Just a week after ZAGE released three games last month, the numbers already spoke for themselves. They sold extremely well—especially Sonic Racing and ZAGE Fishing Bass. As for Persona 2 Innocent Sin… it made waves too, but in a different sense. Not just in sales, but in conversation. The kind of conversation that spreads faster than advertisements. But we'll talk about that later.
Sonic Racing, on the surface, is like Mario Kart—four players, chaotic items, and laughter that turns into shouting the moment someone gets hit at the finish line. But Zaboru didn't copy it blindly. He modeled the design with a very specific combination in mind: the party chaos of Mario Kart 64, mixed with the high-skill racing flow of CTR. He wanted a game that could be enjoyed by anyone in five minutes, yet still reward players who obsess over drift timing, racing lines, and risky shortcuts.
And of course, he made Sonic the lead character on purpose. In Zaboru's eyes, Sonic was always more suited to a racing game than Mario—speed was literally Sonic's identity, not just a theme. That decision delighted players immediately, because this world has no shortage of Sonic fans, and giving them a full racing game with Sonic at the center felt like finally giving the character the arena he deserved.
Still, Zaboru wasn't blind to the bigger picture. In the future, he might spice things up and evolve it into a broader ZAGE Kart concept with even wilder crossovers and mechanics. But for now, Sonic Racing's mission is clear: become the new standard for chaos racing on ZEPS 3, and prove that ZAGE can compete in every genre they touch.
In his previous world, CTR and Mario Kart 64 were "the same kind of game"… yet completely different beasts.
Mario Kart 64 was pure Mario Kart—chaos first, fun first, friendship second, and betrayal third. It was strong because of multiplayer energy: one blue shell at the right time could rewrite the whole race, and the items were designed to bend fate. It didn't matter if you were the best driver in the room—if you got hit at the wrong moment, the race could flip instantly. That unpredictability was the joy.
CTR, on the other hand, demanded respect. It wasn't just "drive and throw items." It required skill—real control, real timing, real precision. The shortcuts were insane, but not free. If you wanted them, you had to earn them with clean lines, confident jumps, and perfect drifting. And unlike Mario Kart 64, CTR's single-player experience was genuinely goated: great story progression, strong bosses challenge, and a sense that mastering the game actually meant something.
So Zaboru decided to combine them.
He took Mario Kart 64's party chaos—items that could alter the trajectory of a match in one second—and fused it with CTR's high-skill racing foundation: deep drifting, risky shortcuts, and a ceiling so high that dedicated players could spend weeks improving.
That fusion is what made Sonic Racing special. It could be pure chaos for casual players, screaming and laughing on a couch… yet it could also be a serious skill game for the ones who wanted to master it. And because Zaboru wasn't afraid to go even more absurd than Mario Kart 64 with the items, the result became one of the most explosive, unpredictable, and addictive chaos racing games of all time in this world: Sonic Racing.
Sonic Racing itself is packed with characters. Of course, the core lineup comes from the Sonic side—Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Dr. Eggman, and even Shadow. But Zaboru didn't stop there. He opened the roster to ZAGE's wider universe too, pulling in characters from other ZAGE IP such as Mario, SpongeBob, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Crash Bandicoot, and more. The result feels like a wild celebration of ZAGE's catalog, where every race looks like a crossover poster.
For the story, Zaboru keeps it simple and fun—because arcade racing stories don't need to be complicated, they need to be an excuse for chaos. A villain from the Crash Bandicoot side somehow triggers a strange distortion that spills into Sonic's world, turning tracks unstable and pulling racers from different universes into the same competition. Sonic's solution is the most "Sonic" solution possible: beat everyone fair and square… in a race.
And yes—Zaboru is basically using the CTR-style plot structure here, and somehow it fits perfectly. There are clear rivals, clear stages, and a steady progression that feels like you're climbing toward a final showdown. He also spices it up with personal rival races: Shadow shows up as the cold, relentless challenger who refuses to lose; Knuckles becomes the stubborn wall Sonic has to overcome; Tails plays the supportive role, helping Sonic with upgrades and quick fixes between events; while Dr. Eggman—because he can never resist an opportunity—ends up assisting Dr. Neo on the opposite side, turning the rivalry into something bigger than just "who is fastest."
Players insanely love this—especially when they play it on a rented ZEPS 3 setup inside arcades. It's been a popular model for a couple of years now: the arcade rents out a ZEPS 3, sets up a big TV, and provides four controllers, so friends can spend hours together like it's a mini living room inside the arcade.
The game has a high skill ceiling because the drifting is as demanding as CTR, but unlike CTR the items here are insanely overpowered and super bizarre. If a player is lucky enough to get Hydra Rocket, it literally summons nine homing missiles that hunt everyone—no matter their position. First place, last place, hiding behind a corner—doesn't matter. The missiles curve like angry spirits.
Then there's BLINK!—a short-range teleport that lets you skip a section of road, dodge an incoming hit at the last frame, or appear inside a shortcut like you just broke reality. Skilled players use BLINK to dodge traps and cut corners; chaotic players use it to pop behind their friend and ruin their day.
Even the "banana" isn't normal. There's an advanced Banana Peel called BUFFET BANANA! that sprays peels like a chef losing his mind—covering almost the entire road in a messy wave. It becomes less of a trap and more of a temporary disaster zone and many others offensives abilities
But what really makes Sonic Racing tense is the defensive kit. The protection items aren't small—some of them feel like boss mechanics.
There's RING SHIELD, a rotating halo of golden rings that blocks one heavy hit or three light hits, and if it breaks it explodes into ring shrapnel that can bump nearby racers.
There's MAGNET BUBBLE, a transparent sphere that pulls loose items toward it and "eats" them—so incoming rockets get dragged off course like they hit an invisible wall.
There's WALL-UP, a short, bright barrier that rises behind your car like a portable gate—perfect for blocking a missile wave, but also perfect for trolling, because if someone is too close behind you, they crash straight into it.
And there's the most ridiculous one—PHANTOM COAT—a two-second invincibility cloak that turns your car semi-transparent. You can drive through hazards and even pass through a packed crowd like a ghost, but the timing is strict. Use it too early, and you waste it. Use it too late, and you eat nine missiles to the face.
Because of these items, the game becomes crucial in a way CTR never was: you don't just spam pickups. You save them. You wait. You read the room. You keep one shield for the final straight, one escape for the shortcut, and one disaster item for the moment your friend starts talking too confident.
This game also showcases that each character has their own special ability, and the differences aren't cosmetic—they can literally change the outcome of a race.
Sonic's ability is straight-up BOOST! He springs out of his car, dashes forward on foot like a blue comet, and for a few seconds he's faster than anything on the track—slipping through tight gaps, skimming past traps, then vaulting back into his car like it never happened. Tails has a support-style gimmick where he can briefly stabilize his car and gain extra control in turns, almost like the game is giving him "genius mechanics" for technical players. Knuckles can slam into the road with a heavy burst that knocks nearby racers sideways, while Shadow's move feels colder and crueler—he blurs forward with a dark afterimage that can phase through light hazards and steal momentum from anyone he passes.
Even the crossover characters get ridiculous moves. Pac-Man's ability turns him into a living vacuum: he opens his mouth wide and chomps the road ahead, eating loose traps and even biting away certain projectiles before they reach him—then he spits out a chunky energy pellet that bounces forward like a cursed bowling ball. Mario can pop a short "hero drift" mode that lets him take corners tighter than physics should allow. Crash Bandicoot has a wild spin-burst that throws off nearby aim and makes him unpredictable, while SpongeBob can drop a slippery soap-and-bubble trail that looks funny… until it sends three cars sliding into the wall.
Then ZABO-Man also comes to this game as a hidden racer—one of those secret unlocks that makes the whole arcade scream when someone finally discovers it. People start whispering about him like an urban legend: "There's a black-helmet guy with a blue visor… and he's broken." despite they already aware this guy is this treated as meme.
But his special ability isn't about being strong. It's about being evil in the funniest way possible.
His ability is pure trolling: SWAP! The moment he activates it, ZABO-Man instantly switches places with another racer—no matter where they are on the track. First place, last place, flying off a jump, taking a shortcut… it doesn't matter. For a short time, the positions are reversed, and then after a few seconds ZABO-Man snaps back to his original spot like reality rubber-bands him.
The best part is that the swap isn't "fair." It's chaos. The swapped player inherits whatever danger ZABO-Man was about to hit—banana disaster zones, missile lines, walls, even bad timing on a shortcut. Meanwhile ZABO-Man appears in their clean racing line like he just stole their destiny for fun.
This creates the kind of laughter that only happens between friends. Someone is leading the whole race, acting confident, talking trash… then suddenly—blink—they're in the back, screaming, while ZABO-Man is now cruising in first like he owns the finish line.
And here's the cruel twist: most of the time, the ZABO-Man player doesn't even gain a real advantage. Because after the timer ends, he returns to his original spot anyway. It's not a "win tool." It's a "ruin someone's day" tool.
The ability has a long cooldown, so players can't spam it. They have to save it like a weapon of betrayal. They wait for the perfect moment—right before a tight shortcut, right before a missile wave, right before a jump that will punish hesitation.
Even shields don't fully save you. Some protection items can soften the pain—like Ring Shield blocking the immediate hit—yet the position swap still happens, so a protected player can still lose the lead simply because their placement got stolen.
And the funniest rule is the one that turns victory into pure drama.
If the ZABO-Man player uses SWAP right before the finish line and crosses first, the game doesn't award the win to ZABO-Man. It awards the win to the player who got swapped with him—because technically, their position is the one that crossed the line.
So if you swap at the wrong time, you don't just troll someone… you accidentally make them champion.
But if you swap them into a bad angle—if the swap forces them to brake, miss the line, or crash just before finishing—then you deny them the championship.
And that's where betrayal starts Zabo-man already broke many friendship even just week after this game release.
Every character has their own gimmick, and it adds flavor to every match. People don't just pick "the fastest." They pick a personality, a playstyle, a weapon.
The stages are also insane. They feel like CTR arenas and stunt courses mixed together—packed with hidden shortcuts, fake shortcuts, and shortcuts that are only safe if you have the right shield or the right character ability. Miss one jump and it doesn't just slow you down—it can throw you into a hazard route that punishes you even harder than taking the normal road. Some paths look tempting but are basically traps designed to bait greedy players.
That's why Sonic Racing becomes one of the best multiplayer games on ZEPS 3. It's chaotic, skillful, and endlessly replayable, and players love it because every session feels different—one race can be pure comedy, and the next can feel like war.
Meanwhile, the other arcade game—ZAGE Fishing Bass—is making waves of new enthusiasm. The cabinet itself is unique: it comes with a real fishing rod controller, a physical barrier around the player area like a tiny dock fence, and a setup that makes you feel like you're actually fishing. It's honestly insane. You don't just press buttons—you cast, you tug, you feel the tension, and the whole machine reacts like it's alive.
What makes it even better is the variety. The game offers two main environments you can choose from: the lake or the sea, and they don't just look different—they play different.
The lake demands precision and patience. The fish are cautious, the bites are subtle, and if you rush the pull, you lose them. Players start learning to watch the line, feel the timing, and control their strength like it's a real sport.
The sea, on the other hand, is all about dexterity and determination. The waves shake the line, the fish fight harder, and the pulls come fast and violent. It feels like a battle—your hands are moving constantly, and the cabinet makes it feel like the ocean is trying to rip the rod out of your grip.
And the graphics of the fish themselves are insanely good. The scales shine under the light, the water effects look surprisingly convincing for an arcade machine, and every catch feels satisfying because the fish actually look like something you earned—not just a sprite you collected.
This game drew a ton of curiosity, especially from gamers who already loved fishing. When they tried it, many of them were genuinely shocked by how good it felt—how the casting had weight, how the struggle felt real, and how the machine rewarded patience instead of button-mashing. It didn't feel like a "fishing mini-game." It felt like a full experience.
And because it was so approachable, those gamers started dragging their non-gamer fishing friends to the arcade just to prove a point. "Try this," they'd say, half laughing, half serious. And the funniest part was watching the non-gamers react—at first skeptical, then slowly locked in, then suddenly leaning forward like they were on an actual dock. They couldn't believe a game like this existed.
In that sense, ZAGE Fishing Bass didn't just entertain people—it expanded the arcade audience. It became the kind of cabinet that made strangers gather behind you to watch, the kind that started conversations, the kind that created a line even when the arcade was full of louder machines.
The game felt revolutionary for arcades, and it also carried a message. Without saying it directly, ZAGE was telling the industry: we are not abandoning the arcade. The arcade will not die—not if ZAGE keeps delivering new experiences that can't be replaced by a normal home controller. As long as they keep bringing something fresh to the market, arcades will still have a reason to exist.
Both games sold extremely well, but neither sparked controversy the way Persona 2 Innocent Sin did and why its that well….
To be continue
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