Panzer Dragoon (series)
Encyclopedia
Panzer Dragoon is a series of video games by Sega
, created first by its internal Team Andromeda and later, the Smilebit development team. Aside from the RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga, the games are of the rail shooter genre. All games follow the story of a lone hero or heroine fighting an evil empire in a post apocalyptic world, while riding a Dragon.
The series' name originates from its original concept designers referring to it as "armoured dragon", then feeling that this was too bland and deciding to transliterate it to German
. Also, the series is notable for cutscenes that feature its own novel language "Panzerese", which is based on Ancient Greek
, Latin
and Russian
. Words in these languages were a hobby of Yukio Futatsugi, one of the core designers of the first game. This pseudo-language is used during cutscene
s (in a manner similar to the 'Cityspeak' in the film Blade Runner
or Simlish
from The Sims
). Panzer Dragoon Saga
features Panzerese only in its opening and ending cutscenes.
' have collected and used weapons from the Ancient Age to gain dominance of the continent.
, was released on the Sega Saturn
in 1995, and later released on PC
. It follows the story of Keil Fluge, a member of a hunter party who encounters a fight between two dragons, coloured black and blue. The rider of the blue dragon is mortally wounded in the battle and entrusts his mission, as well as his dragon, the Solo Wing, to Keil. Keil must stop the Dark Dragon reactivating an ancient ruin ….
This chapter would introduce the basic features of the traditional gameplay that the Panzer series would be known by, starting out as a rail shooter giving the player a choice of two main offences: a lock-on laser weapon, and a rapid fire gun weapon, as well as the ability to swing the cameras around to shoot the enemies coming from all directions.
Panzer Dragoon was one of the few games available at the Sega Saturn
's accelerated, surprise launch.
The game was later ported to Windows
PC
and in 2006 adapted slightly for Sega's Japanese PlayStation 2
"AGES 2500" series.
This game introduced the berserk ability, where the player builds up a bar that gives them the ability to unleash a powerful attack. It also introduced the ability to choose multiple routes through levels, and these routes could cause the dragon to change shape, and alter the ending depending on the player's choices.
(known as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in Japan) is the sole RPG in the series, released for the Sega Saturn
in 1998. Edge is a guard at an excavation site of the Empire, and while fending off an attack from a monster, encounters a girl embedded within a wall. The site is then attacked by the traitor, Craymen, who murders Edge's companions and takes the girl, who is still asleep and embedded in the wall. Edge is attacked by one of Craymen's henchmen and falls into a deep pit, splashing into the reservoir deep below the surface. There, he encounters a dragon and begins his quest for vengeance...and to discover the truth behind the girl that was found.
Panzer Dragoon Saga was developed as an RPG, rather than a rail shooter. It translated the Panzer Dragoon game's shooting features into an RPG battle system and greatly expanded the world the player could explore.
Due to its release towards the end of the lifespan of the Sega Saturn
, very few U.S. copies (6,000) were initially produced for its launch in May 1998. US game magazines such as EGM
gave the title rave reviews and Saturn owners preordered the game in decent numbers. As a result, a shortage of the game was apparent from the release with many stores unable to meet their preorders for the title. Almost a month later in June, Sega released a second batch of 12,000 copies to meet demand, and then later in the Summer another batch of 12,000 copies reached the market. Sega went as far as to have a small advertising campaign in various print magazines using a cut-out Edge face mask to promote the new shipments of the game.
is an Xbox
game, released in late 2002 in Japan and in early 2003 in America and Europe. It was the first game in the series that was not developed directly by Team Andromeda; rather, it was developed by Smilebit which had been founded by former members of Team Andromeda.
Panzer Dragoon Orta follows the story of Orta, a teenage girl being held captive in a town. When the town is attacked by the Empire, Orta is rescued by a Dragon, and encounters a drone named Abbad. While tracking the drone, she discovers the truth behind her own origins, and helps to free the world from the tyranny of the Empire. This game introduced several updated features, such as the ability to morph the dragon at will, and maneuvering abilities from Panzer Dragoon Saga.
This game had large amounts of unlockable content to be gained after completing the main story as well. An example of this are a group of sub-missions, one series of which is devoted to the backstory of Iva Demilcol. The "Box Game", is a bonus mode first introduced in Zwei where the player can select different dragons, riders, and various cheats to custom-tailor their game experience. The PC version of the first Panzer Dragoon is included in its unaltered entirety for play.
The game also possesses a vast in-game dictionary that updates itself as you progress through stages, detailing the intricacies of the Panzer world, and full-motion video from the game itself is unlocked for casual viewing, as well as the intro and ending videos from Ein, Zwei and Saga.
was a Sega
Game Gear game, released in 1996. Due to the technical limitations of the Game Gear, it plays closer to the classic Sega arcade game Space Harrier
; also, for the first and — so far — only time in the series' history, the dragon doesn't have a rider. The game is markedly different from others in the series due to lack of a story and the dragon's super deformed
appearance.
game for the short lived system. It was one of the few launch titles made by Sega. It had no plot, simply a nameless character in an armored dragon attempting to keep a dark dragon from reaching a tower while shooting and dodging robots.
adaptation of the first game was released, with the story being slightly altered to include a female heroine whom Keil ('Kyle' in the anime) is trying to save when she becomes bonded to the Black Dragon. The English version was released by ADV Films. An artbook from the second game, Die Welt Von Panzer Dragoon Zwei (The World of Panzer Dragoon Zwei) was also released.
There was also a song that was not included in the soundtrack but was on the US version's TV commercial. It is "Violet" performed by Bones Domingo.
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
, created first by its internal Team Andromeda and later, the Smilebit development team. Aside from the RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga, the games are of the rail shooter genre. All games follow the story of a lone hero or heroine fighting an evil empire in a post apocalyptic world, while riding a Dragon.
The series' name originates from its original concept designers referring to it as "armoured dragon", then feeling that this was too bland and deciding to transliterate it to German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. Also, the series is notable for cutscenes that feature its own novel language "Panzerese", which is based on Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. Words in these languages were a hobby of Yukio Futatsugi, one of the core designers of the first game. This pseudo-language is used during cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s (in a manner similar to the 'Cityspeak' in the film Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
or Simlish
Simlish
Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA Games' Sim series of games. It debuted in SimCopter, and has been especially prominent in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. The Sims development team created the unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, Latin,...
from The Sims
The Sims
The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
). Panzer Dragoon Saga
Panzer Dragoon Saga
is a critically acclaimed role-playing video game released exclusively for the Sega Saturn in 1998. It was the third game released in the Panzer Dragoon series , and so far remains the only game in the series that is not a rail shooter...
features Panzerese only in its opening and ending cutscenes.
Premise
The Panzer Dragoon series takes place on an unspecified post-apocalyptic planet where the people compete for land, resources, and the technology of the Ancients. The ‘Ancients’ is the generic name given to the people that once controlled a world spanning, hyper-advanced civilization thousands of years before the start of the Panzer Dragoon series of games. The Ancients were able to create monsters either for war use or practical uses. These creatures survived the downfall of the Ancients and are one of the main enemies in the series. A mysterious cataclysm, hinted at as a terrible war during the course of the series, would spell the downfall of this civilization and nearly destroy the world, leaving the survivors to eke out a bleak existence among the blasted remains in the ensuing millennia. Eventually, the Ancients and their works would gain a sort of 'godlike' respect, and a horrific regard, among some people as they passed into legend. The remnants of these technologies are used in the development of much of humanity’s own machinery, weaponry and vehicles, such as the unusual floating ships which are a staple of the series. A faction called ' The EmpireThe Empire (Panzer Dragoon)
The Empire is a major fictional nation in the Panzer Dragoon series. It has several main antagonists including the Drone, Abadd who sometimes turns on them. It uses technology from the Ancient Age to conquer its enemies such as floating warships and biological weapons. It is one of the main enemies...
' have collected and used weapons from the Ancient Age to gain dominance of the continent.
Panzer Dragoon
The first game in the series, Panzer DragoonPanzer Dragoon
is a rail shooter video game released for the Sega Saturn in 1995; and later released on PC, PlayStation 2, and as a bonus in its sequel Panzer Dragoon Orta for Xbox...
, was released on the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
in 1995, and later released on PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
. It follows the story of Keil Fluge, a member of a hunter party who encounters a fight between two dragons, coloured black and blue. The rider of the blue dragon is mortally wounded in the battle and entrusts his mission, as well as his dragon, the Solo Wing, to Keil. Keil must stop the Dark Dragon reactivating an ancient ruin ….
This chapter would introduce the basic features of the traditional gameplay that the Panzer series would be known by, starting out as a rail shooter giving the player a choice of two main offences: a lock-on laser weapon, and a rapid fire gun weapon, as well as the ability to swing the cameras around to shoot the enemies coming from all directions.
Panzer Dragoon was one of the few games available at the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
's accelerated, surprise launch.
The game was later ported to Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and in 2006 adapted slightly for Sega's Japanese PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
"AGES 2500" series.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei
Panzer Dragoon Zwei (also known as Panzer Dragoon II) was released for the Sega Saturn in 1996. This game is a prequel to Panzer Dragoon. It followed the story of Jean-Luc Lundi who discovered a mutant coolia, whom he names Lagi, who has a green glow at its throat, and is growing wings. Lundi refuses to kill Lagi, defying his villages custom that mutant coolias be killed. Together, Lundi and Lagi ride towards the horizon, chasing after a great airship called the Shelcoof, which is responsible for destroying Lundi's village while he was away.This game introduced the berserk ability, where the player builds up a bar that gives them the ability to unleash a powerful attack. It also introduced the ability to choose multiple routes through levels, and these routes could cause the dragon to change shape, and alter the ending depending on the player's choices.
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Panzer Dragoon SagaPanzer Dragoon Saga
is a critically acclaimed role-playing video game released exclusively for the Sega Saturn in 1998. It was the third game released in the Panzer Dragoon series , and so far remains the only game in the series that is not a rail shooter...
(known as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in Japan) is the sole RPG in the series, released for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
in 1998. Edge is a guard at an excavation site of the Empire, and while fending off an attack from a monster, encounters a girl embedded within a wall. The site is then attacked by the traitor, Craymen, who murders Edge's companions and takes the girl, who is still asleep and embedded in the wall. Edge is attacked by one of Craymen's henchmen and falls into a deep pit, splashing into the reservoir deep below the surface. There, he encounters a dragon and begins his quest for vengeance...and to discover the truth behind the girl that was found.
Panzer Dragoon Saga was developed as an RPG, rather than a rail shooter. It translated the Panzer Dragoon game's shooting features into an RPG battle system and greatly expanded the world the player could explore.
Due to its release towards the end of the lifespan of the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, very few U.S. copies (6,000) were initially produced for its launch in May 1998. US game magazines such as EGM
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
gave the title rave reviews and Saturn owners preordered the game in decent numbers. As a result, a shortage of the game was apparent from the release with many stores unable to meet their preorders for the title. Almost a month later in June, Sega released a second batch of 12,000 copies to meet demand, and then later in the Summer another batch of 12,000 copies reached the market. Sega went as far as to have a small advertising campaign in various print magazines using a cut-out Edge face mask to promote the new shipments of the game.
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon OrtaPanzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta is a rail shooter video game published by Sega for the Xbox. The game was released in Japan in December 2002, the following month in the United States, and three months later in PAL territories. It is the fourth console game in the Panzer Dragoon series, after three such games...
is an Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
game, released in late 2002 in Japan and in early 2003 in America and Europe. It was the first game in the series that was not developed directly by Team Andromeda; rather, it was developed by Smilebit which had been founded by former members of Team Andromeda.
Panzer Dragoon Orta follows the story of Orta, a teenage girl being held captive in a town. When the town is attacked by the Empire, Orta is rescued by a Dragon, and encounters a drone named Abbad. While tracking the drone, she discovers the truth behind her own origins, and helps to free the world from the tyranny of the Empire. This game introduced several updated features, such as the ability to morph the dragon at will, and maneuvering abilities from Panzer Dragoon Saga.
This game had large amounts of unlockable content to be gained after completing the main story as well. An example of this are a group of sub-missions, one series of which is devoted to the backstory of Iva Demilcol. The "Box Game", is a bonus mode first introduced in Zwei where the player can select different dragons, riders, and various cheats to custom-tailor their game experience. The PC version of the first Panzer Dragoon is included in its unaltered entirety for play.
The game also possesses a vast in-game dictionary that updates itself as you progress through stages, detailing the intricacies of the Panzer world, and full-motion video from the game itself is unlocked for casual viewing, as well as the intro and ending videos from Ein, Zwei and Saga.
Panzer Dragoon Mini
Panzer Dragoon MiniPanzer Dragoon Mini
Panzer Dragoon Mini was a Sega Game Gear video game, released in 1996. Due to the technical limitations of the Game Gear, it plays closer to the classic Sega arcade game Space Harrier, although it has the lock-on feature; also, for the first and only time in the series' history, the dragon doesn't...
was a Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
Game Gear game, released in 1996. Due to the technical limitations of the Game Gear, it plays closer to the classic Sega arcade game Space Harrier
Space Harrier
is a third-person rail shooter game, released by Sega in 1985. It was produced by Yu Suzuki, responsible for many popular Sega games. It spawned several sequels: Space Harrier 3-D , Space Harrier II , and the spin-off Planet Harriers ....
; also, for the first and — so far — only time in the series' history, the dragon doesn't have a rider. The game is markedly different from others in the series due to lack of a story and the dragon's super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
appearance.
Panzer Dragoon R-zone
Panzer Dragoon R-zone was a Tiger R-ZoneR-Zone
The R-Zone was a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Tiger Electronics, released in 1995. The R-Zone was a largely unsuccessful handheld console and would only be manufactured for a short period of time...
game for the short lived system. It was one of the few launch titles made by Sega. It had no plot, simply a nameless character in an armored dragon attempting to keep a dark dragon from reaching a tower while shooting and dodging robots.
Other media
Soundtrack CDs were released in Japan for all the games, with Panzer Dragoon Ortas being bundled with the game itself. Toykopop released the Panzer Dragoon Orta soundtrack in the USA. An animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation of the first game was released, with the story being slightly altered to include a female heroine whom Keil ('Kyle' in the anime) is trying to save when she becomes bonded to the Black Dragon. The English version was released by ADV Films. An artbook from the second game, Die Welt Von Panzer Dragoon Zwei (The World of Panzer Dragoon Zwei) was also released.
There was also a song that was not included in the soundtrack but was on the US version's TV commercial. It is "Violet" performed by Bones Domingo.
External links
- The Will of the Ancients A Panzer Dragoon fansite with community forums
- Lagi: The Art of Panzer Dragoon A collection of images from the Panzer Dragoon series
- The Panzer Place Information about the three Saturn Panzer Dragoon games
- Panzer Dragoon Legacy Information about Panzer Dragoon Orta.
- Panzer Dragoon Academy One of the largest Japanese Panzer Dragoon fansites.
- The History of Panzer Dragoon