Panzer Dragoon Zwei
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Panzer Dragoon Zwei
by Lupucillo Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:42 pm
If it can be said that an electronic entertainment programme can trascend its status of being a mere game and ascend into the realm of the artistic perfection, it would be a perfect set of qualifiers to ascribe to the masterpiece that is Panzer Dragoon Zwei. Like a mix between a Mad Max post-nuclear holocaust fiction futuristic shooter and classic Sega on-rails action game in the vein of Space Harrier, this game exemplifies the power and unique style of the Sega Saturn video game system.
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Developed by SEGA's mythical Team Andromeda between 1995 and 1996, with art designed by French comic artist Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, Panzer Dragoon Zwei was released on the Sega Saturn in March of 1996. Set several years before the first Panzer Dragoon, the game starts in a frontier village where people live their lives and farm the ground with the help of reptilian beasts known as Khourieats. The superstitious inhabitants kill any mutant Khourieat who develop luminous organs in their throats, believing that the light that emanates from them is a bad omen.
Lundi, a young boy of the village and main character of the story, secretly keeps an infant mutant Khourieat in his barn. This baby Khourieat, named Lagi, is unique among all the others, for it was born with wings. Lundi is convinced that one day that little creature will take him on fantastic adventures. Little does he know what is in store for him.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei is an on-rails shooter with multiple paths to chose from at certain points in the game. The player takes control of both Lundi and his Khourieat Lagi, starting on foot and eventually soaring through the skies as Lagi learns to fly. Weapons include a rapid-fire pistol and lasers blasted from Lagi's mouth. Tapping any of the main action buttons (A, B or C) will shoot the pistol, while holding the button and dragging the targeting reticle over enemies will make Lagi lock onto them and shoot lasers when the button is released. Additionally, the game introduces a Berserk attack, which is indicated by a power meter on the bottom left corner of the screen. The more enemies are destroyed, the more the meter increases. When the player is in a tight spot surrounded by enemies, pressing the X, Y or Z buttons will unleash a Berserk attack, making the player invincible and unleashing a barrage of laser fire on the enemies.
The game consists of 7 stages, each increasingly difficult. Points are awarded for the number of enemies shot down and the paths the player chooses. More points equal faster growth of the Khourieat, thus becoming more powerful and resistant to attacks.
The controls are tight and responsive, easy to learn and intuitive. Precise controls are crucial for the furious levels where enemies attack from every angle and the player must dodge and fire every split second.
Visually, the game is dynamic, fast and the screen often gets crowded with enemies from every direction. Transparencies, gouraud shading and scaling all happen at once on screen without once being taxing on the hardware. Everything is rendered flawlessly thanks to the Saturn's twin Hitachi processors working at unison, showcasing the horsepower within the console's innards. The music, sound effects and soundtrack are some of the best of its generation and showcase the Yamaha sound chip at its finest.
The difficulty of this game might be a little too daunting for beginners and newcomers to the medium. Panzer Dragoon games are HARD. Perhaps the most difficult challenge is to avoid losing health before encountering an end boss, since health cannot be replenished. The players life meter at the bottom of the screen shows the remaining health, and with every hit it decreases. Once it decreases, that's it. It cannot be recovered until the player finishes the level. This challenge makes memorization and multiple level playthroughs mandatory, which has been a trademark of Sega since their humble beginnings.
If you're looking for a challenging and rewarding game with subtle story-telling and amazing art direction, look no further than Panzer Dragoon Zwei.
Developed by SEGA's mythical Team Andromeda between 1995 and 1996, with art designed by French comic artist Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, Panzer Dragoon Zwei was released on the Sega Saturn in March of 1996. Set several years before the first Panzer Dragoon, the game starts in a frontier village where people live their lives and farm the ground with the help of reptilian beasts known as Khourieats. The superstitious inhabitants kill any mutant Khourieat who develop luminous organs in their throats, believing that the light that emanates from them is a bad omen.
Lundi, a young boy of the village and main character of the story, secretly keeps an infant mutant Khourieat in his barn. This baby Khourieat, named Lagi, is unique among all the others, for it was born with wings. Lundi is convinced that one day that little creature will take him on fantastic adventures. Little does he know what is in store for him.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei is an on-rails shooter with multiple paths to chose from at certain points in the game. The player takes control of both Lundi and his Khourieat Lagi, starting on foot and eventually soaring through the skies as Lagi learns to fly. Weapons include a rapid-fire pistol and lasers blasted from Lagi's mouth. Tapping any of the main action buttons (A, B or C) will shoot the pistol, while holding the button and dragging the targeting reticle over enemies will make Lagi lock onto them and shoot lasers when the button is released. Additionally, the game introduces a Berserk attack, which is indicated by a power meter on the bottom left corner of the screen. The more enemies are destroyed, the more the meter increases. When the player is in a tight spot surrounded by enemies, pressing the X, Y or Z buttons will unleash a Berserk attack, making the player invincible and unleashing a barrage of laser fire on the enemies.
The game consists of 7 stages, each increasingly difficult. Points are awarded for the number of enemies shot down and the paths the player chooses. More points equal faster growth of the Khourieat, thus becoming more powerful and resistant to attacks.
The controls are tight and responsive, easy to learn and intuitive. Precise controls are crucial for the furious levels where enemies attack from every angle and the player must dodge and fire every split second.
Visually, the game is dynamic, fast and the screen often gets crowded with enemies from every direction. Transparencies, gouraud shading and scaling all happen at once on screen without once being taxing on the hardware. Everything is rendered flawlessly thanks to the Saturn's twin Hitachi processors working at unison, showcasing the horsepower within the console's innards. The music, sound effects and soundtrack are some of the best of its generation and showcase the Yamaha sound chip at its finest.
The difficulty of this game might be a little too daunting for beginners and newcomers to the medium. Panzer Dragoon games are HARD. Perhaps the most difficult challenge is to avoid losing health before encountering an end boss, since health cannot be replenished. The players life meter at the bottom of the screen shows the remaining health, and with every hit it decreases. Once it decreases, that's it. It cannot be recovered until the player finishes the level. This challenge makes memorization and multiple level playthroughs mandatory, which has been a trademark of Sega since their humble beginnings.
If you're looking for a challenging and rewarding game with subtle story-telling and amazing art direction, look no further than Panzer Dragoon Zwei.
Lupucillo- SNES
- Posts : 65
Join date : 2012-10-13
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