I've recently discovered perhaps one of the most enthralling series I've ever come across in videogaming: Panzer Dragoon. The whole atmosphere, feel, characters and style of its world makes me want to know more.
Some of the sights I've seen in this game are almost beyond belief. Yes, the Saturn is a technically aged console but that still doesn't stop Zwei's artistry shining through. To show you what it means, or for those who already know, let me show you a small postcard of its world.
Warning: There are spoilers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There we are, on the precise of the cliff face ready to take off. Lagi's wings are flapping and I'm so sure we're going to make it into the clouds this time... Then all of a sudden a blinding flash of light hits our village ahead, and before you know we see streams of smoke rising up into the sky. As Lagi lets anguish boil over through an outward burst of energy from deep inside his throat, I notice a gigantic ship slowly moving to the horizon.
So, we descend from the desert plains and make our way to the village. Luckily, whilst riding on the back of Lagi, I manage to pick up a blaster that one of our tribe must've left behind in the resulting after-struggle. It seems this place has got caught in the crossfire of a battle between the Mecchanics and the Imperials, who appear to have been chasing that ominous white vessel looming down from above.
In any case, the purple sky rumbles and billows with an assortment of clouds twisting into each other as the moon shines bright. Patrolling crafts are looking for any survivors and all I can do to help is to fight back. Apart from the few khourieats running around scared, not one of my kin appears to be alive. So I shoot... Tents, sheds, buildings and turbines, they all get caught up in the melee I cause whilst ploughing through the remains to seek answers. As both myself and Lagi move onwards to the centre of the village a strange dragon races towards us at breakneck speed before pulling up fast into the sky and dropping an enormous boulder. No sooner have we shot this down before we're confronted by a towering monster that seems to be idly sitting in the middle of the valley. Lagi shoots more energy from his throat and I fire my blaster but it does no good. This thing is impervious to our harm, and next to the small mounds that form the basis of many a home, it looks positively indestructible. All that's left to provide us with any solace are the small flickering lines of fire here and there, which thankfully haven't spread completely through the village yet. As I continue to look around my surroundings Lagi suddenly takes off! We're flying together but it doesn't last long, for that mysterious dragon knocks Lagi from his stride, sending him spiralling to the ground as it disappears back into that strange white ship. While the blasted thing disappears, both Lagi and myself manage to sneak out of the village confines as the battle between the two other forces rage on. I notice that ship has headed in the direction of the Imperial empire. Why did they do this to my home? I want to know why, and I want revenge.
Unfortunately, to get through to the empire, I have to get past a stronghold in the proceeding canyons. So, Lagi and I travel along the floor of a valley... Cliffs stare down at us from all around, but no sooner do I have time to reflect on this strange isolation, before a variety of ships rip out of the dirt in the ground and engage us. We fight and scrap our way through the canyons, shooting ship after ship, blasting tent after tent. A couple of guards try to escape on the back of a few lone khourieats but I make sure they don't. It's their regime which destroyed my home, so why should I let them escape after the harm their cause did to me? As the valley comes to a split Lagi chooses to go left, and since I'm clinging onto his back I don't argue. However, I can't help but fear where he's taking us, because all that's left at the end of this path is an ever-widening abyss. Just as I'm preparing myself to meet my fate, Lagi's wings spread wide and we're flying fully this time! I can see flat land for miles and miles, concealed by mist. Small rocky mountains litter the landscape here and there, and the sky is again flooded with a multitude of serene colours. It appears as if sunset is fast on approach, but I don't have time to appreciate the vista around because ships of all shapes and sizes engage us in the air. A vast battle ensues and shortly afterwards Lagi descends to the ground whereby we are confronted by another enormous vessel which is similar to the others we've previously faced in all but size. As we race along the ground and the ship circles us we try and keep focused and see off the danger. Thankfully, luck seems to be on our side and we avoid the debris and rubble that falls off our foe, ultimately ending victorious. Strangely, soon after this heated battle, I notice Lagi's shape evolve and change before my eyes. It's almost as if the power of victory has caused a subtle shift in his biology.
Not that we have much time to celebrate because as quickly as we leave the canyon we're chased by a whole force from the Mecchanics and forced into the undergrowth of a nearby neighbouring forest. However, not long after entering, I realise I've misinterpreted the situation. They weren't after Lagi and I, but that ship instead.
In any case, it appears some of their ships have either followed us or got shot down into this place along with us. Creatures and craft of all shapes and sizes haunt our every move in the thick green shrubbery. Trees on either side of Lagi and myself encase and shield us from the light above, creating somewhat of a claustrophobic atmosphere. Only the dim rays of the sun here and there pouring in through the gaps, remind us of what's on the outside. As we progress the lighting slowly changes and before I know it, huge black ships from all around surround us, ejecting foe after foe into our path. These disturbing contraptions appear to be from the empire and are determined to finish us off. Just as we are about to be overwhelmed Lagi lets out a furious screech and everywhere is self-imposed via a bright white flash as he lets out an endless stream of energy in each direction. After a period of total destruction we think we've seen the worst of it. How wrong we are, for that indestructible monster I saw in the village is back with a vengeance. It runs circles around in anger and fires projectiles in an attempt to stop us once and for good. That plan doesn't work, as after an intense fight we manage to kill that strange half mechanical/biological entity and seek refuge in a cave located towards a variety of fallen ruins ahead.
I know as soon as we enter that this place is a relic from the old age, as the ancient beings that confront us in its immensely tight corridors look like no technology I've seen before. What I can't take my eyes off though is the water, particularly as it shimmers, twists and bends while Lagi navigates through a somewhat complex maze. Doors open as quickly as they close, and it seems space can't get much tighter. Thankfully, Lagi appears to know where to go as he travels confidently in a blur of speed, almost as if he's visited this place already... Eventually we get to a platform which appears to take an eternity to rise, and as we ascend I notice our surroundings light up, revealing an enormous cavern. No sooner have we escaped through the tunnels, we find outselves thrown into the biggest man-made construction I may have ever seen. Not that I've much time to stare though, for we have to fight some strange stone-like creatures hanging off the edge of our platform whilst we move. Eventually we make it to the top and Lagi begins moving again through a new set of tunnels, leading eventually to another cavern filled with water and a small pathway over to the other side. So, we're beginning to make it across, and then all of a sudden a huge mechanised fish jumps out of the lake determined to make sure we don't get there. Of course, a blistering tough fight ensues, but as always we manage to survive. Strangely, I notice Lagi mutate into a radically new dragon form, and if I'd never met him before I would have never been able to tell he was a khourieat.
Following what little remains of the pathway, we follow it to a small cracked entrance leading out of the ancient ruins and into some kind of barren wasteland. Beautiful snow appears to be streaming down from all around, and the sludge-like ground looks almost frozen over, with it's hardened mud encasing the corpses of dead tress and machinery. The horizon stretches for miles, leading all the way to a dark billowing yellow/red sky. It appears as if sunset is on its deathbed, with twilight fast approaching. Over the course of our flight through this new land, we notice the light subtly change in rich gradients, and as to be expected, both myself and Lagi are not alone. We notice that white ship not far off from above, detaching some kind of guardian to come and deal with us. A variety of craft rise out of the water too, and we fight them off after wave after wave. After a few minutes the guardian emerges and I notice that it appears impervious to Lagi's energy attack so I try to hit it with my blaster. Surprisingly, the machine doesn't last long, and instead comes back in a new form firing an assortment of circular lasers at us. All the while, snow continues to stream down even more so than before, almost as if highlighting the violent nature of our latest encounter. Just like so many previous times, we fight off our aggressor and decide to make to the clouds in order to catch up with that white ship that we saw fly off a few minutes before.
The next day, and with the sky shining bright blue, we at last reach that blasted ship. I won't lie, I'm terrified of its ancient power, but then again, both myself and Lagi haven't come this far for nothing. We fly into a small ventilation shaft and begin taking out whatever comes at us from inside. It doesn't take long for us to get over to the other side of the ship where a number of strange rudders appear to be helping it to fly. Needless to say, even facing a bombardment of projectiles, we manage to destroy these rudders, resulting in the ship beginning to tilt and creak after we do so. Heading through another ventilation tunnel at intense velocity, we battle more and more of the ships minions... It seems endless as wave after wave come at us, and I'm relieved when we exit through an entrance leading out to the ship's underbelly. Racing along now, we engage a few last desperate squadrons’ flying in the sky, not to mention a number of laser turrets, before noticing a cocoon near the front. Flying over to this, I don't hesitate to fire when I begin to see whatever is inside beginning to stir. The ship's mechanisms at this point are at full stretch in an attempt to protect this being, but as it begins to break free we valiantly destroy it as qucik as we can.
Following this, Lagi and I move away from the ship as it begins to violently veer towards the ground. Just as we're getting ready to fly off to pastures new, that mysterious dragon I saw protecting it upon the attack of my village, exits the dying craft...
My delight in destroying this disturbingly powerful ancient contraption turns to horror when I witness this dragon transforming into an incredible winged beast over the ocean. In reply, Lagi himself transforms into a sleeker more refined form of himself, and I notice he looks a complete dragon now. His Khourieat heritage appears to have well and truly past.
Evolution has brought us this far - We have no choice but to stay and fight. For our lives.
And so we do, weaving our way through a multitude of outstretched wings and shooting whatever inch of it we can. Projectiles come flying at us at amazing speeds, but we manage to fire them all down. Just.
The real problem comes when the monster flies forward and hits us with its outstretched tail. I hear Lagi screams out in pain and I notice my companion doesn't look well at all. Our situation gets worse when the monster shoots out a vast number of piercing lasers at our position, hitting Lagi dead centre. All we know we can do is to fire back for all we're worth. Which we do, hoping for some sort of miracle...
And as the monster suddenly writhes in the air displaying vast agony, it appears we may have got that. We watch the monster's body disintegrate, but just as we think the creature has finally met it's death, it transforms into some kind of dragonfly, accelerating in a whirlwind about the sky. A strange residue, now more than ever, seems to emit from it's wings, and with barely any energy left between us, Lagi and I take chase. We fire, we blast, we shoot.
Anything.
It's on a complete knife-edge and my heart is pounding like never before. This thing appears damn near invincible. And that's when it happens... Our last remaining shot downs the surreal creature into the ocean below.
Lagi has pulled me through one of the most frightening moments of my life, and just as I’m about to say something to thank him, I notice that white ship still up in the air. How? Why? I have so many questions, and just as I dare to pose them, a multitude of flashing blue lights fizzes out of the hull, and I feel myself being encased in some kind of bubble.
Past, present and future collide between my eyes. I see some kind of tower on a lone island in the ocean, I see Lagi older and wiser, I see more images of an ancient forgotten technology.
But it's the last image which haunts me more than any...
For I see myself dying one day on the back of Lagi, a fallen rider slain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so ends Panzer Dragoon Zwei... What a beautiful, beautiful game. Its atmosphere fills me with a sense of wonder few games have ever really matched. I also think from a gameplay mechanics point of view, that they work brilliantly in context of the on-rails shooter genre.
Lagi controlled where I went, and the horizon and size always teased me with more sights. And that's the great thing about this series - It feeds the imagination.
Tomorrow, I next move on to fully diving into Panzer Dragoon Saga. At last I will be able to find out more about this world's history and culture through exploring more of it.
I can't wait.
Some of the sights I've seen in this game are almost beyond belief. Yes, the Saturn is a technically aged console but that still doesn't stop Zwei's artistry shining through. To show you what it means, or for those who already know, let me show you a small postcard of its world.
Warning: There are spoilers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There we are, on the precise of the cliff face ready to take off. Lagi's wings are flapping and I'm so sure we're going to make it into the clouds this time... Then all of a sudden a blinding flash of light hits our village ahead, and before you know we see streams of smoke rising up into the sky. As Lagi lets anguish boil over through an outward burst of energy from deep inside his throat, I notice a gigantic ship slowly moving to the horizon.
So, we descend from the desert plains and make our way to the village. Luckily, whilst riding on the back of Lagi, I manage to pick up a blaster that one of our tribe must've left behind in the resulting after-struggle. It seems this place has got caught in the crossfire of a battle between the Mecchanics and the Imperials, who appear to have been chasing that ominous white vessel looming down from above.
In any case, the purple sky rumbles and billows with an assortment of clouds twisting into each other as the moon shines bright. Patrolling crafts are looking for any survivors and all I can do to help is to fight back. Apart from the few khourieats running around scared, not one of my kin appears to be alive. So I shoot... Tents, sheds, buildings and turbines, they all get caught up in the melee I cause whilst ploughing through the remains to seek answers. As both myself and Lagi move onwards to the centre of the village a strange dragon races towards us at breakneck speed before pulling up fast into the sky and dropping an enormous boulder. No sooner have we shot this down before we're confronted by a towering monster that seems to be idly sitting in the middle of the valley. Lagi shoots more energy from his throat and I fire my blaster but it does no good. This thing is impervious to our harm, and next to the small mounds that form the basis of many a home, it looks positively indestructible. All that's left to provide us with any solace are the small flickering lines of fire here and there, which thankfully haven't spread completely through the village yet. As I continue to look around my surroundings Lagi suddenly takes off! We're flying together but it doesn't last long, for that mysterious dragon knocks Lagi from his stride, sending him spiralling to the ground as it disappears back into that strange white ship. While the blasted thing disappears, both Lagi and myself manage to sneak out of the village confines as the battle between the two other forces rage on. I notice that ship has headed in the direction of the Imperial empire. Why did they do this to my home? I want to know why, and I want revenge.
Unfortunately, to get through to the empire, I have to get past a stronghold in the proceeding canyons. So, Lagi and I travel along the floor of a valley... Cliffs stare down at us from all around, but no sooner do I have time to reflect on this strange isolation, before a variety of ships rip out of the dirt in the ground and engage us. We fight and scrap our way through the canyons, shooting ship after ship, blasting tent after tent. A couple of guards try to escape on the back of a few lone khourieats but I make sure they don't. It's their regime which destroyed my home, so why should I let them escape after the harm their cause did to me? As the valley comes to a split Lagi chooses to go left, and since I'm clinging onto his back I don't argue. However, I can't help but fear where he's taking us, because all that's left at the end of this path is an ever-widening abyss. Just as I'm preparing myself to meet my fate, Lagi's wings spread wide and we're flying fully this time! I can see flat land for miles and miles, concealed by mist. Small rocky mountains litter the landscape here and there, and the sky is again flooded with a multitude of serene colours. It appears as if sunset is fast on approach, but I don't have time to appreciate the vista around because ships of all shapes and sizes engage us in the air. A vast battle ensues and shortly afterwards Lagi descends to the ground whereby we are confronted by another enormous vessel which is similar to the others we've previously faced in all but size. As we race along the ground and the ship circles us we try and keep focused and see off the danger. Thankfully, luck seems to be on our side and we avoid the debris and rubble that falls off our foe, ultimately ending victorious. Strangely, soon after this heated battle, I notice Lagi's shape evolve and change before my eyes. It's almost as if the power of victory has caused a subtle shift in his biology.
Not that we have much time to celebrate because as quickly as we leave the canyon we're chased by a whole force from the Mecchanics and forced into the undergrowth of a nearby neighbouring forest. However, not long after entering, I realise I've misinterpreted the situation. They weren't after Lagi and I, but that ship instead.
In any case, it appears some of their ships have either followed us or got shot down into this place along with us. Creatures and craft of all shapes and sizes haunt our every move in the thick green shrubbery. Trees on either side of Lagi and myself encase and shield us from the light above, creating somewhat of a claustrophobic atmosphere. Only the dim rays of the sun here and there pouring in through the gaps, remind us of what's on the outside. As we progress the lighting slowly changes and before I know it, huge black ships from all around surround us, ejecting foe after foe into our path. These disturbing contraptions appear to be from the empire and are determined to finish us off. Just as we are about to be overwhelmed Lagi lets out a furious screech and everywhere is self-imposed via a bright white flash as he lets out an endless stream of energy in each direction. After a period of total destruction we think we've seen the worst of it. How wrong we are, for that indestructible monster I saw in the village is back with a vengeance. It runs circles around in anger and fires projectiles in an attempt to stop us once and for good. That plan doesn't work, as after an intense fight we manage to kill that strange half mechanical/biological entity and seek refuge in a cave located towards a variety of fallen ruins ahead.
I know as soon as we enter that this place is a relic from the old age, as the ancient beings that confront us in its immensely tight corridors look like no technology I've seen before. What I can't take my eyes off though is the water, particularly as it shimmers, twists and bends while Lagi navigates through a somewhat complex maze. Doors open as quickly as they close, and it seems space can't get much tighter. Thankfully, Lagi appears to know where to go as he travels confidently in a blur of speed, almost as if he's visited this place already... Eventually we get to a platform which appears to take an eternity to rise, and as we ascend I notice our surroundings light up, revealing an enormous cavern. No sooner have we escaped through the tunnels, we find outselves thrown into the biggest man-made construction I may have ever seen. Not that I've much time to stare though, for we have to fight some strange stone-like creatures hanging off the edge of our platform whilst we move. Eventually we make it to the top and Lagi begins moving again through a new set of tunnels, leading eventually to another cavern filled with water and a small pathway over to the other side. So, we're beginning to make it across, and then all of a sudden a huge mechanised fish jumps out of the lake determined to make sure we don't get there. Of course, a blistering tough fight ensues, but as always we manage to survive. Strangely, I notice Lagi mutate into a radically new dragon form, and if I'd never met him before I would have never been able to tell he was a khourieat.
Following what little remains of the pathway, we follow it to a small cracked entrance leading out of the ancient ruins and into some kind of barren wasteland. Beautiful snow appears to be streaming down from all around, and the sludge-like ground looks almost frozen over, with it's hardened mud encasing the corpses of dead tress and machinery. The horizon stretches for miles, leading all the way to a dark billowing yellow/red sky. It appears as if sunset is on its deathbed, with twilight fast approaching. Over the course of our flight through this new land, we notice the light subtly change in rich gradients, and as to be expected, both myself and Lagi are not alone. We notice that white ship not far off from above, detaching some kind of guardian to come and deal with us. A variety of craft rise out of the water too, and we fight them off after wave after wave. After a few minutes the guardian emerges and I notice that it appears impervious to Lagi's energy attack so I try to hit it with my blaster. Surprisingly, the machine doesn't last long, and instead comes back in a new form firing an assortment of circular lasers at us. All the while, snow continues to stream down even more so than before, almost as if highlighting the violent nature of our latest encounter. Just like so many previous times, we fight off our aggressor and decide to make to the clouds in order to catch up with that white ship that we saw fly off a few minutes before.
The next day, and with the sky shining bright blue, we at last reach that blasted ship. I won't lie, I'm terrified of its ancient power, but then again, both myself and Lagi haven't come this far for nothing. We fly into a small ventilation shaft and begin taking out whatever comes at us from inside. It doesn't take long for us to get over to the other side of the ship where a number of strange rudders appear to be helping it to fly. Needless to say, even facing a bombardment of projectiles, we manage to destroy these rudders, resulting in the ship beginning to tilt and creak after we do so. Heading through another ventilation tunnel at intense velocity, we battle more and more of the ships minions... It seems endless as wave after wave come at us, and I'm relieved when we exit through an entrance leading out to the ship's underbelly. Racing along now, we engage a few last desperate squadrons’ flying in the sky, not to mention a number of laser turrets, before noticing a cocoon near the front. Flying over to this, I don't hesitate to fire when I begin to see whatever is inside beginning to stir. The ship's mechanisms at this point are at full stretch in an attempt to protect this being, but as it begins to break free we valiantly destroy it as qucik as we can.
Following this, Lagi and I move away from the ship as it begins to violently veer towards the ground. Just as we're getting ready to fly off to pastures new, that mysterious dragon I saw protecting it upon the attack of my village, exits the dying craft...
My delight in destroying this disturbingly powerful ancient contraption turns to horror when I witness this dragon transforming into an incredible winged beast over the ocean. In reply, Lagi himself transforms into a sleeker more refined form of himself, and I notice he looks a complete dragon now. His Khourieat heritage appears to have well and truly past.
Evolution has brought us this far - We have no choice but to stay and fight. For our lives.
And so we do, weaving our way through a multitude of outstretched wings and shooting whatever inch of it we can. Projectiles come flying at us at amazing speeds, but we manage to fire them all down. Just.
The real problem comes when the monster flies forward and hits us with its outstretched tail. I hear Lagi screams out in pain and I notice my companion doesn't look well at all. Our situation gets worse when the monster shoots out a vast number of piercing lasers at our position, hitting Lagi dead centre. All we know we can do is to fire back for all we're worth. Which we do, hoping for some sort of miracle...
And as the monster suddenly writhes in the air displaying vast agony, it appears we may have got that. We watch the monster's body disintegrate, but just as we think the creature has finally met it's death, it transforms into some kind of dragonfly, accelerating in a whirlwind about the sky. A strange residue, now more than ever, seems to emit from it's wings, and with barely any energy left between us, Lagi and I take chase. We fire, we blast, we shoot.
Anything.
It's on a complete knife-edge and my heart is pounding like never before. This thing appears damn near invincible. And that's when it happens... Our last remaining shot downs the surreal creature into the ocean below.
Lagi has pulled me through one of the most frightening moments of my life, and just as I’m about to say something to thank him, I notice that white ship still up in the air. How? Why? I have so many questions, and just as I dare to pose them, a multitude of flashing blue lights fizzes out of the hull, and I feel myself being encased in some kind of bubble.
Past, present and future collide between my eyes. I see some kind of tower on a lone island in the ocean, I see Lagi older and wiser, I see more images of an ancient forgotten technology.
But it's the last image which haunts me more than any...
For I see myself dying one day on the back of Lagi, a fallen rider slain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so ends Panzer Dragoon Zwei... What a beautiful, beautiful game. Its atmosphere fills me with a sense of wonder few games have ever really matched. I also think from a gameplay mechanics point of view, that they work brilliantly in context of the on-rails shooter genre.
Lagi controlled where I went, and the horizon and size always teased me with more sights. And that's the great thing about this series - It feeds the imagination.
Tomorrow, I next move on to fully diving into Panzer Dragoon Saga. At last I will be able to find out more about this world's history and culture through exploring more of it.
I can't wait.
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