Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

"Thank God For Lundi..."

When I bought Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, I did not know what to expect. As a result, I went and purchased the other Panzer Dragoon games for the Saturn, as it did not feel right playing them out of order (even though it makes no difference, as the games really are not dependant upon each other...). After finishing Panzer Dragoon, I popped Zwei into my Saturn, and had a whale of a time. The fact is, Zwei takes the game play, story, replay value, and graphics to a whole new level from Panzer Dragoon, improving them, lengthening them, and adding more and more! Game play, as usual, will begin the upgrading.

Game play: 10/10

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei took what Panzer Dragoon started, and perfected it. Zwei is also an, "on rails," third person shooting game, with the same, "plane-switching," system that Panzer Dragoon had introduced. A few big differences to the game play that you will notice right away, is the easy use of the analog stick (it could be used in Panzer Dragoon also, however the cursor would immediately re-centre itself as soon as you let up on the stick), and an added, green gauge, the, "Berserk," gauge. Basically, the Berserk gauge allows you to unleash an invincible attack, that attacks everything on the screen at once, and continues to do so until the gauge runs out. Another slight difference, is that Zwei does not take part solely in the sky. No, there are a few ground based levels, and it adds a bit of variety to the game play. There are also branching/different paths that can be taken through certain levels, and depending on which you take, your score and end result will be different. One new area of game play that you will see as time goes on, is the different stages that Lagi (the dragon) goes through, becoming larger, and more powerful. This is also a big part of the story, which, is also phenomenal.

Story: 10/10

Lundi is a Coolia (Panzer Dragoon world's version of a horse) breeder, who lives in a small town of, well, Coolia breeders. Mutant coolias must be put to death, as they cannot be trained, and will grow abnormally. When Lundi's father's prize coolia gives birth to a mutant, Lundi cannot bring himself to kill it, because it is different... it has wings, and light comes from it's mouth! As the coolia grows much quicker than all of the other coolias, Lundi eventually lets him out of his hiding place, and rides him around. One day, Lundi and the coolia spot a massive ship from the empire flying overhead. They follow it until they cannot follow it anymore. The coolia then takes off, flying for the first time, and later on, lands on the edge of a cliff, just outside of Lundi's town. The massive ship is above it, until it unleashes a massive bomb, destroying the entire town. Lundi is shocked and saddened, however the coolia seems angered; he opens his mouth, and lets out laser beams, that disappear into the sky. He then evolves, and Lundi realises that this is not a coolia at all, it is a dragon, and Lundi bestows him with a name; Lagi. Zwei is a prequel, and as a result, comes before Panzer Dragoon chronologically, and in the canon. This starts off the series story, and it is as epic as any other storyline, truly one of the best story lines ever in video games. Graphics will be up next.

Graphics: 9/10

Still grainy, albeit not too grainy, is Zwei. Lagi and Lundi look great, as well as the enemies; so much detail was put into them, and they look absolutely fantastic. The backgrounds also look fantastic, super detailed, and very smooth. What looks best though, is the ship, Shelcoof. Everything about it, and everywhere on it, it looks just spectacular, jaw dropping. Zwei was super close to showing off what the Saturn could do, I'm afraid though that we would have to wait until Panzer Dragoon Saga to see that... Sounds are coming next.

Sounds: 9/10

While the music in Zwei is still timeless and spectacular, it is sadly a notch below Panzer Dragoon. It seems that Team Andromeda went for a more soft, somber, and ambient tone for this game (which imo helps, and hinders the game at the same time; helps because the game is quite somber, and hurts because the ambiance is just not as in your face, or spectacular as the upbeat tunes in Panzer Dragoon), and as a result, the music is not quite as good. The sound effects are still killer though; when you unleash your berserk attack, and you hear the sound of hundreds of laser volleys just shooting out from Lagi... oh man, does it sound awesome! Is Zwei replay-able though?

Replay ability: 8/10

Pandra's box lengthens this game out quite a bit, however, it is still not enough to really make the game stand out as a long lasting game. If you are lucky, you will complete the game in about an hour (usually less if you are skilled), and only then will Pandra's box come into play. In reality, you could never play the same game twice, however, you will not come back to this game too often. Potential is there, but something is missing...

Buy or rent?

Buy this game, you would be crazy to rent it (if you can still rent it...)

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei is a fantastic game, and is a good notch above Panzer Dragoon, though a slight notch below Panzer Dragoon Saga (the shooting segments anyways). Lundi and Lagi's journey is, again, and epic and great one, that everyone with a Sega Saturn should experience, as you are greatly missing out if you do not experience it. There is not much else more to say other than Panzer Dragoon II Zwei is a timeless Sega Saturn classic, and you would be foolish not to own it! "After all this, he is still with me..."

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/09

Game Release: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (US, 1996)