This feels like an overall improvement over the original with tighter controls, branching paths (not to be confused with branching stages), better visuals and just better balance.

I still have no idea what's going on in the story besides good dragon shoot down bad dragon, but the world has such a cool otherworldly design that I didn't really care. This also features much cooler setpieces than the first game.

The shooting is easier on the hands to fire rapid shots which my thumb is grateful for. Shooting things down is much more satisfying with better feedback and good visuals.

My only complaints are similar to the first where it is really short for an on-rails shooter. At least there is more replayability here with branching paths in levels. My other issue is the fact that the dodge button is tied to hitting the movement pad twice, which is not convenient and screw the flow gameplay up, as opposed to pressing a single button to dodge (seriously there are so many unused buttons here).

This is a very good on-rails shooter with some great atmosphere and music. Worth a play for rail shooter fans. I look forward to delving further into this world as an RPG with Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei is an outstanding game on the Sega Saturn, boasting stunning visuals and impressive gameplay. Its score adds to the immersive experience, and the on-rails action-packed gameplay keeps players engaged. However, my main gripe with Zwei is its brevity and disappointment in the final two bosses. While the first half of the game builds excitement and anticipation, the second half falls short. The final bosses lack the epic climax that players expect, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction. Despite these flaws, Panzer Dragoon Zwei remains a must-play Saturn classic. Its captivating graphics and gameplay make it a worthwhile experience for fans of the console.

For every improvement this game makes on its predecessor it takes an equal step back. The narrative is more sensible and cohesive, but I still don't find it particularly engaging so it just feels like a longer stopgap between levels. The enemy designs are more varied and interesting, but as a result their shot patterns are eclectic and harder to fairly discern, which leads to sections feeling more like random scuffles than engagements you can properly plan around. The bosses all present a much grander spectacle, but they tend to lack in conveyance and drag on longer than necessary. The first game is clunky but I think the brisker nature of its approach lends itself better to a rail shooter, and honestly besides not being able to save between levels I'd probably rather replay that than this.

Playing this game immediately after the first one makes it abundantly clear that this is the greatest sequel to any game of all time. Everything that doesnt work about the first game is fixed and its way more ambitious and interesting. This is one of my favorite games of all time. The more I play this the better it gets.

I dont even know where to begin with it. I think the storytelling is far better than the original. It has a more personal narrative, where you and your dragon, Lagi, are hunting down the ancient ship that destroyed your home. The dragon evolution mechanic is one of my favorite things in any video game. Seeing Lagi evolve throughout the entire game is such a cool thing. It adds to the narrative, but also getting better at the game and mastering it gives you further evolutions, so its this tangible reason for you to replay it. This also includes the alternate routes which dramatically change a levels progression. One of my absolute favorite things is that the first time Lagi flies is in gameplay. He struggles to do it during a couple of cutscenes, but then during one of the levels, he finally gets it. Its done entirely through the gameplay and you get to control it. It had a big impact on me even though I first played it decades after it came out.

The controls are emaculate. Flying, switching the four directions, aiming and shooting lasers and shots, it all feels like butter. Its such a satisfying game to control. Everything is so readable. I never felt there were many unfair moments or that the hardware was holding it back. It has a great difficulty curve, its actually a lot easier than the first game, but the scoring gives it more complexity. Its just a nice balance between that first playthrough being impressive versus having really good staying power. Every level is so cool and they are backed by an incredible soundtrack that eclipses the first games OST. The bosses are a highlight too. I love how the game encourages you to kill them quickly, they feel really dynamic as some have hidden phases or have attacks that can be interrupted with skillful shots.

The final boss in this game is legendary to me. It is my favorite final boss of any game. It is epic in scale but it also has this ethereal beauty to it. The track that plays is incredible and the attacks it does are stunning. The second phase is amazing. Its a fight of equals that I dont think couldve been done any better. Its something you gotta experience to really understand and its worth playing the game just to get there. Its incredible stuff.

I really dont have anything bad to say about it. I mean maybe my only issue is that alternate routes are pretty hard to identify in the moment and easy to screw up if you want to play perfectly. But thats something I really dont even mind because I can just play this over and over and over again. Its simply a perfect video game that I hope everyone gets to experience. A real masterclass.

Zwei is a massive upgrade from the original Panzer Dragoon in just about every way. On a mechanical level it's not even close, everything feels snappier and more effective, the addition of a rechargeable screen nuke grants a little bit of leeway and while the split routes are esoteric enough to require some real experimentation to figure out, they're at least a neat idea in theory. What I must presume was Zwei's big selling point was the ability to evolve your dragon between stages, and I have to say I love how it was handled. He starts as a flightless creature you just ride on the ground, and the first stage and a half are played that way... until you reach a chasm, and fall down it, only for him to take flight and carry you into the first sky stage, as triumphant music swells up. Super cool way to introduce the concept. After that, the evolution has quite a bit less fanfare: if you play well, your guy digivolves and gets a bit stronger, with the only real difference besides statistics being that you'll get the best ending (read: somehow the most cryptic one) if you evolve him to his full power. Still, if nothing it's neat to see the various designs.

There's a bit more focus on storytelling in Zwei compared to the first Panzer Dragoon, which was extremely grandiose in its atmosphere, but devoid of dialogue. While it's nice to have just a little bit more insight into the world, Jean only really speaks in the first half of the game, and usually doesn't have too much to say. Still, it doesn't do any harm, the levels themselves are just as majestic as the original's, and quite a bit more elaborate in appearance. Special mention goes to some of the bosses, which manage to feel impressively dynamic, and are overall fairly effective setpieces, and to the soundtrack, which goes for a more esoteric and less orchestral feel compared to the original, and lands just as well.

What a fun game. Don't even need to begin on how much of an improvement it is upon the last game. Not only do you have the ability to rotate your view (Haven't played the first game since last year so bare with me on that part), but also the game runs much more smoother and has more detail to take in. Which makes it all the more funnier as this one's a prequel.

Can't believe I was not arsed to beat it as it is as short as its predecessor. But at the time though I was busy so I'd let it slide. Regardless, definitely much more replayable, and do remember when playing Saga, to check back on this game because you unlock something special ;)

Very seldom do sequels manage to get the mistakes their predecessors made with such accuracy and move the needle just enough to improve in just the right areas without loosing the essence that make said predecessor a worthwhile experience despite its shortcomings. Zwei is that rare sequel. The controls are just tuned in enough to be actively fun, at all times, and not just the means to enjoy the vistas and sounds. The graphics are better and are now able to take advantage on the barren landscapes and otherworldly architecture they depict, making this destroyed universe that much more poignant and vivid. The writing, while still minimal and vague, adds just enough texture and gives the game a feeling of pace and weight, like at the end of the fifth level, when everything seemingly stops for a minute, letting you indulge in the caos you helped create. Everything has improved, and while these improvements may seem quantitative from an outsiders perspective, I assure you they are not.

Panzer Dragoon was an enjoyable oddity. Zwei is a game I feel comfortable calling a masterpiece.

a massive leap forward from it's predecessor in more or less every conceivable way.
panzer dragoon's idea was to take the limitations of it's format, a rail shooter, and use them as strengths. these games have a fixed length, so why not tune the soundtrack exactly to the environment? these games have to shock and dazzle the player, so why not use those environments to their full potential? these games have to be snappy with little time wasted, so why not make the player soak in every bit of lore and detail while they're playing? panzer dragoon wasn't excellent at all these things, but it was a very solid proof of concept (and a very fun game!).
zwei feels like that proof of concept really got a chance to shine on it's own. the environmental storytelling is amped up, with there being plenty of times the game just allows you to more or less stop and take a break to soak everything in. the spectacle is absolutely absurd as well; whereas panzer dragoon heavily relied on sprites and somewhat generic looking bugs and animals, zwei's art design focuses much more on making the polygonal creatures look that way by design rather than by limitation. this more unique art design is complimented by the increased prominence of the ancients and their bioengineered weaponry in the plot.
speaking of the plot, like the first game, it's very implicit and focused more on creating an atmosphere than a traditional story, but unlike the first game, there is genuine character here. instead of being just some guy whose body is hijacked by a dragon rider, your character has trained this dragon out of pity for it's misshapen form, and is on a quest for revenge against the ominous ship that destroyed his home. a revenge story isn't really anything too special for video games in general, but it does provide a narrative with which the gameplay can work in tandem. typically in a rail/arcade shooter, the destruction your character wreaks almost makes you feel villainous. why am i destroying villages and blowing up everything in my path in afterburner, for instance? in contrast, it makes logical sense here that the hyper-aggressive gameplay style established in the first game would be the way your character reacts, and the downbeat desolate tone of the environments makes your character's rampage feel like a speck of dust amidst a world that has experienced far worse than this.
when it comes to gamefeel, zwei is a big improvement as well. your dragon feels far more maneuverable and the game feels far more readable. i never felt that the visual noise made it too difficult to see or aim, and i felt more incentivized to dodge and maneuver than i ever did in PD1. the new berserk mechanic is a good way to help struggling players by offering an extended screenwipe, but it thankfully doesn't trivialize bosses and offers a good degree of strategy to it's use. the multishot gun is a very positive change that my thumbs greatly appreciated, and it no longer feels like homing shots are the best option against all quick enemies. the game as a whole is definitely more forgiving and easier than PD1, but much of that difficulty decrease feels as though it comes down to the game being designed in a way that feels more fair and less chaotic. I had a much lower accuracy rating on all of the levels compared to PD1, as well, so i imagine if you're a score-focused player this overall difficulty decrease wouldn't stop you from feeling incentivized to return.