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.