Panzer Dragoon Saga
Main game
4.15 average rating based on 55 ratings
- Developers
- Team Andromeda
- Publishers
- Sega
- Series
- Panzer Dragoon
- Platforms
- Sega Saturn
- Genres
- Role-playing (RPG)
- Themes
- Fantasy
Release Dates
User Stats
How Long Is Panzer Dragoon Saga?
Panzer Dragoon Saga: Saturn's Finest
Panzer Dragoon Saga takes the rail-shooting mechanics of Panzer Dragoon and creates an incredible journey with unique gameplay, stunning visuals for a Sega Saturn, and a story that while still obtuse manages to weave a compelling journey.
Telling the story of a mercenary who discovers an ancient being buried in an excavation site and a mysterious flying dragon, this story mainly concerns unearthing the mysteries of a long forgotten age and the bio-engineered lifeforms and dangers that lie within. It can get pretty confusing and wonky, but the main path will lead the player through gorgeous ruins, burning jungles, breathtaking towers, and sweeping valleys.
Everything looks so much better under these graphics, even better than Zwei. Free-roaming works fairly well, with the reticle now used to interact with the environment. When in battle, the player enters random encounters and uses a mix of the dragon's positioning from the previous games and using either the single shot, lock-on laser, or special techniques to take down enemies. Rather than a sheer numbers game, the player must aim for weak points and stay in safe or neutral zones to limit enemy attacks. It's very rewarding and even has a rank system that rewards …
Panzer Dragoon Saga takes the rail-shooting mechanics of Panzer Dragoon and creates an incredible journey with unique gameplay, stunning visuals for a Sega Saturn, and a story that while still obtuse manages to weave a compelling journey.
Telling the story of a mercenary who discovers an ancient being buried in an excavation site and a mysterious flying dragon, this story mainly concerns unearthing the mysteries of a long forgotten age and the bio-engineered lifeforms and dangers that lie within. It can get pretty confusing and wonky, but the main path will lead the player through gorgeous ruins, burning jungles, breathtaking towers, and sweeping valleys.
Everything looks so much better under these graphics, even better than Zwei. Free-roaming works fairly well, with the reticle now used to interact with the environment. When in battle, the player enters random encounters and uses a mix of the dragon's positioning from the previous games and using either the single shot, lock-on laser, or special techniques to take down enemies. Rather than a sheer numbers game, the player must aim for weak points and stay in safe or neutral zones to limit enemy attacks. It's very rewarding and even has a rank system that rewards quick and efficient combat.
The game itself is huge for the system. Spanning four discs and loads of FMV cutscenes, the game is a staggering 15 hours compared to its predecessors, allowing it to expand this strange world of desert villages and ancient technology to its limits.
Panzer Dragoon Saga is a fantastic example of what happens when a developer, instead of giving up on a console, pushes it to its very limits and produces a masterpiece.
Overhyped to an extent but still worth playing
This review is for the Sega Saturn version
Even before my recently sparked interest in the Sega Saturn, I had heard many people sing the praises of Panzer Dragoon Saga. Some hail it as a kind of "hidden gem" candidate for best RPG ever, some describe it as a cult classic. There is no shortage of love for this game in the modern day.
With that in mind, I really prepped myself for my playthrough, going through both the original Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei. I'm glad I did, both of those games (especially Zwei) are fun in their own right, even if they play very differently to this game. They helped set the stage for the world that would be portrayed in Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Panzer Dragoon Saga's greatest strength is its worldbuilding. The setting, the story, the lore, all of these aspects lived up to the hype. These things alone make the game worth playing, and are the main reason that I enjoyed my time with it. The ideas expressed in this game, whether they be through cutscenes, character interactions, or gameplay, are interesting and engaging. This game tackles pretty big questions with its narrative. What it means to be human, the relationship between …
Even before my recently sparked interest in the Sega Saturn, I had heard many people sing the praises of Panzer Dragoon Saga. Some hail it as a kind of "hidden gem" candidate for best RPG ever, some describe it as a cult classic. There is no shortage of love for this game in the modern day.
With that in mind, I really prepped myself for my playthrough, going through both the original Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei. I'm glad I did, both of those games (especially Zwei) are fun in their own right, even if they play very differently to this game. They helped set the stage for the world that would be portrayed in Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Panzer Dragoon Saga's greatest strength is its worldbuilding. The setting, the story, the lore, all of these aspects lived up to the hype. These things alone make the game worth playing, and are the main reason that I enjoyed my time with it. The ideas expressed in this game, whether they be through cutscenes, character interactions, or gameplay, are interesting and engaging. This game tackles pretty big questions with its narrative. What it means to be human, the relationship between humans and the environment, the self-destructive nature of revenge. All of these themes were tactfully delved into, something I was particularly impressed by.
But as sometimes happens with RPGs, the description of the thing that you are doing in-game sometimes surpasses the experience of doing the thing. Fighting a giant, possibly sentient airship on the back of a dragon that shoots multiple lasers out of its mouth sounds really cool! Actually doing it? As the great Dr. Steve Brule put it, "Pretty fun, kinda boring."
While I commend the developers for taking on the impossible task of reworking the rail-shooter series into an RPG while keeping a lot of the core elements of that same rail-shooter gameplay, I don't think the battle system is quite as fun as I hoped. It almost reaches novelty territory (though, notably, I never found it annoying to participate in the game's semi-random battles). This along with a pretty dated graphical style is what holds Panzer Dragoon Saga back. It has a lot of extremely cool ideas for its core gameplay that don't get executed particularly well, nor particularly badly.
All in all, I'm glad I gave this game a shot and could see myself coming back to it at some point for a second playthrough if only to try and grab more of the secrets and mull over the themes some more. More generally, I think Panzer Dragoon Saga is worth playing today, though I would caution folks that have heard all of the hype surrounding it to temper their expectations a bit.
I have finished the first disc (of four). So far I have to say I'm very impressed with this game, and that it seems to truly live up to its critical acclaim.
Unlike the previous two Panzer Dragoon entries, which were excellent rail shooters, Saga is a turn-based RPG of sorts. You play as a mercenary named Edge, who befriends a dragon and sets off on adventure to get revenge on the Empire and unravel the mystery of a strange girl that was discovered (seemingly under cryogenic sleep) at an excavation site. You get to battle all sorts of crazy-looking monsters in this game--something the PD series has repeatedly excelled at. Though it's turn-based, action happens in real time, so you have to make decisions on the fly (literally). As gauges fill up, you become able to shoot your gun, have your dragon spit lasers, use items, or activate dragon power specials. Half of your focus though will be on positioning your dragon effectively around the enemies (in front, behind, or to the left or right of them). Some spots are relatively safe, while others are danger zones. The enemies can move too, so you generally can't sit still for …
I have finished the first disc (of four). So far I have to say I'm very impressed with this game, and that it seems to truly live up to its critical acclaim.
Unlike the previous two Panzer Dragoon entries, which were excellent rail shooters, Saga is a turn-based RPG of sorts. You play as a mercenary named Edge, who befriends a dragon and sets off on adventure to get revenge on the Empire and unravel the mystery of a strange girl that was discovered (seemingly under cryogenic sleep) at an excavation site. You get to battle all sorts of crazy-looking monsters in this game--something the PD series has repeatedly excelled at. Though it's turn-based, action happens in real time, so you have to make decisions on the fly (literally). As gauges fill up, you become able to shoot your gun, have your dragon spit lasers, use items, or activate dragon power specials. Half of your focus though will be on positioning your dragon effectively around the enemies (in front, behind, or to the left or right of them). Some spots are relatively safe, while others are danger zones. The enemies can move too, so you generally can't sit still for long.
On top of all this, you soon get the ability to morph your dragon, affecting its stats (and its appearance!). You can do this outside of battle, or even in the middle of one. It's really clever, and looks extremely cool. Some battles call for the defensive bulky dragon form; other battles call for the sleek and speedy one (and so on: there are five main types).
Perhaps what stands out the most for this game though is its incredibly unique atmosphere. How should I put it? It's a very somber game. This is a world that truly is ruled by the monsters, and the scattered remnants of humanity have only barely managed to scrape by over the post-apocalyptic centuries. Landscapes are desolate and ruinous. There aren't many characters to interact with. It's a quiet, surreal, and unsettling RPG. Looking forward to seeing how the story plays out.