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Panzer
Dragoon Zwei
パンツァードラグーン ツヴァイ
22 Mar 1996 |
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The
first Panzer
Dragoon (1995) was an extraordinary game;
a truly amazing mix of simple, precise gameplay
and outlandish, dream-like environments. Its cryptic
plot and mythical world was aching to be built
upon.
As the original game slowly became more and more
popular, Sega re-united and expanded the original
development team, christened the group 'Team Andromeda'
and started work on a second production.
Touted as a prequel, Panzer Dragoon Zwei
is a phenomenal follow-up - an unbelievably polished
masterpiece of a game, that propelled the series
into true cult status. |
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In
these times, Imperial law states that any Khourieat
(two-legged beast used for labour and transport) that
is deemed ‘mutant’ must be killed at birth.
The story’s young hero, an orphan villager named
Lundi, secretly raises one, naming it 'Lagi'. The reason
for his disobedience goes far beyond simple compassion,
because not only does Lagi emit the ominously mutant
blue-white light, but he also has wings.
A year goes by. While out in the desert trying to make
the young Lagi fly, Lundi witnesses an Imperial ship
level his village from afar: the Empire has detected
the presence of his new friend... In panic, they chose
to erase all trace of it. Only the Emperor knows at
this point that this small, harmless creature could
one day become an unstoppable weapon from the ancient
age: a dragon. The story begins as Lundi follows the
empire into the charred remains of his hometown.
The
vivid colors, pastel backgrounds and Moebius-inspired
designs of the original Panzer Dragoon have
given way to a darker, more gothic setting this time
around, and the plot unfolds in an even more eclectic
and 'legendary' style, with the characters speaking
a strange and entrancing dialect. Team Andromeda have
really gone to town on this, and created a uniquely
distinctive universe... Here is a world where history,
technology and civilization are all interwoven in a
delicate balance of power between people, empire, and
monsters - each one of them trying to define their place
in a world desolated by the errors of the past.
The
narrative unfolds in the past tense: Lundi’s semi-poetic
muses suggest that these events have already taken place,
and this is nothing but a retelling of a known tale.
So - given that this is a prequel, is Lundi the mysterious
dragon rider who perishes at the start of the first
Panzer Dragoon? Who knows... Who cares? The
game's cryptic storytelling technique is perfectly suited
to the game's architecture, because once again, the
game itself takes centre stage: he long-term goal is
to achieve a perfect 100% 'Shoot Down Ratio' on every
'Episode'. So it's a good thing that neither the gameplay
nor the storyline become tiresome in the long run -
on the contrary, they become even more engrossing: there
are 5 different endings in total, all of which are weird
and twisted dream-like montages, that only hint to what
might really be going on. |
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The mutant Khourieats are harmless but...
Destroy the mutants, it is the village’s code.
I didn't’t mean to break the code... Only... I
couldn't’t kill him.
Because Lagi had... A pair of wings!
Rebel against Mecchania! Chase the gigantic ship!
A ship, hey... wait... that’s it!
What’s that? That’s... that’s... no...
my village... |
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Panzer
Dragoon Zwei might well be the finest original
production on Sega Saturn this side of Nights
(1996). The game is even smoother than the original;
and no matter how many times you play through it, it
is hard to fault it in any way. The option of selecting
multiple routes also adds a nice amount of variety.
The choreographed set-pieces are even more effective
this time around, too: every event, motion, and explosion
is perfectly synchronized with the soundtrack, creating
a unbelievably dramatic experience. Be it smooth, ambient
chords while Lagi takes to the air for the first time,
or a thumping and pounding theme tune for the most intense
air battles ever seen this side of After
Burner (1987).
In fact, technically speaking, everything is superb.
It runs surprisingly smoothly too, especially considering
the Sega Saturn's notorious difficulty with 3D. To many
extents, this is as far as the machine can go.
It remains Saturn-only to this day, too. The original
was released on no less than four formats, but this
one has yet to re-appear - and the same goes for the
third game in the series, the epic Azel
- Panzer Dragoon RPG (1998).
A nice touch is that the 'Total Play Time' you log into
Zwei will automatically become the amount of
money you start with in Azel. This might come
across as a tongue-in-cheek way of making you go through
the game a few more times before getting their teeth
into the massive journey that is Azel, but
that's OK. After all, legends are meant to be retold. |
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Panzer
Dragoon Zwei
パンツァードラグーン ツヴァイ
SEGA SATURN |
DETAILS
| Format |
Sega
Saturn |
| Released |
22
Mar 1996 |
| Publisher |
Sega |
| Product
ID |
GS-9049 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Make
way for one of the most accomplished
3D shooting games the world
has ever seen.
It is still quite cheap, too
- so give it a whirl!
CD case, Sega Saturn CD-ROM
disc, 26-page colour manual,
spine card. |
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Panzer
Dragoon Zwei Original Soundtrack
パンツァードラグーン ツヴァイ オリジナル・サウンドトラック
SOUNDTRACK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
25
Apr 1996 |
| Publisher |
PolyGram |
| Product
ID |
POCX-1026 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Complete
original soundtrack to Sega's
superb sequel.
Includes a 'S.E. Collection'.
CD case, 22-track audio CD,
12-page colour manual, sticker,
spine card. |
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Panzer
Dragoon Zwei Kōshiki Guide Book
パンツァードラグーン ツヴァイ 公式ガイドブック
DIE WELT VON PANZER DRAGOON ZWEI |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide
Book |
| Released |
13
June 1996 |
| Publisher |
ASCII |
| Product
ID |
ISBN4-89366-529 |
| Size
(cm) |
21
x 14.8 x 0.9
(A5) |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.24 |
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A
superb 'Official Guide Book'
for a superb game, full of
art and full-page drawings
depicting the world of Panzer
Dragoon; enemy and monster
designs, strategies, massive
3D maps for each stage, and
more.
128 pages, 80 in colour, Japanese. |
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Panzer
Dragoon I&II
パンツァードラグーンI&II
SEGA SATURN |
DETAILS
| Format |
Sega
Saturn |
| Released |
13
Dec 1996 |
| Publisher |
Sega |
| Product
ID |
GS-9124 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.5
x 12.7 x 2.2 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.20 |
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2-in-1 Sega Saturn 'Double
Pack' that includes both:
- Panzer
Dragoon [GS-9015]
- Panzer
Dragoon Zwei [GS-9049]
Both games are identical in
every way to their original
releases, they simply come
budled together inside a cardboard
box featuring original art. |
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PANZER
DRAGOON ZWEI
- TACTICS - |
FULL
SCREEN PAUSE
Press X + Y + Z [during pause]
GAME OVER / RESTART STAGE
Press A + B + C + L + R anytime during
gameplay
EXTRA RADAR FEATURES
If you have 'Full Instruments' set to ON,
Press A or B on controller 2 anytime
during gameplay
PANDRA'S BOX
To open the box:
(1) Complete the game, (2) Get over 2½ hrs play
time, or (3) Have a save game of Panzer Dragoon RPG
To open all the options:
(1) Get a 'Best Shot Down Ratio' of 100% and a rank
of 'Winged Death', or (2) Accumulate over 30 hrs play
time
The Pandora's Box feature is an interesting, if lackluster
feature,
it enables the player to customize the game to his or
her heart's content.
But the options are not only a bit pointless and ill-explained,
but each 'Box Game' disables the save feature.
This makes 'Box Games' a bit of a side-show compared
the more productive goals you could be going for:
(1) Getting the 100% shoot down ratio, (2) trying to
beat your personal high score, or (3) simply adding
time to the clock
The more time you add to the clock, the more money you
have at the start of Panzer Dragoon RPG.
There are a total of 10 selectable dragons in the Box
Game: |
HATCHLING |
GLIDELING |
WINDRIDER |
ARMONITE |
BRIGADEWING |
SKYDART |
TYPE_01 |
PUP |
TYPE_02 |
GUARDIAN_D |
...and
there are 5 different endings, each one with a different
staff roll.
Now,
it's not very clear what you must do to genuinely get
all of them within a normal game.
A certain amount of points are awarded at the end of
every stage, depending on
(1) the amount of enemies shot down, and (2) which route
you take.
Below is a (work in progress) chart, that tries to break
down every possible finish.
The maximum amount of points is 24 - this opens the
'TYPE_01' dragon from Panzer 1 and the very flashback-style
ending 'D'. |
Route |
Points |
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2) |
<3>
<4>
<4>
<4>
<5>
<5> |
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Form |
Route |
Points |
GLIDELING
GLIDELING
GLIDELING
GLIDELING
GLIDELING
GLIDELING |
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(2) |
<7>
<8>
<8>
<9>
<10>
<10> |
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Form |
Route |
Points |
WINDRIDER
WINDRIDER
WINDRIDER
WINDRIDER
WINDRIDER
WINDRIDER |
(1)
(1)
(2)
(2)
(2)
(3) |
<11>
<12>
<13>
<14>
<15>
<16> |
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Form |
Route |
Points |
WINDRIDER
WINDRIDER
ARMONITE
ARMONITE
SKYDART
SKYDART |
-
-
-
-
-
- |
<15>
<16>
<17>
<18>
<19>
<20> |
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Form |
Route |
Points |
ARMONITE
ARMONITE
ARMONITE
BRIGADEWING
SKYDART
SKYDART |
-
-
-
-
-
- |
<19>
<20>
<21>
<22>
<23>
<24> |
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Form |
End |
BRIGADEWING
BRIGADEWING
BRIGADEWING
BRIGADEWING
SKYDART
TYPE_01 |
B
B
B
B
C
D |
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Ending
Gallery
(Click on image to enlarge) |
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'Panzer
Dragoon', 'Sega Saturn' and 'Sega' are registered trademarks of
Sega Corporation
Panzer Dragoon Zwei TM & © 1996 Sega All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2008 www.jap-sai.com |
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