According to the official Twitter account, the classic Sega Saturn rail shooter will return this year, although at the moment there is no specific month or platforms.
Upon its appearance at E3 2019, the remake of the first Panzer Dragoon for Switch became one of the biggest surprises of the event. Sega’s saga of rail shooters had garnered rave reviews and loyal fans since its release in 1995, but sales weren’t always backing it up and, following Xbox’s excellent Panzer Dragoon Orta (2002), it fell into a multi-generational slumber. Luckily, Forever Entertainment decided to remedy that, bringing the first two installments back and letting MegaPixel Studio undergo considerable visual rejuvenation. The first one arrived in March 2020 on Switch, with ports to other platforms in later months, and we now know that 2021 is the expected year for the launch of Zwei.
More and Better: Sequel full of virtues
For the uninitiated, it should be remembered that the original Panzer Dragoon, developed by Team Andromeda, was one of the first and best showcases of what Saturn could achieve. Although the gameplay was reminiscent of rail shooters like Star Fox or the selection of previous classics produced by Sega itself (Space Harrier, Afterburner, Galaxy Force), Panzer Dragoon also offered more advanced graphics and controls, a more careful narrative and worlds with a dreamlike quality, something to which factors such as the design of scenes and enemies, a soft color palette and its masterful soundtrack contributed. The game became a cult classic and, while for many its remake did not quite recapture its magic, it has endured as one of the most beloved names in Sega’s extensive repertoire.
The sequel, meanwhile, was even better. Although it was released just a year later (in 1996), Zweii showed a greater graphic load, more refined controls and cameras, a greater number of levels, fights at ground level, alternative routes with different enemy layouts and even the evolution of the dragon that we used as a mount, capable of mutating in several possible ways depending on our way of playing and the points obtained during the phases. A more than remarkable expansion of the concept that must now be taken to a remake of which we still do not have videos or images, but about which it will probably not take long to receive information. Maybe again at E3?
