Takayuki Kageyama sat cross-legged on the floor of his tiny apartment, staring at the title screen of Tetris with curiosity. He already opened the Tetris box and like usual there are 4 things in it and Zabo-man cards show text "Buy Me if you will look very cool" and unlike the other games he had played before, this was something entirely new to him. ZAGE had just released it for the ZEPS console, making it the first-ever version of Tetris in existence. He had no idea what to expect, but the moment the game's pixelated logo appeared, accompanied by its oddly catchy chiptune music (AN: OG PEAK TETRIS MUSIC), he felt a strange excitement bubbling inside him.
Takayuki pressed start, and the game dropped him into his first session. At first, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. The screen displayed different falling shapes—blocks arranged in various configurations—and they slowly descended toward the bottom of the play area. He moved them left and right experimentally, rotating them to see how they fit together. After a few hesitant movements, something clicked.
'Wait... so if I stack them neatly, I can clear the lines?'
As soon as he completed his first row, the blocks disappeared in a satisfying flicker of animation. Takayuki's eyes widened. That was it! The goal of the game wasn't just to place blocks—it was to fit them together perfectly and clear as many lines as possible before the screen filled up.
Excitement coursed through him as he quickly grew more confident. He kept playing, clearing more and more lines, until a new prompt suddenly popped up: "You've earned 500 points! Visit the shop to customize your game!"
Confused but intrigued, he navigated to the shop menu and was met with something completely unexpected. The ZAGE version of Tetris wasn't just about stacking blocks—it had a built-in customization system. As he scrolled through the options, he realized he could use the points he earned from playing to purchase different background themes, block designs, and even alternate music tracks.
The backgrounds ranged from simple colors to scenes inspired by other ZAGE franchises—Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and even Z-Man Cityscape. The block styles were just as varied: traditional blocks, Super Mario brick blocks, glowing Sonic rings, Pac-Man ghosts, and even pixelated faces of various ZAGE characters. Each one had its own unique charm.
But what caught his attention the most was an unlockable block style featuring none other than Zabo-man himself. He remembered the Zabo-man card: "Buy me, and you will look very cool!" Takayuki let out a laugh. He had encountered Zabo-man in other ZAGE games, and the character always had this strange, self-important way of speaking. Seeing him as a Tetris block was both ridiculous and oddly fitting. Without hesitation, he selected it.
Jumping back into the game, he watched as the falling blocks were now tiny pixelated Zabo-man heads, their faces changing expressions whenever they rotated. The first time he cleared a four-line Tetris, a pixelated thumbs-up from Zabo-man appeared at the bottom of the screen, along with a text : "You are very cool!"
Takayuki chuckled, fully engrossed now. He experimented with different customization options, mixing and matching backgrounds and block styles—playing with a Pac-Man background ,Metroid background and Sonic blocks, or setting up a Super Mario backdrop with glowing blue Z-Man blocks. Every combination made the game feel fresh and unique.
But as he progressed, the difficulty ramped up. The blocks started falling faster, demanding quicker reflexes. His fingers worked tirelessly, rotating pieces and slotting them into place as best as he could. His heart pounded as the screen neared full capacity, each misplacement pushing him closer to defeat. Sweat formed on his brow. This game was deceptively simple but incredibly intense!
And then—his screen filled up. Game Over.
Takayuki let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He had never played anything before. It was addictive. Frustrating, but rewarding. The fact that it was a brand-new game, something the world had never seen before, only made it more exciting. He could already imagine the gaming community talking about it for weeks, sharing strategies and competing for the highest scores.
He glanced at the shop menu again, already thinking about what he wanted to unlock next. But to his surprise, a new game mode appeared below the play option called Stages! His curiosity piqued, Takayuki selected it. "Hmm... What is this?" he muttered as the screen displayed eight different levels that he needed to beat.
Excited yet slightly nervous, he jumped in. The early stages felt manageable, but as he progressed, the difficulty increased significantly. By the time he reached Stage 5, he found himself struggling. "Damn! This stage is really hard!" he groaned, gripping his controller tighter. The speed of the falling blocks had increased dramatically, and each mistake felt more punishing. After several failed attempts, he finally cleared it, only to be met with Stage 6—a brutal challenge unlike anything before.
"What the hell!? These blocks are way too fast!" he shouted as his fingers moved frantically to keep up. Sweat formed on his brow as he tried to maintain control, but the relentless pace made it nearly impossible. "I'll be damned... if Stage 6 is this tough, what the hell is Stage 8 going to be like? Am I even capable of beating it?" He sighed heavily, realizing he needed a break before tackling the impossible.
Clearing Stage 5 had rewarded him with a substantial amount of points, so he navigated back to the shop to see if anything new had unlocked. To his delight, a new section had appeared—Partner! The description revealed that he could now purchase custom partners who would react to his gameplay, offering encouragement or commentary text when he cleared lines.
Scrolling through the options, he found a variety of ZAGE characters available for selection. Of course, Zabo-man was there, ready to cheer him on with his signature line: "You are very cool!" But what caught Takayuki's eye was none other than Samus Aran. A grin spread across his face as he selected her. "Maybe I need a beautiful woman to cheer me up while I suffer through Stage 6!" he chuckled.
It was a shame that this version of Samus was in her normal armor and not in the Zero Suit, but hey—she was still Samus! That was enough for him. With his new partner by his side, he cracked his knuckles and got ready to dive back into the madness. He was determined now. No matter how brutal the challenge, he was going to conquer every level in Stage Mode.
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