Panzer Dragoon Saga (text for GSJ14 that never happened!)
Mar 23, 2018 16:36:56 GMT -5
Post by Sarge on Mar 23, 2018 16:36:56 GMT -5
A holy grail of collectors everywhere, Panzer Dragoon Saga is renowned in the Saturn community. As a late-release game for a system that failed to stop Sony from building a brand juggernaut, one could be excused for missing it at the time.
The problem, of course, is that its lack of success at the time makes it hard to find now. And it means that, outside of dubious means, most people won’t experience the game. Those who are “in the know” clamor for a remake. Even an unaltered port would do, given the loss of the source code for the game.
To this day, Panzer Dragoon Saga defies many design tropes that litter RPGs. Born out of a semi-popular set of rail-shooters for the Sega Saturn, placing the third game in the series within a RPG construct seems an odd move in hindsight, and probably seemed even odder at the time. However, the shooter roots help the game achieve a unique flair unparalleled by its contemporaries, and arguably even contemporary genre examples.
One of the strengths of Team Andromeda was world-building. Even within the confines of Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Zwei, there is a streak of creativity that went well beyond the norm for games of its ilk. The designers had some serious skill in building up a believable atmosphere, and it certainly helped them with Saga.
The battle system in PDS is unique, and still is to this day. Those that played the first two games will know that you can rotate your view to pick off enemies from the sides and back. The battle system in PDS takes a modified form. Turns occur in real-time, a la Final Fantasy (complete with charging bar). You can swivel around your enemies, in quadrants. Rotating around allows you to probe for weak points in the enemies’ defenses, but also pauses the charging of the attack gauge. If you have a full bar (of three total) of attack gauge, you can unleash either a homing laser attack, good against multiple enemies, or a single-shot blast from Edge’s gun.
Not that your enemies sit still, of course. They will be jockeying for position around you, as well. Each quadrant is marked as safe, neutral, or deadly, and enemies will typically try to place you in their attack pattern. Sometimes, the weak point for an enemy is located in the deadliest quadrant, so you have to dart in, unleash, and get out before getting pounded. Add in numerous special abilities that consume more than a portion of your gauge + BP (analogous to MP), and the game becomes rife with strategies for taking out enemies quickly.
This leads to one of the few drawbacks of the game; it’s not terribly difficult. In fact, more of the challenge comes in dispatching enemies quickly. The game gives rewards based on how quickly you can wipe out the enemy, so there is always an incentive for executing battle plans as efficiently as possible. Only some of the bosses pose a real challenge, and even those are quite easy to tank with copious amounts of healing items and techniques.
The graphics in PDS… well, the art direction is fantastic. The game boasts a vivid world, one that fits perfectly with the rest of the mood. However, the limited technology of the Saturn really holds the game back. Even with the striking visuals, the whole affair sports a very low-resolution, and abhorrent draw distances. The latter, especially, necessitates the use of radar. Yes, the original game had radar as well, but the draw distances are bad enough that it’s absolutely necessary to pick out items and objects of interest from the background, assuming they’re rendered on-screen yet.
On foot, the cracks in the metaphorical foundation really show up. You can wander around as Edge in addition to flying around on your dragon, and the results aren’t nearly as enjoyable. The compelling world keeps it bearable, but Edge doesn’t control overly well, and there is significant polygon warping. Seriously, go walking up an incline in Zoah, and have fun trippin’ out with swirly footing.
A few of the dungeon areas feel weakly designed, as well. Unlike much of the genre-defying free roaming areas, several areas see you flying down corridors with your dragon, partaking in what amounts to a traditional dungeon structure. Most of them are short enough to work quite well, but one in particular (the Ruins of Uru) seem to drag on interminably.
Still, these flaws (well known to Saturn owners by this point) are not enough to hold back the game from achieving greatness.
Panzer Dragoon Saga actually comes on four discs. This is in line with other multiple-disc RPG opuses, full of CG that hasn’t aged particularly well. However, unlike those games, Panzer Dragoon Saga thrives on its pacing and brevity. The entirety of the game can be finished in less than 20 hours. Unlike other CD-based games at the time, the developers didn’t feel the need to pad their vision for the game with unnecessary fluff, and it makes the experience all the stronger for it.
The story is decent enough. The plot evolves from a simple quest for vengeance to one that has much more dire implications for the entire world. The ultimate target of your revenge, Craymen, actually ends up having a noble purpose in opposing the Empire, and Edge forges an uneasy alliance with him, as well as the strange girl from the ancient ruins that pops up from time to time in the employ of Craymen. At first, she appears misguided, but this does not turn out to be the case.
The ultimate question, of course, is whether the game is worth its excessive asking price. And while it’s a fine game, unlike anything out there, that is a completely subjective question. Overall, I’d say no, but that’s personal subjectivity for you.
The problem, of course, is that its lack of success at the time makes it hard to find now. And it means that, outside of dubious means, most people won’t experience the game. Those who are “in the know” clamor for a remake. Even an unaltered port would do, given the loss of the source code for the game.
To this day, Panzer Dragoon Saga defies many design tropes that litter RPGs. Born out of a semi-popular set of rail-shooters for the Sega Saturn, placing the third game in the series within a RPG construct seems an odd move in hindsight, and probably seemed even odder at the time. However, the shooter roots help the game achieve a unique flair unparalleled by its contemporaries, and arguably even contemporary genre examples.
One of the strengths of Team Andromeda was world-building. Even within the confines of Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Zwei, there is a streak of creativity that went well beyond the norm for games of its ilk. The designers had some serious skill in building up a believable atmosphere, and it certainly helped them with Saga.
The battle system in PDS is unique, and still is to this day. Those that played the first two games will know that you can rotate your view to pick off enemies from the sides and back. The battle system in PDS takes a modified form. Turns occur in real-time, a la Final Fantasy (complete with charging bar). You can swivel around your enemies, in quadrants. Rotating around allows you to probe for weak points in the enemies’ defenses, but also pauses the charging of the attack gauge. If you have a full bar (of three total) of attack gauge, you can unleash either a homing laser attack, good against multiple enemies, or a single-shot blast from Edge’s gun.
Not that your enemies sit still, of course. They will be jockeying for position around you, as well. Each quadrant is marked as safe, neutral, or deadly, and enemies will typically try to place you in their attack pattern. Sometimes, the weak point for an enemy is located in the deadliest quadrant, so you have to dart in, unleash, and get out before getting pounded. Add in numerous special abilities that consume more than a portion of your gauge + BP (analogous to MP), and the game becomes rife with strategies for taking out enemies quickly.
This leads to one of the few drawbacks of the game; it’s not terribly difficult. In fact, more of the challenge comes in dispatching enemies quickly. The game gives rewards based on how quickly you can wipe out the enemy, so there is always an incentive for executing battle plans as efficiently as possible. Only some of the bosses pose a real challenge, and even those are quite easy to tank with copious amounts of healing items and techniques.
The graphics in PDS… well, the art direction is fantastic. The game boasts a vivid world, one that fits perfectly with the rest of the mood. However, the limited technology of the Saturn really holds the game back. Even with the striking visuals, the whole affair sports a very low-resolution, and abhorrent draw distances. The latter, especially, necessitates the use of radar. Yes, the original game had radar as well, but the draw distances are bad enough that it’s absolutely necessary to pick out items and objects of interest from the background, assuming they’re rendered on-screen yet.
On foot, the cracks in the metaphorical foundation really show up. You can wander around as Edge in addition to flying around on your dragon, and the results aren’t nearly as enjoyable. The compelling world keeps it bearable, but Edge doesn’t control overly well, and there is significant polygon warping. Seriously, go walking up an incline in Zoah, and have fun trippin’ out with swirly footing.
A few of the dungeon areas feel weakly designed, as well. Unlike much of the genre-defying free roaming areas, several areas see you flying down corridors with your dragon, partaking in what amounts to a traditional dungeon structure. Most of them are short enough to work quite well, but one in particular (the Ruins of Uru) seem to drag on interminably.
Still, these flaws (well known to Saturn owners by this point) are not enough to hold back the game from achieving greatness.
Panzer Dragoon Saga actually comes on four discs. This is in line with other multiple-disc RPG opuses, full of CG that hasn’t aged particularly well. However, unlike those games, Panzer Dragoon Saga thrives on its pacing and brevity. The entirety of the game can be finished in less than 20 hours. Unlike other CD-based games at the time, the developers didn’t feel the need to pad their vision for the game with unnecessary fluff, and it makes the experience all the stronger for it.
The story is decent enough. The plot evolves from a simple quest for vengeance to one that has much more dire implications for the entire world. The ultimate target of your revenge, Craymen, actually ends up having a noble purpose in opposing the Empire, and Edge forges an uneasy alliance with him, as well as the strange girl from the ancient ruins that pops up from time to time in the employ of Craymen. At first, she appears misguided, but this does not turn out to be the case.
The ultimate question, of course, is whether the game is worth its excessive asking price. And while it’s a fine game, unlike anything out there, that is a completely subjective question. Overall, I’d say no, but that’s personal subjectivity for you.