Panzer Dragon (1995)
System: Sega Saturn
Developer: Team Andromeda
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Released shortly after the Sega Saturn’s surprise launch in 1995, Panzer Dragon was a landmark title that opened the door to a new gaming universe unlike any other at that time. Its mix of game mechanics, art direction, orchestral soundtrack, and three dimensional graphics proved to be a unique combination that propelled the game to a high degree of recognition amongst game players and the gaming industry as a whole.

As part of the first generation of home games to use fully textured polygons Panzer Dragon was an immediate stand-out title when it first hit game store shelves. It’s unique premise and technical achievements where the things gamers had been dreaming of for a long time and to finally see that promise fulfilled was quite an experience.

The Story

''The rider of the armored blue Dragon is fatally wounded by a powerful laser blast through his chest. They land before you.

The Sky Rider stretches out his hand to you, a desperate gesture for help. As your hand touches his, the Sky Rider's mind and yours become one. In his final thoughts, you see a tower that is under control of the Imperials. They have discovered the true use of the tower-the most powerful weapon ever created. With this and the Dark Dragon, a bio weapon created by the tower, the Imperials will be unstoppable!

The Sky Rider speaks his final words. 'Don't.. let the Dark Dragon return to the Tower.. If that happens, the horror of the Ancient Time..'

The Sky Rider falls at your feet, his life force spiraling off into the great unknown. The Dragon lets out a piercing cry for it's fallen master. From now on, it is your destiny to lead the Dragon to the tower''. -- Gamefaqs

Review

As far as the gameplay mechanics went there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about Panzer Dragon. After all, at its core it was nothing more than a shooter game set on rails; nothing too different from what we had already seen in previous game releases such as the very popular Super Nintendo title Starfox.

Basically the gameplay was made up of two main functions, guiding your dragon accross each stage to avoid taking damage and shooting down enemy forces through regular blasts or lock-on blasts that could take down several targets in a single attack.

What made Panzer Dragon unique was the realization of the world you played in. No longer were we limited to stages made up of simple flat-shaded polygon blocks, the Panzer Dragon universe was realized in full-fledged color and detail through the use of richly textured polygons (for the time) assembled in complex constructions that you could fly-by or through.

By taking full advantage of the power that the Saturn held the designers of Panzer Dragon crafted a game world that mixed mechanical elements with biological components which resulted in some of the most unique stages ever traversed by game players back in 1995. This was in stark contrast to some of the more simple 3-D games that accompanied the Saturn’s launch such as Sega’s home version of the original Virtua Fighter arcade game.

Conclusion

By today's graphic standards Panzer Dragon is a relic of the past, however like other classic games, whose graphics can't stand up to today's latest, it still thrives on the overall quality of the entire game experience it offers. Without a doubt this is one of the best releases to have come out for the Sega Saturn during its short run in the U.S.

Jeffrey Couto