Reviews from

in the past


The gameplay remains largely intact, which is great. But that means you're mostly here for the visuals and atmosphere, which just can't live up to the far richer Saturn original. It's a great showcase of how a leap in visual technology does not make something automatically better.

Had alot of fun with this one, as a huge fan of the series Im just happy to get something new out of the franchise. Classic, fun on-rail shooter gameplay set in a mysterious dystopian world filled with awesome dragons, love it

Story and classic gameplay are intact, feel the modernization of the gameplay made it a bit too easy as I flew through this game with no problem my first time through. Graphics while overall pretty good come aross as somewhat soulless dosent come close to the atomsphere of the original feels a bit fanmade. Barebones when it comes to content just a straight remake of the game without anything added, would have been nice to see some behind the scenes or maybe include the original game as a bonus

If you are new to the series, I would honestly advise to try and track down the original as I still think it's vibe and feel are unmatched, very short game you can probably beat in an hour and honestly it will leave you wanting more

7/10

My context for the original is pretty limited, but this sorta feels like one of those where something's been lost in the remake. Granted, as I understand it, the original Panzer Dragoon was very much a title whose significance was rooted in the era of its release: an early must-play title for the SEGA Saturn, ethereal and artistically-driven in a way games generally weren't at that time (heck, on the Saturn alone, NiGHTS into dreams... was still a year out). A compelling showcase of mechanics it was not, particularly in hindsight. These days, so many subsequent rail shooters have developed the genre far beyond the scope of the original Panzer Dragoon.

I guess with that, the idea of a Panzer Dragoon remake is in an unfavorable position. It is perhaps necessary, given how little we've seen of the SEGA Saturn since its heyday and how unlikely we are for SEGA to put out a proper Saturn compilation. But there isn't really a good way to reincarnate this sort of game. The original soundtrack/visuals no longer hold the same effect, so simply having those wouldn't work. Overhauling the art direction loses the original game's identity, particularly since so much of it was rooted in the technical limitations of the Saturn. Arriving at an art style that holds the same effect in modern day that the original had in its era would require a huge budget...

...and what we got was a budget title. Developed in the Unity engine! Unity is a perfectly serviceable game engine, but there's something a little homogenizing about rebuilding a one-of-a-kind video game in a stock engine. It'd be a little like trying to recreate Chrono Trigger in RPG Maker. Could you do so? Perhaps, but the heart and soul of Chrono Trigger lies in the specific way it was presented.

This is all to say - Panzer Dragoon Remake is okay, but it's over and done with pretty quickly. There is novelty to having access to a version of this game in modern day, but I don't really feel like I've gained anything for the experience, just that I can say I've played it now. I think I would've rather had an untouched "museum" release that helped place me in the reality of the original release. Is that asking for too mych? I dunno, but with what we got, I don't feel any less need to look for the original Panzer Dragoon on Saturn now that I've gone through the remake. Seems like we've missed the thrust of the exercise here.

im over here shootin bitches out the motherfucking sky, badass as fuck

Never played the original so this remake is all I know about the game... and the series by extension. I enjoyed what I played but I thought it was pretty short and underwhelming in some areas. Like I thought the final boss was going to have another phase once he turned into a dragoon, but then he just stopped flying and fell into the ocean. I don't know what this remake got wrong or right but apparently people don't like it very much. But while the visuals definitely aren't the most impressive ever, a lot of the problems seem to stem from the source material rather than the remake. It's a fun and short campaign but far from the most exciting rail-shooter ever made - and that likely extends to the original game as well.


Why did someone add an achievement to play for 100 hours in a game that takes an hour to finish? Not bad for nostalgia's sake though

It doesn´t matter what I'm going to say, they will never remake SAGA

Some bosses were fun but tbh this feels like an inferior Rez…honestly Air Twister might be a slightly better game. Attacks were often pretty hard to read, story isn’t well told, and in an hour it doesn’t make a huge impression. Not horrible, has a bit of charm, but fairly weak.

Good time. Very short but a fun experience. Although aesthetically I think the original looks more interesting. But this was a fair substitute. Hopefully Saga will get a remake eventually too...

I dislike how this game feels. The movement of your character being very connected to the movement of your reticle here feels awful. I felt like dodging here was just not great. At first I assumed that means my playstyle for this game was wrong. Which the first 3 levels I changed how I approached where you have to hold a to automate targeting and I began to hit a flow state for that. I began to think I figured out what was expected but some bosses and regular enemies aren’t designed for that .Levels 5 & 6 are much faster shooting galleries that don’t align with the automated targeting. Level 4 feels like the best approach on it. It’s hard to tell which shooting approach is expected at times. Some variety makes sense but it feels that the alternating with different enemies wasn’t as great. I think I might have felt better if hit detection and dodging made more sense to me. There are some bosses with lasers that look far away from me but seem to hit me anyways. In general this didn’t vibe with me. But it says volumes to me if I had a play session of only a level one day and was dreading going to the next one after beating the previous one.

Pairing the gameplay of the Saturn original (which while tweaked, still feels dated even compared to the most recent game in the series, Orta on the OG Xbox) with more cutting-edge graphics makes for a weirdly dated feeling experience. I own the Saturn version of this game and love it but the aesthetics/mechanical mismatch here felt... frustrating.

This was quite fun!
Considering I acquired the game at a price for 1€, I am thoroughly happy with my purchase.
I know this kind of game is meant to be played many times over, and I might do some replays down the line, but for now I've had my fill.

Podría haber estado jugando a otra cosa, la verdad

Ganz nett, jedoch wirkt das Ende ziemlich gerusht und unvollständig.

I got this remake some time ago because I heard of the reputation of the classic Panzer Dragoon titles, and how they are beloved among a lot of older SEGA fans.

And I am really sorry to say that... I didn't really enjoyed it.
I am pretty sure the original title was a monumental achievement for the time, but I feel this remake doesn't really do it justice.

For a graphical stand point , it got a solid enough upgrade, but that doesn't do really enough to capture the "more whimsical" and fantastical looks of the original, that maybe because of the timeless polygon aesthetic of the SEGA Saturn, is able to look better that its remake (which is kinda ironic and sad)

The gameplay I feel.... wasn't for me. I am already not 100% into traditional Rail Shooters, but the gameplay of this one just was not enjoyable to me: I found it too clunky, unbalanced and too locked on weird camera controls that maeks some sections playable, and other completely hard for no reason (especially when you are looking left or right of the dragon).
I had a great time with some of the levels, for thevariety of setting, enemies and challenges, but others were just... not a great time, some sections especially feels really claustrophoci, presenting the same environment over and over again and enemies that are not appealing and kinda hard to figure out.

The setting is supposed to showcase this super cool apocalyctic world, were covernemnt screw up Earth and all of that... but in the game you just don't have that... all you got is a pre-rendered unskippable long cutscene with legit just awful graphics, a slight hints among the in-battle dialogues, and a possible "rival dragon" that is the villanous enemy you gotta face?

I can't help it to compare it to it's Nintendo "rival series" Star Fox, Sin & Punishment, and even Kid Icarus Uprising: rail shooters that are able to combine and enthrilling gameplay and replayability, with beautiful environments, more profound character interactions, and a writing that makes you want more from the world you visit in the title.

Not to mention that... this is an incredibly short experince. SUrely it is replayable for higher score and possible alternate paths, but I think I finishe the whole adventure in like.... AN HOUR?

I appreciate SEGA for bringing back classic on modern consoles, but I feel this remaster could have done much more... maybe including some extras modes, or even collectibles and concept arts... or maybe could have been bundled with Panzer dragoon 2 or Saga, for a cool bundle of classic.

But on its own, I feel it is not that worth it. Sorry to say, I wish this Dragon will come back under a better light.

Panzer Dragoon: Remake, é antes de qualquer coisa, um espetáculo visual. Sendo um grande fã de rail shooters, sempre tive interesse de jogar Panzer Dragoon, um dos mais consagrados do gênero, porém, em meu desinteresse de instalar e configurar um emulador de Sega Saturn, acabei por experimentar o remake, disponível corriqueiramente por um preço bastante agradável na steam.
Olha, que jogo esquisito, ele é curto, mas não curto demais, ele é o que é, nada é explicado muito bem, nem em lore (world building), ou em plot (que é largado meio de qualquer jeito), só temos algumas cutscenes. Como no remake tudo ficou meio facilitado, com auto-aim, e opções de dificuldade (joguei no normal), é só uma questão de ir aproveitando essa jornada apreciando os belos cenários que o jogo oferece, e francamente, nada muito além disso.

i'm pretty surprised the average rating is this low - sure, it doesn't perfectly replicate the atmosphere the original had, but realistically i don't think that's possible without retaining saturn-like graphics. it's not a complete downgrade though, it still contains the music and vibes that made this game feel so immersive in the first place. if anything, i think the graphics helped me see enemies more clearly, along with the easier difficulty making the entire experience a lot more enjoyable compared to the hellish difficulty spike in the og.
apart from that, it's very faithful to its source material, to its detriment. the og was painfully average to playthrough and unfortunately this game is too - same exact gameplay style, same story beats, and i don't think there's any new options in pandora's box either.
there's also no incentive to go back apart from difficulty or if you want to get the trophies, which aren't very interesting or anything that makes you go the extra mile ( apart fromthe 100 hour one, fuck that)

It’s quite dated by today’s standards, but given as a throwback to a long lost genre of the arcade days “Panzer Dragoon Remake” is a brief, but enjoyable recreation of a very special series birth.

Panzer Dragoon is a classic on the Saturn. You can't underestimate the impact the game had back in 1995.

This remake, however, brings nothing new apart from redone graphics and new gameplay options. The game itself is very short. You can finish it in an hour, depending on your skill or the difficulty level you select.

I get it, I really do... but still. I can understand why this can be seen as a classic 30 years ago but today... No, not really. I am happy that I paid 2 pounds for 30 minutes game, otherwise I would have been pretty disappointed. And that 100 hours trophy. Why?! I am sure that even the die hard fans will not replay the game nearly 200 times to get it without leaving the console running by itself :D

pretty fire world design and ost, I actually started with the original but then saw this on sale and just bought it, worth the visual upgrade. I miss this era of games, and the setting here is very evocative. I've been wanting to eventually play the much acclaimed Panzer Dragoon Saga so going through the series right now, but it really reminds me of like the sort of atmosphere of like a team ico game at times. This first game, however, my main critiques just come from annoyances due to the game mechanics and arcade-like progression. This remake does alleviate some of that but it still feels like a concept that was still being improved on and I expect the sequels will refine the shooting/difficulty more.

It's really nice I finally played this classic, even if it's both more and less polished than the original. This remake holds up the art direction of the original amazingly well - but small bugs like the screen tearing and slightly weird textures always kept pulling me out of the experience.

That said, the gameplay itself still holds up great - the 360 degree firing mechanic makes this feel way more interesting and fresher than Star Fox has in some time and makes me only more excited to play the sequels.

Tweet Opinion: https://twitter.com/EmperialDonut/status/1358646866553012232

A quick afternoon’s action title that’s a remake of the Sega Saturn classic. While it hasn’t aged all that well playing an on-rails shooter in 2020 was a nice little break from the season of 100+ hour game releases.

Full Review: https://neoncloudff.wordpress.com/2020/12/31/now-playing-december-2020-edition/

Solid Remake, it's fun but fundamentally feels quite different from the Saturn original. I recommend trying both.

This was pretty cool! Didn't have a ton of exposure to this game, but saw glimpses of it back in the day on G4 and heard murmurs of it pretty consistently through the years about how beloved it is. The remake still looked kinda rough on switch, I felt like it could be smoothed a bit more for the overall look, but the art style was very interesting. That sort of biopunk 90's vague tribal design that is in the middle of several odd venn diagrams. It is paired with a great synth soundtrack full of obsolete instrumentation that strikes that fantasy and futurism balance quite well. The story is bare, but it has a lot of atmosphere in its cutscenes that tell it well enough.

The shooting and flying are a little awkward, and it doesn't explain well how to vary your shots to take on different scenarios, but it feels pretty good once you get a feel for it. The gyro control was just bad, it didn't activate accurately half the time, and when it did it was extremely minimal.

While it has a lot of flaws, it has a lot of great stuff here that I kind of wish we saw a resurgence in this type of on rails shooter, mixed with some more modern elements to really bring the genre to this decade.


Um shooter satisfatorio de jogar, se manteve a essencia da gameplay do jogo antigo com lindos gráficos modernos, é divertido, apesar disso, não acrescenta muitas coisas então recomendo comprar em promoção, terminar o jogo não vai demorar mais que 1/2 horas no máximo, mas acho que é o suficiente para não se tornar chato, apesar disso, recomendo a todos testarem esse game.

I first played the Saturn when I was a guest at... somebody's house as a kid. I don't even remember. Panzer Dragoon was sick as hell back then though. It was three whole dimensions! Like Star Fox with a dragon! Pretty good use of like, less than 5 bucks on sale to relive.

I also don't actually need Panzer Dragoon to have the latest most advanced graphics but hey, here it is. They didn't mess up the really great art design or anything so it's all good. Game feels a lot easier in this remake than I remembered but I cannot guarantee that's real. That could just be me. It's been more than a decade since I tried to play it in Orta alright.

I dunno that this one would be as impressive to anyone coming at it for the first time now but look. It's Panzer Dragoon. Look at that cool dragon. What else do you want? Oh, you want Zwei and Saga, which are incredibly sick games and will never be released anywhere else in any form? Yeah that's fair

after having played through the saturn trilogy, i gotta say we should be more grateful that we even have a panzer dragoon game in recent times. obv the art direction is misguided and 25$ is a bit much especially when it came with bugs at launch. but after having learned the people behind this were fans i started appreciating this more. constructive criticism should be taken but the people who outright say this is bad are in the wrong headspace. the OG wasnt a masterpiece in fact it was insanely hard so to have a more playable version is very welcoming. i hope zwei remake turns out great (because that game is fucking goated). im hoping the negative reviews havent impacted their production

Having never played the original this one was a beautiful foray into this game's universe. I loved it!