Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn)
It’s just the demo disc, but it’s a great way to experience Saga on the Saturn hardware.
There’s a lot of games the Sega Saturn is well remembered for. Sega did an amazing job bringing their 3D arcade games to a 32-Bit home console. Right on the verge of 3D gaming, Sega used the Saturn as a launching point for a lot of original games too. Deep Fear, Burning Rangers and of course, Panzer Dragoon.
The Panzer Dragoon series took the Sega Saturn out for a bang with Panzer Dragoon Saga. One of the last, hardest-to-find games for the Saturn.
Want to play Panzer Dragoon Saga on your original Sega Saturn system? Get ready to pay up. Or simply grab yourself the demo disc.
Why review a demo disc?
The demo disc for Panzer Dragoon Saga literally contains the first portion of the game. It was the cheapest, easiest way to experience the game in English. The demo disc cost me $25 Australian dollars on eBay. Enough to get me excited about trying Panzer Dragoon Saga on original hardware. With original controllers.
This game also emulates well. Try it out in SSF to see the best the Sega Saturn had to offer without having to save your birthday money for a decade. You could also looking at securing a Japanese version of the game. Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG. The save states between the demo, full English and Japanese releases are compatible. Using a Pro Action Replay, you can experience the full Panzer Dragoon Saga game but I strongly recommend using a guide. This is not an easy game for non-English speakers.
Interestingly, the ‘demo’ is simply the first disc in its entirety. All FMV’s, enemies, sound, music and saving is intact. It gave me a very good look at the combat system, the terrain and various locations from the game. There’s some amazing battles and on-foot segments where you can interact with your dragon. Giving you a full breadth of the game and what to expect.
Before entering the final area on the disc, you even get the chance to start morphing your dragon. A process where you can customise traits that reflect your play style. whether you want more health, stronger attacks, better speed, etc. In the full game, these adjustments can change the moves and abilities your dragon acquires, making it a very in-depth leveling system. Since this doesn’t become available until the very end of disc one, I didn’t get the chance to explore it in depth. But it was still cool seeing my dragon morph.
The game itself wasn’t very widely distributed outside Japan upon its release. Sources indicate as few as 10k copies were originally sent to the US. Then a second release of 20,000 units became available at a later date. It seems the Sega Saturn literally saved the best for last. Games like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Burning Rangers and Deep Fear are among some of the final Saturn releases.
What happened to the Sega Saturn and Panzer Dragoon Saga?
Even though Panzer Dragoon Saga was a very impressive game for the Sega Saturn, it was released within months of the Japanese Sega Dreamcast. Effectively ending all Saturn support. Looking at other systems like the Sony Playstation and Nintendo 64, both Final Fantasy 7 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time were already on store shelves. The marketplace made it incredibly difficult for Panzer Dragoon Saga to thrive.
And Sega HQ didn’t make it easy either. It was a tumultuous period for Sega as the Saturn years went on. No Sonic the Hedgehog, lackluster performance and a little 3rd-party support. It’s fun to look at their amazing games in retrospect. But at the time it was much harder to appreciate what Sega were doing.
A demo disc for Panzer Dragoon Saga might not seem like much, but it gave me an opportunity to experience the game. It’s a standout RPG for the Sega Saturn and helps tie together the Panzer Dragoon universe. This one title that won’t see a re-release, or a digital release. Unfortunately the source code was lost after production. The only way to experience Panzer Dragoon Saga is the Sega Saturn.
For anyone who does want a chance to experience Saga, emulation is a clear winner. Outside buying a physical copy. Using a Pro Action Replay device, you could also consider importing the Japanese version. Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG. Everything in the game is Japanese so non-speakers will certainly require a guide.
Panzer Dragoon Saga Review from Sega Magazine 1998
Panzer Dragoon Saga was a tremendous achievement at the time and managed to exceed a lot of expectations for the series. The first Panzer Dragoon started with a young, 23 year old, Yukio Fatasugi leading a team of experienced Sega developers. Together they created one of the most beloved Saturn-era Sega franchises. According to Fatasugi, Saga was an especially painful and stressful project that took a lot of dedication to finish.
Even though team Andromeda split up after the Saturn series, a lot of the members became part of Smilebit. Officially capping off the Panzer Dragoon series on the Xbox with a ‘back to basics’ rail-shooter. Panzer Dragoon Orta for the Xbox 360. You can also find something of a spiritual successor in Crimson Dragon, an Xbox One exclusive (and Crimson Dragon: Side Story Windows 7 mobile).
