Panzer Dragoon Saga
| Panzer Dragoon Saga | |
|---|---|
European cover art
|
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| Developer(s) | Team Andromeda |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Yukio Futatsugi |
| Designer(s) | Manabu Kusunoki |
| Artist(s) | Katsumi Yokota |
| Composer(s) |
Saori Kobayashi Mariko Nanba |
| Series | Panzer Dragoon |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 92% (7 reviews) |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Edge | 9/10 |
| Game Informer | 9/10 |
| GameSpot | 9.2/10 |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | 96% |
| RPGFan | 94% |
| Game Revolution | A |
| Gamer Web | 94% |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.5, 9.5, 9.5, 10/10 |
Panzer Dragoon Saga (アゼル パンツァー ドラグーン RPG Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG?) is a 1998 role-playing video game (RPG) for the Sega Saturn, published by Sega and developed by Sega's Team Andromeda studio. It is the third game in the main Panzer Dragoon series and the only instalment that is not a rail shooter, combining role-playing elements such as random encounters with the 3D shooting elements of previous games.
The player controls Edge, a young mercenary who battles an empire on a flying dragon and encounters a mysterious girl from a vanished civilization. Unlike the other Panzer Dragoon games, whose gameplay takes place while flying on the dragon, the player has full 3D movement and some areas are explored on foot. The battle system mixes real-time and turn-based elements, with the player circling enemies on the dragon to expose weak spots and escape dangerous positions.
Development of Panzer Dragoon Saga began around the same time as that of its predecessor, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (1996). According to director Yukio Futatsugi, the need to blend the series' shooting elements into an RPG with full 3D and voice acting - both unusual for RPGs at the time - made it the most difficult Panzer Dragoon game to develop. Two staff members died during its two-year development, which Futatsugi attributed to the stressful working conditions of the video game industry.
According to GameRankings, Panzer Dragoon Saga is the most critically acclaimed Saturn game, winning praise for its story, graphics, music, and unusual battle system. It has appeared in several "greatest games of all time" lists. As Sega had shifted its focus to its next console, the Dreamcast, the game had a limited release outside Japan, attracting a cult following. It has not been rereleased and is now a rare collector's item. After its release, Sega disbanded Team Andromeda; several staff joined Sega's Smilebit studio and went on to develop the final game in the series, Panzer Dragoon Orta, released for Xbox in 2002.
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