists.

"YES!"

"But."

Tetsuya froze.

"We're changing the name FRIENDS HELP."

"No!"

"It's terrible."

"It's charming!"

"It sounds like a tutorial button."

"Boss!"

"And I'm not putting fifty flaming apes into the game."

"I only asked for several!"

"Why do you need several!?"

"Different species!"

Hironobu closed his eyes.

This project was already becoming a problem.

But when he looked back toward the screen, he couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Because underneath Tetsuya's stupidity...

There really was something here.

Something Triangle Soft could turn into their own.

Raguna.

Their first original JRPG built specifically for ZEPS 4 had officially begun.

To be continued.

AN : I love creating chapters like this honestly thinking about ideas of my own with ZEPS 4 i can think more tho lol… but the question is are you guys enjoying this… kind of Original Ideas or just love i create more knowing games?