Panzer Dragoon Remake | PS4 Review

October 4, 2020 Zack Parkerson

I am amongst the majority of gamers in that I’ve never properly had the chance to play a Panzer Dragoon game. Most of the franchise was stranded to Sega’s dead-on-arrival Saturn system. And while Panzer Dragoon Orta was available on Xbox, it never felt right to play without the context of the franchise. So it was with giddy glee that I dove into MegaPixel Studio’s Panzer Dragoon: Remake.

Keep Your Guard Up

Panzer Dragoon: Remake is a complete overhaul of the original on-rails shooter game. I find we don’t get a great deal of 3D rail shooters, but I tend to enjoy them quite a bit. Panzer Dragoon is very straightforward in this regard. You have a standard shot by tapping a button, and a lock-on attack by holding that same button down. Unlike most games of this genre, you do have to keep an eye on your sides and back, as well. Enemies can spawn in any direction, so you need to rotate your camera regularly and be attentive at all times. This is crucial in boss fights, especially.

Beauty in Destruction

I’ve long been fascinated with the lore of the series, both in-universe and behind-the-scenes. Panzer Dragoon: Remake offers little outright narrative, the player only being told to prevent the Prototype Dragon from reaching The Tower. Your nameless protagonist is given a dragon by a dying man, and it’s off to save the world. There’s very little dialogue after this, and yet I found myself so enthralled in the universe. The dragons look so far outside the realm of normality you can’t help but be intrigued at their origins. The world is part apocalyptic wasteland, part beautiful nature, and part bioweapon battlefield. It invites plenty of questions, even if it provides no answers.

A World Long Thought Lost

The remake itself is gorgeous. I found myself surprisingly stunned at how good it looked in motion. Riding your dragon as it flaps its wings over the beautiful blue ocean really brought the magic to life. Each level has its own very distinct flair, which I appreciated.

Now comes the part with which, I assume, a lot of people will struggle. Panzer Dragoon: Remake is short. Incredibly short, even. The whole game is six levels and a boss fight, which I beat in maybe an hour and a half. That’s probably a generous read of my runtime, too. Of course, this game is a relic of its era and has to stay true to the original’s design, but it was definitely jarring.

It’s also just such a simple game. I enjoyed it for what it was, and had quite a bit of fun going for trophies and 100% enemy kills, but I hesitate to recommend this game to everyone. There is a “Pandora’s Box” of cheat codes to play around with, but these are little more than a quick novelty. Just know what you’re getting into, and you won’t be disappointed.

History Has Been Saved

Frankly, Panzer Dragoon: Remake is important. It’s a franchise long assumed completely dead. I consider it a critical piece of Japanese video game history, so what MegaPixel Studio and Forever Entertainment have done here is preserve something thought lost and forgotten. For my money, it is also an excellent and fun 3D rail shooter. It doesn’t revolutionize anything, and it’s clearly a foundation designed in 1995, but for those fascinated by video game history, this is a no-brainer. I very much look forward to the forthcoming Panzer Dragoon II Zwei remake.

This review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy of Panzer Dragoon: Remake provided by Forever Entertainment for coverage purposes. It is also available on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, and Google Stadia.