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What the Sega Saturn really needed in the tail end of the 1990s was a huge 3D RPG spanning four discs and based on an on-rails shooter. It doesn't make sense when you write it down, does it? However, if we replace 'an on-rails shooter' with 'Panzer Dragoon', an on-rails shooter where you pilot giant dragon things that shoot lasers, then you might just be onto a winner by giving that idea some room to breathe in an RPG.
Enter Panzer Dragoon Saga, a story of war and dragons, where science fiction meets ancient civilizations. It's a bit different, is what it is...
Frustrations
But I don't know any of that, because the Sega Saturn is my sworn enemy and an English language copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga is currently going for around £400. Emulation is, of course, an option - when it works. Which I've not had the luck with, and so YouTube it is.
There's an eleven-hour long play of the game, in Japanese, which - while subtitled - is tough to follow along at twice the regular speed. Still, it's enough to show me what this saga is all about. Assuming I've been paying attention.
You are a young man who appears to be newly recruited into some kind of military right when shit hits the fan. Ancient evil awakens, modern enemies attempt a smash and grab on the secret to ending the war in their favour... No, I've not really been following along.
For the most part, you find yourself on the back of a dragon, soaring across the land fighting monsters and progressing through the story, on the hunt to get your revenge on the bad guy and save the world in the process. There's probably a girl to rescue too, at this point.
As far as roleplaying games go, it doesn't seem to do a whole lot unusual. There's an overworld to fly around to get from specific place to place. Levels are laid out a little like dungeons, and random encounters will have you side-step into an alternate dimension of some sort until you resolve the problem and continue on your way.
Fun Times
What is unusual is the full voiceover in place for all these characters. I've no idea how good it is, having listened to most of it in Japanese, twice as fast as it should be, but it sounds like it really brings the world to life. There's always something happening, and if that something can or has to be displayed in a CG cutscene, so be it.
Those cutscenes have been said to have aged Panzer Dragoon Saga, now being the worst looking part of the game. I can see their point when I'm watching a boss fight at this very second, taking place on the surface of an endless ocean. The way the game is made seems obvious, but acceptable, if that makes sense. It doesn't look technically impressive (though it most likely was) but does look very playable.
I'm not entirely sure how you play it. The key feature other than flying around everywhere on the back of a dragon is that interactions take place via a sort of HUD element pointer thing that snaps to something of interest so that you don't run into everything while jabbing the action button. It looks a little clunky or cumbersome, but I suppose it reduces the amount of pixel hunting that might take place.
Final Word
Ultimately, all of this waffle is worth little. I've not played Panzer Dragoon Saga, and can't comment on how good or bad it is. From what I've seen, I like the ambition the developers had, and the world they've created seems different from the rest. The voicework and cutscenes show that a lot of effort and care was put into telling this grand story. It ticks a lot of boxes.
I don't think it ticks any of my boxes though. While I want to find out what it feels like to play, I don't think I'd enjoy playing it. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I think it has something to do with nearly always being on a dragon. In the air, or above the water, I can understand. In a sewer level, not so much...
This one might go unplayed for a while. Here's hoping it doesn't.
Fun Facts
The goal for the developers to hit for the game was simple: Make a better game than Final Fantasy and beat the PlayStation in the console war. No pressure then.
Panzer Dragoon Saga, developed by Team Andromeda, first released in 1998.
Version watched: Sega Saturn, 1998 (LongplayArchive)