The first few minutes of Panzer Dragoon when your blue dragon majestically soars above the rippling water to the tune of Flight define a classic video game introduction that I doubt I will ever forget. A part of me expected the experience to be steadily downhill from there given the common complaints that I’ve heard, but to the game’s credit, it quickly established its defining hook and never let go. Panzer Dragoon was one of the first games to take total advantage of its 3D space, and it does so through its ability to rotate the player’s aim in 360 degrees. The catch is that while you can’t aim sideways/behind the dragon when looking forward, there’s a trade-off in that you can’t steer the dragon and change its mid-air position while in first-person aiming around the sides of/behind its body. As a result, there’s a precise science to swapping between these two camera modes. The macro never gets complex (shoot everything in sight while dodging and shooting down enemy attacks), but the micro is just involved enough to where there’s little downtime as you constantly peruse your surroundings and systematically pick off your foes. This is a game that wants the player to be aware of everything around them, and Team Andromeda was more than happy to let them soak in the sights given that the minimalist UI (simply consisting of a radar for spotting enemies and a player health bar) never really gets in the way. Even today, I find Panzer Dragoon to be an absolutely gorgeous game, and I can only imagine how people in 1995 felt playing this for the first time.
I’ve been warned that Panzer Dragoon’s difficulty can be a significant roadblock, but after a few playthroughs, I think it’s definitely conquerable. Besides mastering control of the player reticle/camera, players need to recognize when to utilize the homing laser lock-on (holding down the fire button) versus mashing to quickly fire the player’s handgun. The homing laser is great for getting rid of enemy swarms and easily targeting moving foes, while the handgun is a godsend for melting beefy mobs and bosses while sniping faraway targets that can’t be locked onto. In particular, Episode 3’s jumping ship boss is a notable chump check if you refuse to lock-on, while Episode 5’s airships will overwhelm you if you don’t mash. Additionally, I’ve also heard that Panzer Dragoon can feel very unforgiving since the player is allowed only one game-over before they have to restart a run, and the game only regenerates half of the player's health upon completing a level. However, given that the player can earn an extra credit per stage if they manage to shoot down more than 85% of the enemies in a single episode, I'd say there’s enough leeway given if the player takes the time to master its controls and meticulously defeat enough enemies instead of simply playing entirely defensive.
The only real gripe that I’d have is that enemy attacks sometimes blend into the background (ex: black cannonballs on top of dark environments) and can be tough to spot, especially when obscured by smoke effects from already defeated airships. I can still dodge most of these attacks with enough experience, having learning the enemy spawn positions, though it takes time to master given that players need to adapt to the game’s weightiness and natural response time. After all, you’re controlling a rider controlling a dragon rather than controlling the dragon itself, so it takes a bit more time to shift the model away from incoming barrages. As is, I’d still prefer if all enemy attacks were distinctly colored to stand out from both my own projectiles and the surroundings. Regardless, Panzer Dragoon was a breath of fresh air and I don’t mind its relative simplicity or brevity when it manages to succinctly capture an enthralling rail-shooting experience that I’ll gladly replay just to see myself visibly improve with every new run. All I can say is that this was certainly no flight of fancy; if the base model was this good, then I can’t wait to see what Team Andromeda/Smilebit have to offer with Zwei and Orta.
I’ve been warned that Panzer Dragoon’s difficulty can be a significant roadblock, but after a few playthroughs, I think it’s definitely conquerable. Besides mastering control of the player reticle/camera, players need to recognize when to utilize the homing laser lock-on (holding down the fire button) versus mashing to quickly fire the player’s handgun. The homing laser is great for getting rid of enemy swarms and easily targeting moving foes, while the handgun is a godsend for melting beefy mobs and bosses while sniping faraway targets that can’t be locked onto. In particular, Episode 3’s jumping ship boss is a notable chump check if you refuse to lock-on, while Episode 5’s airships will overwhelm you if you don’t mash. Additionally, I’ve also heard that Panzer Dragoon can feel very unforgiving since the player is allowed only one game-over before they have to restart a run, and the game only regenerates half of the player's health upon completing a level. However, given that the player can earn an extra credit per stage if they manage to shoot down more than 85% of the enemies in a single episode, I'd say there’s enough leeway given if the player takes the time to master its controls and meticulously defeat enough enemies instead of simply playing entirely defensive.
The only real gripe that I’d have is that enemy attacks sometimes blend into the background (ex: black cannonballs on top of dark environments) and can be tough to spot, especially when obscured by smoke effects from already defeated airships. I can still dodge most of these attacks with enough experience, having learning the enemy spawn positions, though it takes time to master given that players need to adapt to the game’s weightiness and natural response time. After all, you’re controlling a rider controlling a dragon rather than controlling the dragon itself, so it takes a bit more time to shift the model away from incoming barrages. As is, I’d still prefer if all enemy attacks were distinctly colored to stand out from both my own projectiles and the surroundings. Regardless, Panzer Dragoon was a breath of fresh air and I don’t mind its relative simplicity or brevity when it manages to succinctly capture an enthralling rail-shooting experience that I’ll gladly replay just to see myself visibly improve with every new run. All I can say is that this was certainly no flight of fancy; if the base model was this good, then I can’t wait to see what Team Andromeda/Smilebit have to offer with Zwei and Orta.
Eu detesto Star Fox. O que eu poderia esperar de Panzer Dragoon?
A capa do jogo em japonês inclusive vende um jogo que não consegue transpor para os gráficos intrajogo sua bela direção de arte.
Achei um jogo feio, chato, e com design arcade que eu não me conecto. Não me instiga, não me prende, não me ganha.
Dropei na 3ª fase. De Apenas 7. Que exigem mta repetição pra dominar suas mecânicas e jogabilidade pra passar de forma eficiente e não tomar um game over.
Definitivamente não é meu estilo de jogo.
A capa do jogo em japonês inclusive vende um jogo que não consegue transpor para os gráficos intrajogo sua bela direção de arte.
Achei um jogo feio, chato, e com design arcade que eu não me conecto. Não me instiga, não me prende, não me ganha.
Dropei na 3ª fase. De Apenas 7. Que exigem mta repetição pra dominar suas mecânicas e jogabilidade pra passar de forma eficiente e não tomar um game over.
Definitivamente não é meu estilo de jogo.
Even with the continue system being kinda annoying, a lot of stuff feeling unreactable and health not refilling each stage this is really good which probably says a lot about it's quality.
Panzer Dragoon captures some pretty memorable imagery in its intro cutscene. Between the orchestral soundtrack, the large landscapes and the backdrop of a sort of post-apocalyptic world where dragons are actually mutants I couldn't help but feel like I was watching some forgotten 80s sci-fi movie, some big budget production with rough spots but a unique identity that never quite got the chance it deserved and eventually fell into obscurity. I'm not sure why exactly that comparison jumped to me but it's one that remained in my mind through much of my playthrough. I was somewhat fond of movies like The Neverending Story and Labyrinth growing up (especially the former, though nowadays I'm very much more into the latter), and the limited 3D painted an obscure but extremely evocative picture of this world I was getting a glimpse at somehow reminded me of that sort of fantasy. Something else I was reminded of was progressive rock, and once again I'm not exactly sure why, but if Panzer Dragoon is a playable album cover, it's In The Land of Grey and Pink, or Fragile, or Foxtrot.
Enough reminiscing. Panzer Dragoon is commonly considered to be a "style over substance" game, and I would generally be led to agree, though I find nothing wrong with that concept myself. At its basic level, you aim and you shoot, with the greatest mechanics being the ability to look around yourself to face foes surrounding you (which must have been pretty mindblowing back in '95), and the capacity for a charged homing shot, which I think this game introduced? I'm far from an expert on the genre. My main issue in regards to the gameplay is that your drago(o?)n is quite sluggish to move. It's clear that this isn't meant to be a super snappy game, but even then avoiding some attacks feels pretty impossible at times. Full disclosure, while I am marking this game as beaten, I actually could not reach the end without usage of the level select cheat code, mostly due to level 5 being quite a lot more challenging than the ones before and after. This might speak less about the game's difficulty and more my lack of patience or skill, and I have no doubt that others will find no issue with the level of challenge, but it is something that held the experience back just a hint for me. After all, levels are autoscrollers, and needing to restart one means you just wasted quite a bit of time.
With that said, I think I'll check out the later PD games- Initially I planned to just play Saga, and only checked out PD as an appetizer, but I am quite curious what Zwei is like now.
Enough reminiscing. Panzer Dragoon is commonly considered to be a "style over substance" game, and I would generally be led to agree, though I find nothing wrong with that concept myself. At its basic level, you aim and you shoot, with the greatest mechanics being the ability to look around yourself to face foes surrounding you (which must have been pretty mindblowing back in '95), and the capacity for a charged homing shot, which I think this game introduced? I'm far from an expert on the genre. My main issue in regards to the gameplay is that your drago(o?)n is quite sluggish to move. It's clear that this isn't meant to be a super snappy game, but even then avoiding some attacks feels pretty impossible at times. Full disclosure, while I am marking this game as beaten, I actually could not reach the end without usage of the level select cheat code, mostly due to level 5 being quite a lot more challenging than the ones before and after. This might speak less about the game's difficulty and more my lack of patience or skill, and I have no doubt that others will find no issue with the level of challenge, but it is something that held the experience back just a hint for me. After all, levels are autoscrollers, and needing to restart one means you just wasted quite a bit of time.
With that said, I think I'll check out the later PD games- Initially I planned to just play Saga, and only checked out PD as an appetizer, but I am quite curious what Zwei is like now.
And I looked, and beheld a blue dragon: and his name that sat on him was Keil Fluge, and Rez followed with him.
Panzer Dragoon feels like a prototype of a lot of different games that came later, which I find to usually be the case for these landmark titles. This is far from an inherently bad thing, though; Panzer Dragoon predates Star Fox 64, and I imagine that the former will have more than a few unfair comparisons drawn to it by the latter by people who aren't aware of the date disparity. I know older, more foundational games tend to attract people who bring up that old Seinfeld Is Unfunny TVTropes page to talk about how a game has "aged", which is an incorrect assumption. That's because Seinfeld never stopped being funny. Yes, a lot of sitcoms drew from Seinfeld, but there's nothing they've done that has retroactively made Seinfeld look bad. Seinfeld is still funny. There was never a period where Seinfeld wasn't funny. And Panzer Dragoon, like Seinfeld, has always been good. I don't think there was ever a period where Panzer Dragoon was incredible, but the facets that it gets right haven't been rendered wrong by anything that's released in the intervening years.
What's here is a simple but entertaining game, leaning heavily on its arcade inspirations. As much of Panzer Dragoon's blueprints were used later by other games, it doesn't exist in a vacuum; Space Harrier and After Burner were both massive Sega titles that predated it, and it isn't difficult to spot the strands of their DNA sticking out from this. It's mechanically solid because it's mechanically simple. There's very little you can do to engage with the game beyond moving your reticle around and pressing the fire button. Again, though, it benefits from this simplicity; this is a game carried hard by its vibes, and it gets those across near-flawlessly. There are hints at a much bigger world than the small slice we see in the game proper, and the thumping music and crunchy models do an impressive job in carving out an aesthetic.
I find it difficult to write at length about Panzer Dragoon, because it’s a remarkably brief experience. I want to call it “thin”, but I think that carries a bit of a negative connotation. “Breezy” might be the better word. It’s over and done with in about forty-five minutes, and there’s very little to actually sink your teeth into; the narrative extends as far as “the bad guy is going to a tower, stop him”, and the gameplay itself is little more than a rudimentary shooting gallery where you blast away at whatever’s on screen at a given moment. The ability to shift perspectives and rotate the camera around yourself at least ensures that there’s never a moment where you’re doing nothing, but I struggle to imagine a world where these camera shifts happen automatically and it changes anything of real significance. These mechanics underlying the core gameplay of shooting and dodging (overwhelmingly more in favor of shooting than dodging) feel a bit underdeveloped. It would have been nice to see the perspective switching matter far more than just Stage 4, where you just swap to the closest view and never leave it for the duration of the level.
Katsuhiko Yamada was credited as one of two stage designers for this, and it’s completely unsurprising that he would later go on to be the sole game designer for Rez. The two games run in parallel to one another: both are short-form, third-person rail shooters; both have a “hold the button to unleash a lock-on barrage” mechanic; both feature a heavy focus on aesthetics over most else. Where Rez ultimately comes out on top, I feel, is in its execution. It runs better, it has a style I’m more partial to, and it seems significantly more realized as a holistic experience. Still, though, Rez has got the benefit of having released six years later and with Panzer Dragoon to build off of, and that makes me appreciate this more. Anyone who’s a friend of Rez is a friend of mine.
Hitting all of the face buttons at the same time just straight up kills you and I think that's funny.
Panzer Dragoon feels like a prototype of a lot of different games that came later, which I find to usually be the case for these landmark titles. This is far from an inherently bad thing, though; Panzer Dragoon predates Star Fox 64, and I imagine that the former will have more than a few unfair comparisons drawn to it by the latter by people who aren't aware of the date disparity. I know older, more foundational games tend to attract people who bring up that old Seinfeld Is Unfunny TVTropes page to talk about how a game has "aged", which is an incorrect assumption. That's because Seinfeld never stopped being funny. Yes, a lot of sitcoms drew from Seinfeld, but there's nothing they've done that has retroactively made Seinfeld look bad. Seinfeld is still funny. There was never a period where Seinfeld wasn't funny. And Panzer Dragoon, like Seinfeld, has always been good. I don't think there was ever a period where Panzer Dragoon was incredible, but the facets that it gets right haven't been rendered wrong by anything that's released in the intervening years.
What's here is a simple but entertaining game, leaning heavily on its arcade inspirations. As much of Panzer Dragoon's blueprints were used later by other games, it doesn't exist in a vacuum; Space Harrier and After Burner were both massive Sega titles that predated it, and it isn't difficult to spot the strands of their DNA sticking out from this. It's mechanically solid because it's mechanically simple. There's very little you can do to engage with the game beyond moving your reticle around and pressing the fire button. Again, though, it benefits from this simplicity; this is a game carried hard by its vibes, and it gets those across near-flawlessly. There are hints at a much bigger world than the small slice we see in the game proper, and the thumping music and crunchy models do an impressive job in carving out an aesthetic.
I find it difficult to write at length about Panzer Dragoon, because it’s a remarkably brief experience. I want to call it “thin”, but I think that carries a bit of a negative connotation. “Breezy” might be the better word. It’s over and done with in about forty-five minutes, and there’s very little to actually sink your teeth into; the narrative extends as far as “the bad guy is going to a tower, stop him”, and the gameplay itself is little more than a rudimentary shooting gallery where you blast away at whatever’s on screen at a given moment. The ability to shift perspectives and rotate the camera around yourself at least ensures that there’s never a moment where you’re doing nothing, but I struggle to imagine a world where these camera shifts happen automatically and it changes anything of real significance. These mechanics underlying the core gameplay of shooting and dodging (overwhelmingly more in favor of shooting than dodging) feel a bit underdeveloped. It would have been nice to see the perspective switching matter far more than just Stage 4, where you just swap to the closest view and never leave it for the duration of the level.
Katsuhiko Yamada was credited as one of two stage designers for this, and it’s completely unsurprising that he would later go on to be the sole game designer for Rez. The two games run in parallel to one another: both are short-form, third-person rail shooters; both have a “hold the button to unleash a lock-on barrage” mechanic; both feature a heavy focus on aesthetics over most else. Where Rez ultimately comes out on top, I feel, is in its execution. It runs better, it has a style I’m more partial to, and it seems significantly more realized as a holistic experience. Still, though, Rez has got the benefit of having released six years later and with Panzer Dragoon to build off of, and that makes me appreciate this more. Anyone who’s a friend of Rez is a friend of mine.
Hitting all of the face buttons at the same time just straight up kills you and I think that's funny.
Super good and influential rail shooter that's lock on mechanic is still being copied to this day. Its a lot slower than some of Sega's other rail shooters but it makes up for it in pure vibes and novel mechanics. From the very first level the open water and ruined architecture, accompanied by an outstanding orchestral piece of unusually high production of the time (CD audio in games was not new, but tended to be mainly synthesizer music or rock music that sounded like it was recorded in someone's garage) set the mood and tone of the game. Even the synthesizer tracks tend to be huge stand outs filled with intense tribal drums that fit the action and mood well. The design of the world is undeniably inspired by Moebius's Arzach (Moebius even drew the Japanese cover of the game) and Miyazaki's Nausicaa. Its a testament to how good Team Andromeda's art team was that the influence isn't lost in the finished game through the Sega Saturn's primitive 3D rendering.
The rail you follow also feels very dynamic in how you move through the environment which gives moving through the world a more natural and cinematic feeling. As side effect of this decision is that it can be a bit hard to avoid and dodge enemies and obstacles in some sections since you aren't always moving straight and its can be hard to judge the depth of a scene while the camera moves and sways. It isn't too big of an issue and I think the tradeoff is completely worth it, it really helps add to the intensity of the game. The game's lock on targeting has been copied to death, but its nice to play it and see how well the game balances it with the traditional shot. Most projectiles can't be locked on to causing you to juggle between the regular and lock on shots, and if a boss or enemy only has one vulnerable area it is often much more efficient to hammer the fire button than pelt it with lock on shots over and over again. Sometimes though it feels like some shots cant really be avoided or shot down reasonably which can hurt the game feel a bit. Dying sends you back to the start of the level which feels a bit too harsh. Not even from a difficulty standpoint but it really hurts the flow of the game, especially because most the stages tend to have a surprising amount of dead time in them which you will have to sit through again every time you die. The game could have benefitted from having a checkpoint in the middle of the level or at the boss and made up for that by cranking the damage up slightly to make up for it and it would make the game flow and feel a lot better to play through over and over again. It also wouldn't be quite as much as a problem if the mechanics had a bit more going on, its hard to say exactly what it needs but it feels like it is missing something to really take it to the next level.
Panzer Dragoon is still a pretty darn good playthrough and a strong early Saturn game worth playing, definitely look forward to making my way through its sequels at some point this year.
The rail you follow also feels very dynamic in how you move through the environment which gives moving through the world a more natural and cinematic feeling. As side effect of this decision is that it can be a bit hard to avoid and dodge enemies and obstacles in some sections since you aren't always moving straight and its can be hard to judge the depth of a scene while the camera moves and sways. It isn't too big of an issue and I think the tradeoff is completely worth it, it really helps add to the intensity of the game. The game's lock on targeting has been copied to death, but its nice to play it and see how well the game balances it with the traditional shot. Most projectiles can't be locked on to causing you to juggle between the regular and lock on shots, and if a boss or enemy only has one vulnerable area it is often much more efficient to hammer the fire button than pelt it with lock on shots over and over again. Sometimes though it feels like some shots cant really be avoided or shot down reasonably which can hurt the game feel a bit. Dying sends you back to the start of the level which feels a bit too harsh. Not even from a difficulty standpoint but it really hurts the flow of the game, especially because most the stages tend to have a surprising amount of dead time in them which you will have to sit through again every time you die. The game could have benefitted from having a checkpoint in the middle of the level or at the boss and made up for that by cranking the damage up slightly to make up for it and it would make the game flow and feel a lot better to play through over and over again. It also wouldn't be quite as much as a problem if the mechanics had a bit more going on, its hard to say exactly what it needs but it feels like it is missing something to really take it to the next level.
Panzer Dragoon is still a pretty darn good playthrough and a strong early Saturn game worth playing, definitely look forward to making my way through its sequels at some point this year.
What a fantastic experience, this whole game has such an amazing atmosphere that it's undescribable. All time classic.
the world is so absurdly detailed for a game like this it’s unreal lol. the actual gameplay is very good most of the time, though very difficult. the later levels kind of feel too chaotic for their own good, but when the game is doing well it really does well. interesting situation w the controls where they definitely are a bit clunky and unwieldy, but because they are that way the player is encouraged to shoot targets as fast as they can rather than trying to dodge, so it actually works out
I wish shoot-em-ups continued developing in this direction.
This game has one of the most gorgeous art-designs I've ever seen. And it's spectacle galore without sacrificing the gameplay depth. That being said, the gameplay is pretty basic (as most shoot-em-ups are). Most of the time you're either shooting or dodging, because your aiming and movement are controlled with the same directional keys. And, when you turn around or to your sides, you can't move at all.
Now imagine this game with a free mouse look on PC. If you could control your aiming and movement separately, the gameplay depth would've doubled or tripled, because the level designers could invent challenges that require dodging and shooting simultaneously. The old shoot-em-up formula would've immediately died off.
Still, Panzer Dragoon feels very fresh even today, largely because of the amazing presentation and meticulously designed levels and bosses.
Half a star removed for the bullshit "easy mode" that removes the last two levels of the game completely. I hate when games do that. It's not easy mode, it's incomplete mode. Had to replay the same levels because of this.
This game has one of the most gorgeous art-designs I've ever seen. And it's spectacle galore without sacrificing the gameplay depth. That being said, the gameplay is pretty basic (as most shoot-em-ups are). Most of the time you're either shooting or dodging, because your aiming and movement are controlled with the same directional keys. And, when you turn around or to your sides, you can't move at all.
Now imagine this game with a free mouse look on PC. If you could control your aiming and movement separately, the gameplay depth would've doubled or tripled, because the level designers could invent challenges that require dodging and shooting simultaneously. The old shoot-em-up formula would've immediately died off.
Still, Panzer Dragoon feels very fresh even today, largely because of the amazing presentation and meticulously designed levels and bosses.
Half a star removed for the bullshit "easy mode" that removes the last two levels of the game completely. I hate when games do that. It's not easy mode, it's incomplete mode. Had to replay the same levels because of this.
flight ost is my newfound favorite game song of all time. it is so beautiful it convinced me to dive into the series and i am loving it
It's alright. Great apresentation overall but that's about it. Lore seems interesting enough, looking forward to check out the other installments of the franchise
Replaying after finishing Zweii 2x and Saga's first disc. Honestly, it grew a lot. Mainly because I managed to play a lot better than the first time, and the atmosphere really got to me more than the first time.
Sad that the first level is the best, but that makes it one of the best first levels in video games. I still think the difficulty curve is a bit fucked up, but it's a game designed to be played over and over again. Too bad that Zwei exists in this world, and I prefer to replay Zwei at any minute, hour or day.
Sad that the first level is the best, but that makes it one of the best first levels in video games. I still think the difficulty curve is a bit fucked up, but it's a game designed to be played over and over again. Too bad that Zwei exists in this world, and I prefer to replay Zwei at any minute, hour or day.
I don't know if i would have had the patients for this game if i didn't use save states. I am too shit to play this all in one go without running out of credits. Very cool game aesthetically i really appreciate what this game is going for
Amazing vibes and one of the best rail shooters for the saturn. Only gripe I have is that the levels and boss fights go on for a bit too long and dying throws you all the way back to the beginning of the level.
It sucks that there isn't a full-scale RPG experience to expand on this incredible worldbuilding. Oh well.
I think this game has a weird learning curve and it has some odd spikes of difficulty here and there, but it grows on me with each playthrough. I love the one sequence nature of it, and it has some pretty tight level design. I like Zwei more in most regards but the challenge of this one is what really sets it apart for me. I wish I felt more for the music, like flight is such an incredible song, the best in video games, but every other song is a bit forgettable to me. I think my favorite level is the tunnel sequence, it's so intense and the boss in that is killer. It's definitely worth learning and beating
I've been meaning to play Panzer Dragoon ever since I beat Star Fox 64 and have been wanting more. While Panzer Dragoon does sort of scratch that itch, the game is not as replayable or deep as Star Fox and other on rails shooters such as Sin and Punishment.
What differentiates Panzer Dragoon from other rail shooters is the fact that it's 360 shooter meaning you can fully turn your camera to the back or the sides giving more depth to the level. It can be pretty satisfying when you get the hang of it and start taking down enemies left and right in such a snappy manner.
Unfortunately the game is over before you can even fully get into it. I literally started playing this and finished it just on my lunch break. I was expecting a short game as rail shooters are quite short in general but was astonished at how quick this one is too.
With the shorter length, you'd expect different paths or secrets in levels, but this doesn't have that. This is more of a one and done kind of game and the replayability factor is there if you want to get a better rating at the end of the game, but nothing really changes through each playthrough.
The music was amazing and probably one of the strongest aspects of Panzer Dragoon. So are the graphics, which is very charming for the Sega Saturn era.
If you are a fan of rail shooters, I'd say Panzer Dragoon as worth at least a playthrough. Who knows, you might enjoy this even more and join the cult following crowd.
What differentiates Panzer Dragoon from other rail shooters is the fact that it's 360 shooter meaning you can fully turn your camera to the back or the sides giving more depth to the level. It can be pretty satisfying when you get the hang of it and start taking down enemies left and right in such a snappy manner.
Unfortunately the game is over before you can even fully get into it. I literally started playing this and finished it just on my lunch break. I was expecting a short game as rail shooters are quite short in general but was astonished at how quick this one is too.
With the shorter length, you'd expect different paths or secrets in levels, but this doesn't have that. This is more of a one and done kind of game and the replayability factor is there if you want to get a better rating at the end of the game, but nothing really changes through each playthrough.
The music was amazing and probably one of the strongest aspects of Panzer Dragoon. So are the graphics, which is very charming for the Sega Saturn era.
If you are a fan of rail shooters, I'd say Panzer Dragoon as worth at least a playthrough. Who knows, you might enjoy this even more and join the cult following crowd.
No Cyclops Mammoth = Space Harrier is better
Such an anomaly of a game, in retrospect. A 3D on rails shooter on a console that can't really render 3D and has a standard control without a joystick. Now that I think about it, this genre just peaked way before it should, so most of the better remembered ones are stuck on hardware that wasn't made for playing them. These titles should be made today and be like an hour and a half and cost twenty dollars. Just let me fly away in a weird world facing weird shit.
Anyway, Panzer Dragoon looks great despite, and in some way because, the poor hardware it's running in, everything feels like a facsimile of what it is in theory, and the velocity at which you move contributes to this feeling of just watching at the airplane window without glasses (I couldn't recognize my mother face at three meters without glasses). It's great.
It's kinda sad that it never quite reaches its full potential though. The story it's extremely minimal, almost nonexistent, and while this may be by design, I can sense a lack of some sorts. The controls are what you expect and sadly the game gets HARD in some places, harder than it should be, perhaps as a way to lengthen a really short campaign, and doesn't explain the intricacies of the system. Like, it's perfectly doable if you are constantly changing perspectives while shooting. See, this is not as much a game about being precise with your shooting while avoiding hits, a la Star Fox, but rather a game about moving your camera to face enemies that are attacking you from every angle. But here's the catch, you can't move when facing your sides, only when you are facing upfront or your back, so when an enemy escapes your front view, your meant to look to your side, shoot them and when projectiles and whatnot are approaching change your perspective to evade them. Sounds convoluted? It is.
Even having all of these in mind, is hard not to like this. It's much weirder than your average game, and it is so elementary gamey in a hipster way that I enjoy. Movies, for example, have this indie-like language, movies that, while recognizable, felt a certain way. Like you can quickly see when you're watching 'those' kind of movies. Panzer Dragoon is a little like this, when games where mostly not. If anything, that's something to be appreciated.
Anyway, Panzer Dragoon looks great despite, and in some way because, the poor hardware it's running in, everything feels like a facsimile of what it is in theory, and the velocity at which you move contributes to this feeling of just watching at the airplane window without glasses (I couldn't recognize my mother face at three meters without glasses). It's great.
It's kinda sad that it never quite reaches its full potential though. The story it's extremely minimal, almost nonexistent, and while this may be by design, I can sense a lack of some sorts. The controls are what you expect and sadly the game gets HARD in some places, harder than it should be, perhaps as a way to lengthen a really short campaign, and doesn't explain the intricacies of the system. Like, it's perfectly doable if you are constantly changing perspectives while shooting. See, this is not as much a game about being precise with your shooting while avoiding hits, a la Star Fox, but rather a game about moving your camera to face enemies that are attacking you from every angle. But here's the catch, you can't move when facing your sides, only when you are facing upfront or your back, so when an enemy escapes your front view, your meant to look to your side, shoot them and when projectiles and whatnot are approaching change your perspective to evade them. Sounds convoluted? It is.
Even having all of these in mind, is hard not to like this. It's much weirder than your average game, and it is so elementary gamey in a hipster way that I enjoy. Movies, for example, have this indie-like language, movies that, while recognizable, felt a certain way. Like you can quickly see when you're watching 'those' kind of movies. Panzer Dragoon is a little like this, when games where mostly not. If anything, that's something to be appreciated.
Many issues with visibility (and framerate I guess), but the strength of its core gameplay and its beguiling sci-fi world do carry it. The lock-on laser is a great innovation. Some real moments of awe, especially with bosses.
US Saturn Release #004 - Panzer Dragoon
Played on a real American Sega Saturn with the Fenrir ODE
As of writing this I have yet to beat episode 5, though I have gotten close. I'm completely new to this game so I still have some learning to do. Though, with this experience I can say confidently that this is something incredible. This is a phenomenal arcade rail shooter, feeling like an evolution of After Burner, which I enjoy a lot but have a hard time actually playing. This was more comfortable yet also equally as challenging when you get farther in.
I really commend this game for its difficulty balance. the first 3 stages are easy conistantly up the challenge, giving you more opprotunities to learn how the game works and develop your skill for the jump in difficulty with episode 4. It's tough and really disorienting at a first play, but you very quickly develop strategies, understanding when to use your single shots and when to use your lock ons. Hell, the fact that there's points to use the single shots over lock ons really shows that this is a well thought-out game.
Even though restarting an entire level can be a hassle when you get so close to the end, it really isn't that frustrating because this game is just that fun, just that thrilling to go through, and each time I go through it again I find myself performing better than the last time.
Like many of my favorite video games, Panzer Dragoon is tough but fair. With its toughness is excitement, and with failure comes a strong desire to try again. It's addictive and never a bore. This is a must-have Saturn title, definitely the launch's killer app (saying a lot against the already wonderful Daytona USA)
9/10
Played on a real American Sega Saturn with the Fenrir ODE
As of writing this I have yet to beat episode 5, though I have gotten close. I'm completely new to this game so I still have some learning to do. Though, with this experience I can say confidently that this is something incredible. This is a phenomenal arcade rail shooter, feeling like an evolution of After Burner, which I enjoy a lot but have a hard time actually playing. This was more comfortable yet also equally as challenging when you get farther in.
I really commend this game for its difficulty balance. the first 3 stages are easy conistantly up the challenge, giving you more opprotunities to learn how the game works and develop your skill for the jump in difficulty with episode 4. It's tough and really disorienting at a first play, but you very quickly develop strategies, understanding when to use your single shots and when to use your lock ons. Hell, the fact that there's points to use the single shots over lock ons really shows that this is a well thought-out game.
Even though restarting an entire level can be a hassle when you get so close to the end, it really isn't that frustrating because this game is just that fun, just that thrilling to go through, and each time I go through it again I find myself performing better than the last time.
Like many of my favorite video games, Panzer Dragoon is tough but fair. With its toughness is excitement, and with failure comes a strong desire to try again. It's addictive and never a bore. This is a must-have Saturn title, definitely the launch's killer app (saying a lot against the already wonderful Daytona USA)
9/10
Pretty basic and clunky but the foundation is solid.
Eu senti coisas....não sei dizer o que senti, mas eu definitivamente gostei, ansioso para o que virá a seguir
Still remember going to a friend's house and watching them play it for the first time, awestruck.
Decent with a pleasant OST. The visuals are uniquely appealing. However, it could benefit from a more intricate weapon system and slightly longer stages.
I emulated the original Saturn version. It definitely has a great vibe, and the soundtrack, especially the first episode, is really cool.
It's pretty difficult I thought, I was planning to not use save states, and I made it to episode 5 without them (meaning I got a few game overs and had to beat the first few levels several times), but eventually gave up on that (just used them to get unlimited continues though, didn't save state mid-level). There are multiple buttons to shoot, and it definitely feels like it was designed to require the player to kind of drum on two fire buttons so they can shoot down incoming attacks faster and not die, at parts particularly in level 5
Cool game, after a little break I'm planning to continue onto 2 and then Saga
It's pretty difficult I thought, I was planning to not use save states, and I made it to episode 5 without them (meaning I got a few game overs and had to beat the first few levels several times), but eventually gave up on that (just used them to get unlimited continues though, didn't save state mid-level). There are multiple buttons to shoot, and it definitely feels like it was designed to require the player to kind of drum on two fire buttons so they can shoot down incoming attacks faster and not die, at parts particularly in level 5
Cool game, after a little break I'm planning to continue onto 2 and then Saga
My biggest problem with this game is the structure. I like the aesthetics and the music is absurdly good (despite my ROM having a bug and not having played any music during the levels. I only had the right to hear the shots, screams and explosions), but why does this game have an arcade continue system?
I mean, the obvious answer is: well, the game is short, so it's to extend its useful life. But at the same time, the game is hard as fuck, and I for example only gained 1 continue during the entire gameplay.
If the game had been about the vibes of flying the dragon and seeing the abstract environments and structures, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but it focuses on punishment and difficulty, and I'm not sure it's a good fit.
Even so, I'm looking forward to Zweii, Saga and Orta. All of 'em look very good.
I mean, the obvious answer is: well, the game is short, so it's to extend its useful life. But at the same time, the game is hard as fuck, and I for example only gained 1 continue during the entire gameplay.
If the game had been about the vibes of flying the dragon and seeing the abstract environments and structures, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but it focuses on punishment and difficulty, and I'm not sure it's a good fit.
Even so, I'm looking forward to Zweii, Saga and Orta. All of 'em look very good.
Depois de analisar bem este jogo, tive um insight de que a SEGA sempre fez rail shooter e este não escapou da fórmula… tanto que existe um modo onde o jogo se transforma em Space Harrier, senti o mesmo feeling quando estava jogando Panzer Dragoon Saga.
This game is really ambitious and cool. It was a Saturn launch title and the stuff its doing is really impressive. Despite how low poly it is, it immediately captivates me into its world with its incredible music and designs that fit really well within the hardware. I love how unique the gameplay is from other rail shooters. Changing your viewpoint in four directions is something that adds a lot of dynamism to the gameplay. It is incredibly satisfying to do really well in a level, it has killer sound design where everything feels super good to pull off. Making a big laser chain might be one of the coolest things in a video game and the it rewards you for doing that effectively. It being a rail shooter allows the otherwise linear music tracks feel dynamic, like you are playing through an epic action sequence from a film.
This game has a lot of issues that hold it back a little bit for me. This being an early Saturn title, the game struggles to fullfill its ambitions. Its hard to see whats hitting you a lot of the time. The game has a really low framerate which makes it feel sluggish to play. There are a couple of bosses in this that are rather poorly implemented and some of them drag the pace down. The four way view is confusing and finicky. When I first played it, I thought it was like a first person mode where you just rotated 360 degrees to find your targets, but the easiest way to use it is to tap the L or R buttons to make it face four predetermined directions. Even when you do this method, it feels sluggish, so you cant use it to react to stuff coming at you, you have to really anticipate incoming waves. It overall doesnt feel great. I also dislike how much you gotta mash the shoot button.
Even with all those issues, I think this game is really cool. Its a really short romp, lasting less than an hour. Its a fun game to try and master. Even when a game over happens, its not too frustrating to pick it right back up, its cool how much better I got even with just a second or third try. If you have a Saturn I think its a must play. It really stands out comparatively to other rail shooters and its one of my favorites in the genre.
This game has a lot of issues that hold it back a little bit for me. This being an early Saturn title, the game struggles to fullfill its ambitions. Its hard to see whats hitting you a lot of the time. The game has a really low framerate which makes it feel sluggish to play. There are a couple of bosses in this that are rather poorly implemented and some of them drag the pace down. The four way view is confusing and finicky. When I first played it, I thought it was like a first person mode where you just rotated 360 degrees to find your targets, but the easiest way to use it is to tap the L or R buttons to make it face four predetermined directions. Even when you do this method, it feels sluggish, so you cant use it to react to stuff coming at you, you have to really anticipate incoming waves. It overall doesnt feel great. I also dislike how much you gotta mash the shoot button.
Even with all those issues, I think this game is really cool. Its a really short romp, lasting less than an hour. Its a fun game to try and master. Even when a game over happens, its not too frustrating to pick it right back up, its cool how much better I got even with just a second or third try. If you have a Saturn I think its a must play. It really stands out comparatively to other rail shooters and its one of my favorites in the genre.
https://youtu.be/Fklxs5t-rOM when I think of this game