Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Video Game Review #247: Panzer Dragoon

Panzer Dragoon
Sega Saturn



Nostalgia Factor:

This is kind of sad. I've now played through each and every game in my Sega Saturn library. After I finalize this post, I will officially have no more Sega Saturn games to review. I'm not an emulator person and I haven't seen any used Saturn games at the local replay stores in literally years. But if this is my last ever Sega Saturn review, it is a pretty darn good one to end on.

I first played Panzer Dragoon back in 1995. I had a demo disc for the Saturn that had a level of this game on it. I played that one level over and over again many times. I never did end up buying the actual game, but I did rent it and its sequel (Panzer Dragoon II Zwei) a few times. Outside of that, it has been literally over twenty years since I have played this game. My recent playthrough of Panzer Dragoon Orta made me want to return to this title to see how the two compared.

While Orta has the prettier graphics and a more varied playing style, I found that I actually enjoyed the old outdated original better. How could this happen? Let's explore.




Story:
    
There's really not much to see here. I've never been interested in the storyline of ANY Panzer Dragoon game, and this one is no exception. The game's plot is razor thin. You hop aboard a blue dragon who tells you that you have to stop another dragon (an evil one) from reaching a distant tower. So off you go, fighting through a bunch of levels until you face off with this dragon at the end of the game. The end.

While the plot may be a bit thin, the mysterious world of the game is what keeps things interesting. It's part apocalyptic ruin, part bleak future, part fantasy, part sci-fi. It is hard to explain, but for the most part it works. It doesn't make the story any better, but it at least adds a cool feeling of mystery to the game.




Gameplay:

This is a rail-shooter, similar to games like Star Fox or Solar Eclipse. You mainly control your dragon from a behind the back perspective. There is an aiming reticule that you use to shoot down enemies. Hold down the shoot button and you can lock on to multiple enemies at a time and launch a volley of homing missiles at them. If you've ever played Star Fox 64, you should have no problem understanding the mechanics of this game.

The thing that makes Panzer Dragoon unique (for its time) is its ability to rotate the camera 360 degrees in all directions. There is a radar on the top right-hand side of the screen that shows your enemies locations. If you notice enemies coming up behind you, you can turn the camera so it is pointing behind your dragon and then shoot these enemies down. Same thing if they appear on your side. The deeper into the game you get, the more enemies you are going to encounter - and they can come at you from all directions. Be prepared to rotate that camera around quite a bit! The action can be fast, frenzied, and very intense.

This is a pretty short game, as it contains only six stages, with a boss at the end of each of them. I've seen some reviewers say it took them about an hour and a half to beat the game. I didn't time my playthrough, but that sounds about right. It might have taken me a little longer. The game can be fairly difficult at times with all these enemies coming at you from every direction. Some of the bosses can be a bit challenging too.




Graphics:

For a game that is 25 years old I think it looks pretty good. Sure there is some of that classic Saturn pixelization, but I'm willing to overlook that. This game is a product of its time - and in 1995 this was cutting edge. 

The environments are varied, colorful, and fun. The enemy design is very unique as the creatures in this game lend an air of authenticity to its odd setting. I like the water effects as well as the shifting camera angles when you have to maneuver through tight tunnels. 

Everything is clear and easy to see. I never "lost" an enemy because I couldn't see it due to shitty graphics. Everything looks good! Dated, but good. No complaints in this department whatsoever.




Sound:

I really like this game's orchestral musical score. At first it seems a little bit out of place seeing as the world of the game is a bit dark and serious, but it grows on you after a while. The musical track for the first stage of the game is one of my favorite Saturn tracks of all time. It is just so purely iconic to me.

When the game slows down, the music slows down too. A lot of the little environmental touches regarding the game's music are very well done. The sound effects are great too. The shooting and blasting sounds fit the aesthetic of the game perfectly. The little whimpering sound your dragon makes when it gets hit makes me sad every time. 

Again: no complaints in this department whatsoever.


Here is the song from the first level that I love so much. Listen to it. Just listen to it!!! Beautiful.


Overall:

To be honest I was never a huge fan of either this game or its sequel when I was younger. I fully expected to play this game and be like: "meh." But that didn't happen. I had a really good time with this! It's fun, it's got a great musical score, it's challenging but not overly challenging, its graphics are super charming. And it really rings that nostalgia bell pretty hardcore.

While it is technically probably a much weaker game than Panzer Dragoon Orta for the Xbox, I had a lot more fun with this than I did that game. It's short, it's to the point. It doesn't even try to give you a compelling story. It's just like: here you go - shoot stuff! And it works.

Although this is the last Saturn game I own, if I ever come across its sequel I will play and review the hell out of it. I remember it being a lot tougher than this game, but infinitely deeper and more beautiful at the same time. One game I have ALWAYS wanted to play, however, is Panzer Dragoon Saga - an RPG for the Sega Saturn that came out in 1998. I scoured every video game store looking for that game when I was a kid but I could never get my hands on a copy of it. Now when I look online I see it is available to buy for, like, over a thousand dollars. As much as I want to play the game (and I DESPERATELY want to play that game!) it is not worth that kind of money. If the video game gods are kind, I will somehow find a way to be able to play that game between now and the time I die. Please?

Anyway, this game was a blast. It's a shame the series never got the recognition it deserved. If you ever get the chance to play this game, and you're a fan of the genre, I would highly encourage you to check it out.



Final Score:
B+


All my other Saturn reviews for you to revel in:


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