|
|
Reviews > Panzer Dragoon Zwei Review (PAL Version)
Written By Geoffrey Duke, September 2002
Genre: Shoot 'em up.
Console: Sega Saturn.
Developed by: Team Andromeda.
|
|
|
|
The best way to describe Panzer Dragoon is to take an old-school 2D side scrolling shoot'em up and imagine blasting hordes of enemies from a pilots-eye view atop a dragon in a 3D environment. The player flew along a fixed course through surreal 3D levels with a limited ability to steer, while destroying anything and everything that presumed to stand, and indeed, fly in the way. Panzer Dragoon Zwei is a prequel to the popular Saturn rail shooter, Panzer Dragoon. In fact development was announced immediately on the release of the original. The creators, Team Andromeda, were one of the few developers able to exploit the Saturn's full graphical capabilities. Panzer Dragoon shifted vast amounts of realistic texture mapped polygons, and rendered impressive rippling reflective water effects (in Episode 1 water would reflect the image of sunken pillars and ripple at the same time). Even transparent lasers were added to its list of visual treats. Panzer Dragoon Zwei is a few steps up visually, and boasts its own special effects the likes of which the Saturn is supposedly incapable of producing. The only thing Panzer Dragoon Zwei is incapable of doing is disappointing fans of the first game. The game redefines the label "rail shooter" branded to the original by introducing multiple routes, and refines the basic gameplay. The dragon can not only fly, but run and evolve. Panzer Dragoon Zwei doesn't build upon the original plot, but instead, builds a plot that was, for the most part, lacking.
The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world whereby Humanity was nearly wiped out by its own genetically engineered creations. Gradually, human beings are beginning to regain some of the power they once proudly held. However, nations are excavating ancient weapons and warring with each other. This particular story begins in a small farming village on the frontier called Elpis (which in Greek means hope) where all mutants are outlawed, lest they rise up to harm human beings again. Though they are small and harmless, mutant khourieats are killed immediately for that very reason (note: khourieats are called coolias in PD Saga). Khourieats are common two-legged beasts of burden, but mutations have become a regular occurrence. The ominous blue-white light glowing on the necks of the innocuous creatures elicits only fear in a world already rife with mutant predators. Lundi, the main character of this unfolding drama, makes the more cynical observation that they are more likely killed because they cannot be tamed, nor profited from in any way. However, Lundi defied his village's code to kill all mutants, by keeping such a khourieat, because it had a pair of wings. He named the creature Lagi and hid it. Lundi didn't want to break the code, but his compassion couldn't allow Lagi to be killed. He secretly hoped that Lagi was a legendary dragon, similar to those in the stories he'd heard as a child, and that he could become its rider and help save the world. A patch of translucent blue-white light, said to be a bad omen among his people, glows brightly on Lagi's neck, almost vibrating with power. One year later while Lundi is riding Lagi outside his village, in an unsuccessful attempt to get his now fully-grown best friend to fly, Lundi's village is annihilated by a huge rectangular skyship. The ship fired a towering pillar of infernal energy into the centre of the village straight from above which quickly expanded to encompass it in its entirety. Lundi is temporarily blinded by a sudden gush of intense white light rushing towards him from his village's direction, and is startled to see a ship looming over the remnants of his home. Lagi's mouth opens and a ball of blue-white energy forms between his jaws, sucking more energy in around itself. The ball quickly bursts into three separate spears of writhing light, which in turn blast towards the ship. They twist and coil in the air but fade out before they reach their intended target. These arrows of light, as they are described in legends, finally confirm in Lundi's mind that Lagi is indeed a dragon of legend. Is the green light Lagi emits an ominous light, or a harbinger of hope? Lundi and Lagi embark on a dangerous mission to destroy the destructive skyship; Lundi will not stop until his desire for revenge has been satisfied. But for Lagi, removing this menace from existence stems from a more profound desire. Something Lundi will eventually learn, and ultimately die for.
During the time period of Panzer Dragoon Zwei the Empire is at war with another powerful nation named Meccania. Not much is made clear about this war, but the player will fly through battle zones and encounter Imperial forces, which like Lundi and Lagi, are also chasing the gigantic airship, but not with vengeance in mind. The war between the Empire and the Confederation of Meccania is clarified later in PD Saga. More insight into Lundi's motivations, thoughts and feelings are provided in his journals found in Panzer Dragoon Saga. Panzer Dragoon Zwei is a sequence of events told in hindsight, as if from one such journal. Seeing the world through this character's eyes fills a personality gap in the story left empty by the silent hero of the first game. The game also injects the missing background for the armoured blue dragon seen in Panzer Dragoon into what would eventually become a trilogy.
|
|
|
|
Graphics:
Like the first game, levels range from nigh-infinite barren wastelands to ancient but technologically advanced ruins stretching for miles underground. The word alien best describes the latter locale; the walls are made of futuristic metal blocks and the place is infested with floating robotic guardians that fire mint laser beams. The levels are meant to depict a dying planet bound to a mysterious past full of technologies beyond human understanding. The dusty and mountainous gray wastes of Episode 2 portray the desolate landscape with ease. The ancient labyrinthine ruins draw the player into a deeper mystery, and spark intrigue. This plot device is explored further in the RPG sequel.
Team Andromeda may not have been the most prolific games developers in the world, but their artistic vision certainly exudes originality. Panzer Dragoon's distinctive artistry remains intact and helps to perpetuate the series for what is hopefully a long long time. That's not to say it's unchanged; the style is the same with many well-drawn additions. I especially love the armour plated monsters and the flying warships. The bosses lean heavily on their traditional story roots, such as a giant skeletal monkey swinging from trees and slashing its claws at you (it looks like something out of aliens with its oblong head and the way it crouches on its hind legs). They have a habit of filling the screen. One is encountered at the end of each level (minus the first where you actually run underneath the aforementioned boss) and will not yield its completion until they are dead and done. Their weaknesses are sometimes in their routines, however.
The visuals including realistic 2D backgrounds and 3D scenery, are integrated seamlessly. If anyone would like to judge the game's graphics, it should done within the sphere of 32 bit console games. By those standards, Zwei couldn't get much better. Panzer Dragoon ran at a questionable 20 frames per second, not the smoothest frame rate in the world. Panzer Dragoon Zwei updates at a "brisk" 30 frames per second, so movement is much smoother. The 640 x 224 resolution is higher than the first game (320 x 224), which makes in-game textures seem all the more sharper. The higher resolution negates any blockiness. When a ship explodes the cloudy smoke it releases doesn't pixelate in the least. The 3D environments are solid and textured in desolation-themed colors. Usually dark, charred and shaded to post-apocalyptic perfection. However, Episode 4 sees the player fly under a forest canopy dense with lush trees. Light creeps in to form pillars. The trees are actually 2D like a few other graphical tricks the game merges together almost unbeknownst to your eyes (like the falling snow in Episode 5). Your senses will be too occupied by hordes of oncoming monsters and ships to notice the great distance-depth. Clipping is hardly anywhere in sight and slowdown is non-existent. In-game animations are sinuous, and well-rendered; in fact, the game animations are so solid that they were used in all the cutscenes. Their texture mapping is rich, crisp and detailed down to the last 3D facet.
There are beautiful waving pseudo-reflective transparent rivers moving throughout parts of Episode 4 that bring the level to life. The end of level boss, a giant mechanical fish that has a tendency to aim laser beams in your direction, dives underneath it and is fully transparent. If only other developers had learnt to master such technical tricks. Team Andromeda made clever use of the Saturn's VDP 2 background chip to overlay the 3D water with a 2D scaling VDP 2 plane to create the transparency. The planes are only ever flat and one-sided, apparently (similar to the transparent fire effects seen in Burning Rangers). A 2D trick perhaps, but a transparency effect nonetheless. And one that is nothing short of conspicuous.
The locations themselves seem post-apocalyptic in places and exotic in others. The dusty and mountainous gray wastes of episode 2 depict a desolated landscape with ease. Ancient labyrinthine ruins draw the player into a deeper mystery, and beckon many unanswerable questions. The otherworldly environment cannot be ignored.
As is typical of the series, the bosses in this game are huge and innovative. They range from Imperial sky ships equipped with conventional human weapons, to unconventional and almost alien biomonsters intent on your destruction. A boss is encountered at the end of each level and will not yield its completion until it is dead and done. Their weaknesses are sometimes in their routines, however.
|
|
|
|
Sound:
Team Andromeda timed the music to reflect the pace of each situation. You could call it situation changing music. Different tunes dominate different routes and there's a subtle lull before a boss encounter, at which point a new tune will kick in to give the encounter a sudden, dramatic flare. The music is a composition of synthesized sounds as opposed to the grand orchestral tracks of the original game. It is an eclectic barrage of woodwind instruments and electric beats that constitutes a more primal mood. I love the main theme. The Panzer language carried over from the first game, and spoken throughout this one, reinforces the Panzer Dragoon world's already alien atmosphere. The sound effects match their predecessor's blasting mayhem for a consistent feel. They are clearly audible and perfectly synchronized. There are thundering explosions, and the sounds of fleshy to metallic monsters being blown to pieces.
|
|
|
|
Gameplay:
The L and R buttons shift your point of view by 90 degree increments left or right within a 360 degree scope. These controls are far more responsive than the first game which seemed to take its time moving from one angle to the next. Mastering these controls is essential if the player wishes to survive because enemies will approach and attack from every angle. A radar in the top right corner of the screen indicates the position and number of enemies on-screen. It also indicates your current line of sight. The dragon is always on the move and sometimes enemies will come into view, in fixed positions. Either way, action is invariably non-stop. Lagi has much maneuverability in the air but when running on the ground things become tighter, especially when facing fleets of incoming enemy ships and biomonsters that launch multiple-pronged offensives at you with little room to dodge. Blasting enemies out of the sky before they have the chance to do too much damage, and intercepting enemy fire before it reaches you is the key to maintaining a full health bar. However, dodging still pays off when weapon fire cannot be cancelled out by lasers. Panzer Dragoon was a rail shooter, which meant the player was powerless to alter the route their dragon took through each level. Panzer Dragoon Zwei is still on rails, but forks in the road, located at specific points in a level, lead to different routes. They serve to reduce the linearity. The switching points, a better definition, determine difficulty, method of travel (flying or on foot), as well as scenery and pace. The best example is when the canyon in Episode 2 splits into two: when turning left your dragon runs to the edge of a verge, spreads its weak wings and takes flight to face fleets of flying fortresses. Turn right and your dragon fails to take flight but glides to the ground where it runs through a human installation and faces a ground-based cannon fortress at the end that blocks the exit. The route then joins up to face the same end level boss.
There are initially three methods of attack at the players disposal: standard laser attack, lock-on lasers, and berserk attack. Normal lasers are fired by the dragon's rider, the man whose role you've assumed, and can be fired constantly. Tapping the fire button once will launch a flurry of laser blasts, so can be kept constant quite easily (unlike the first game that fired one laser blast with each tap requiring quick button bashing for a fast rate of fire). Lock-on lasers are activated by holding the attack button while moving the cursor over on-screen targets. A square cursor will remain locked onto a chosen target until the attack button is released. Your dragon then sends blue-white laser beams flying to them (called arrows of light) that will never fail to reach their destination. This type of attack is very useful indeed for more elusive targets. As your dragon becomes more powerful, you can lock onto more enemies at any given time. Berserk attack basically targets any and all enemies on screen at once, and incessantly blasts them with similar lock-on lasers until the player's berserk bar reaches zero. The berserk bar can be charged up simply by attacking enemies; the the greater the berserk energy available, the longer a berserk attack will last. The scenery, and anything within it, will momentarily become an indistinct mixture of black and white colours when a berserk attack is in effect for the sake of creating a sense of venting built up power in a sudden outburst of rage, hence the name no doubt. Quite dramatic.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei introduces a dragon evolution system that shapes the dragon's growth according to however well the player tackles each level. At the end of a level, the game will tally points for the number of enemies shot down, and whatever routes, if any, were taken. A 90% shot down ratio will grant the player more points than half of that amount, and will contribute a certain number of points to the tally. Gaining such points will cause your dragon to shed its skin and morph into deadlier versions of itself. The greater amount of overall points achieved at the end of each level, the greater your dragon will become. Completing each level perfectly will cause your dragon to morph into its most powerful incarnation, and one that is easily recognisable to Panzer Dragoon fans.
|
|
|
|
Longevity:
There are a total of 7 episodes, which hardly amounts to much, yet perfecting the outcome of each level lies the game's true charm. The game offers multiple routes, as well as the ability to morph your dragon depending on how well you play. Of course, the whole gaming experience itself is exciting enough for any 3D shooting fan to warrant many replays, and every level needs to be finished perfectly before the true ending is unlocked. Completing the game once opens up a whole new host of options known in the game as Pandora's Box. Like in the original game, new weapons are available, and the player can ride some familiar enemy dragons instead of the usual metamorphic Lagi. These are but a few examples of the options available, and some remain inaccessible until the game is completed properly.
|
|
|
|
Overall:
Panzer Dragoon Zwei is without any doubt one of the best 3D shooting games available for the under-rated Sega Saturn, and one of the most visually impressive Saturn games next to Sonic R. The detailed, smooth and solid graphics rendered in this game easily rival anything available on the system's closest rival, the Sony Playstation. The game eclipsed anything seen previously and is deserving of recognition. I recommend even buying it today just to know where this series truly began. The graphics hardly compare to Panzer Dragoon Orta, but the gameplay is essentially the same. More than a compelling reason to experience.
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Longevity: 7/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Back to the Reviews Section
|
|
|
|
|
Destroy the mutant stealing habits; it is the village's code. The Will of the Ancients is an unofficial fansite that is in no way supported or associated with SEGA or Smilebit. Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Panzer Dragoon Orta and all other official Panzer Dragoon content is © SEGA, 1995-2003. Everything else on this website was made or written by Solo Wing Dragon unless otherwise noted. Please ask me first before using any content on this website for fan or commercial purposes.
|
|
|
|
|
