Panzer Dragoon

"Lagi's Debut is a Good One Indeed."

When I picked up Panzer Dragoon Zwei for 40 bucks a few months ago, I was thrilled to get it for that price. When I returned home that night though, I immediately though to myself, "you know, I should really get the other two games in the trilogy (yes, I know there is Orta for Xbox, however I am talking about the Saturn trilogy) if I want to play this game." By the end of that week, I had picked up Panzer Dragoon Saga, and this, the first title in the series, Panzer Dragoon. Being one of the Saturn's first titles, it is not a technical masterpiece by any means, however in comparison to every other early Saturn title, it is far and away the best of them all. Game play will start us off.

Game play: 8/10

While Panzer Dragoon is not as good game play-wise as its sequels, it is still pretty good. Panzer Dragoon is an on rails shooter (or rail shooter, if you did not know that already), but with a difference. Panzer Dragoon introduced, "plane shifting," where your dragon can change its vantage point from the front, to the sides, and behind. For example, if you are facing in front of you, and an enemy is attacking behind you, press either shoulder trigger button twice, and your dragon will now be facing behind itself. Its a refreshing change from the majority of rail shooters that utilise the fixed, first person view (Panzer Dragoon is played in third person view by the way). There are two ways you can attack enemies; with Keil's gun, or the dragon's lasers. The dragon's lasers can only be used when the target is, "locked on," an enemy, and not at any other time (I had no idea about locking on until I played Rez a few weeks after this game, and only then did I understand what was meant by, "locking on)." The gun can be used to fire at will, anywhere on the screen, though it is much less powerful than the lasers. There are also many different objects and obstacles in your way that can cause your dragon harm (in addition to the many enemies and projectiles), therefore unless you are facing the front of you, you may not necessarily know where you are going, and end up getting hurt. Again, this is much different than the many fixed, first person rail shooters that are out there, and a welcome addition. The story is just as trend setting.

Story: 9/10

One day, a large gray tower is activated, and it opens up, releasing two mythical-looking dragons; a dark dragon, and a blue dragon, both complete with riders. They engage in combat with each other, and take to the skies. Keil (or Kyle, depending on where you live in the world) Fluge is a Hunter that is travelling with a Hunter group. He is patrolling with two of his comrades, when all of a sudden, his two comrades are attacked by a strange creature. Trying to avoid this confrontation, Keil seeks refuge in a large cave. As soon as Keil begins to feel safe, he sees two dragons coming ever closer, and as they engage in combat, the rider of the blue dragon is shot with a laser, and he plummets to the ground. He motions Keil to come to him, and with his final words, the mysterious rider tell Keil to, "not let the dark dragon get to the tower. My dragon knows the way!" With the death of the rider, Keil takes his place atop the dragon, and sets off to stop the dark dragon from reaching the tower. Though Panzer Dragoon is the first game in the series, it is second chronologically, and in the canon. As a result, a lot of the back story is not there, and loose ends are not tied up until Zwei was released. No matter the story is great, slightly better than the graphics.

Graphics: 8/10

Graininess is everywhere in Panzer Dragoon sadly, however this is the only major gripe graphically, as the game is among the better Saturn games graphically. First off, Keil and the dragon look great, very detailed, and very colorful, and the backgrounds are just oozing with detail and color themselves. The first level (the name is not known until Panzer Dragoon Saga), Uru, looks absolutely stunning, and it makes your jaw drop. The enemies (especially the mid bosses, and end level bosses) also look highly detailed and colorful. The only problem, again, is just that there is just so much grain, you would think that the game took place in a silo. The sounds are a bit better.

Sounds: 10/10

Wow! This is a great soundtrack! The music in the entire Panzer Dragoon series is absolutely remarkable and timeless, and this game is no exception. Panzer Dragoon's tunes range from the upbeat, heart racing tunes, to the ambient, laid back tunes that the series is most famous for. As for the sound effects, everything in the game has its own, different sound effect, from the different enemies, to the projectiles, to your own dragon (oh I feel for him every time he lets out his cry...). Team Andromeda did nothing wrong when it came to the sounds. Is Panzer Dragoon replay-able though?

Replay ability: 5/10

There is some replay value in Panzer Dragoon, however it is not enough, especially when stacked up against its sequels. You begin the game with one continue, and, depending on how you in the levels, you can add to your total. Other than that, it is very easy to get picked off if you are not being careful, and as a result, you will die quickly and often, and without any continues, you are not going to progress far into the game. Panzer Dragoon can be frustrating at times is probably what I am trying to say, that is all.

Buy or rent?

Are you kidding me? Buy this game, even if you can rent it.

The start to one of the greatest Sega franchises was a good one indeed, even if it was not as strong as its sequels. A funny little note: the first (and actually, only) time I beat this game, I never used a lock on move, even once (as I stated above, it was not until I purchased Rez that I realized what locking on meant). Lagi (the dragon that Keil rides) made his first appearance in this game, though it would not be his last; he is truly one of Sega's greatest characters! "The fate of the world rests on the wings of an armoured blue dragon..."

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/09

Game Release: Panzer Dragoon (US, 05/11/95)