Developer: Team Andromeda Publisher: Sega Released: 1996 Genre: Rail Shooter
The early launch of the Saturn was devastating not just for retailers but also for gamers. Fans were left with few options as most games weren’t ready until the fall. One of the bright spots of that early period was Panzer Dragoon, a unique take on the rail shooter that was the system’s best launch title. Sega were quick to follow it up with a sequel a year later that bettered it in every way. Panzer Dragoon Zwei is everything a sequel should be and more and one of the jewels in the Saturn library. To this day it remains of my favorite shooters of all time.
Although it is still a shooter there is a bigger focus on story in Panzer Dragoon Zwei. In a distant rural village the townsfolk destroy all mutant Khourieats as they are hard to control. Lundi; cannot bring himself to kill his baby Khourieat Lagi and so hides it from the villagers. A year later as Lundi tries to get Lagi to fly he notices a white light destroy his village. Mistakenly assuming the Imperials are after your dragon Lundi sets out for revenge.
Mechanically very little has changed. As a rail shooter you move along a fixed track with the option to switch camera views. Lagi fires lock-on lasers while Lundi provides cover fire. The sole addition this time is the berserk meter. As you destroy enemies it slowly fills, at which point you can command Lagi to unleash a barrage of lasers until the meter runs out. It isn’t overly powerful but strong enough to clear the screen and deal significant damage to bosses.
The pacing of Panzer Dragoon Zwei is different from its predecessor. For one you start out on the ground. Initially Lagi cannot fly and it makes the ground based levels that much more thrilling as you deal with threats on both the ground and sky. The moment he finally does fly is handled spectacularly; as you dive off a cliff the game goes silent. When you think you’ve fallen to your death he rises and you can only hear the beating of his wings. The game moves from one thrilling encounter to the next duck into a forest and take out enemies hiding among the trees, explore an ancient fortress, and finally confront the ancient ship that destroyed your village. Panzer Dragoon Zwei assumes you are familiar with the first game and dives head first into its action and never lets up. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Each level has an alternate path that not only features a different set of enemies but affects your dragon evolution. You are graded at stage completion on a number of factors and awarded evolution points. The path you take as well as your overall score will determine how your dragon evolves in terms of size and strength. It gives some incentive to replaying the game multiple times, even if the system can be a bit vague. That also highlights Panzer Dragoon Zweii’s one major fault.
The only critical flaw with Panzer Dragoon Zwei is its length. Like its predecessor it comprises a mere six episodes. Don’t get me wrong, these six episodes are like a roller coaster as you move from one cool set piece to the next. There are branching paths in most levels but it isn’t clear how and where to access them. That is some incentive for replay value. But outside of this and the features in Pandora’s Box it doesn’t feel like enough. You will see sights and sounds not present in any other game and it is glorious. The problem is it will leave you wanting more. With two or three more episodes Panzer Dragoon Zwei would have been perfect. It is absolutely criminal that it is over so soon, but I guarantee you’ll revisit it frequently just like I have.
Panzer Dragoon was a pretty difficult game for a number of reasons. It could be fairly unbalanced at times, with relentless enemy waves and no way to restore health. On top of that the limited continues ensured most would have to play it a few times before completion. Panzer Dragoon Zwei is only moderately challenging. Enemy waves are more evenly spaced out and they aren’t so quick to attack. That isn’t to say they don’t pack a punch; you can only take a few hits in most cases before death. The berserk meter helps but is far from an automatic win button, especially against the multi-faceted bosses. I like it this way; it is easy enough that anyone can pick up and play but still difficult enough that you have to work to reach the end.
In Closing
What a fantastic game. Panzer Dragoon Zwei remains one of the best reasons to own a Sega Saturn. It has some of the best production values on the system, tight gameplay, and a unique setting that is still compelling today. Sadly it has not been re-released anywhere but is dirt cheap. No Saturn library is complete without this great game.
