I’m a big proponent for “don’t screw with classic, iconic, memorable sound design.” Even if the sounds might not be objectively very good, high quality, or high production, they’re a big part of the identity of a lot of games. I had apprehensions about the sound design going in. ![]() However, the dragons animate beautifully with convincing weight, and the bigger the enemy, the better it moves. The credits similarly give a not-so-flattering last impression, concept art complete with company watermark being pulled back into pixelated mess that got a laugh out of me the first time. The remade intro cutscene is almost a different yet similar blend of janky compared to the original, featuring unnatural human and creature movements that give a not-so-flattering first impression. Although it’s not my favorite level (I actually don’t like playing it much for its amount of, in my opinion, cheap shots), it’s the best example of the game’s art direction and is a visual joy.Īnimations, however, are a mixed bag. ![]() The best level aesthetically, and the one that in my opinion benefits most from the lighting changes, is Episode 3. It won’t hold a candle to modern ray-traced or even procedural lighting solutions, but it’s not trying to this is a more traditional approach to lighting, one intentional and bold, and it wholly pays off in making the game look unique and vibrant and beautiful. Rather than adhere to realistic light, the game opts for strictly artistic lighting, sun and shadow and artificial diodes serving the atmosphere rather than physics. Nearly every level has a distinctly different mood, atmosphere, and even time of day compared to the original game, and it’s all directed by lighting. The game’s greatest visual strength however, is its lighting, both for direction and for being one of the few departures the game makes to the original. Models are high detail, materials and textures look real enough to touch, and the art is stunning. The art has been immaculately updated, with a clear creative vision for how a modern, high-definition version of the Panzer Dragoon world should look. Make no mistake, no matter what I say about the rest of the game, Panzer Dragoon: Remake is as much a visual feast now as the original was back in the day. Does the remake we have now succeed, though? Well… It’s a prime candidate for a remake, old and unique enough that it could stand improvements without becoming part of the crowd. An on-rails action shooter with a three hundred and sixty degree innovation and a world like nothing else at the time. It was a 3D tour-de-force when polygons were a rarity at home. It was a simple game of arcade sensibility with RPG detail. The original was a seminal 1995 release that ushered the SEGA Saturn into American and European homes with aplomb, and delighted Japanese Saturn owners a year into its life. ![]() Or, at the very least, doing something so radically different with the original idea it becomes special in its own right.Įnter Panzer Dragoon: Remake. A good remake, in my opinion, is one that injects life into an old idea while keeping sight of what made the idea special in the first place. A remake can do a lot of things, both good and bad, and the discussion for how faithful a remake should be is a relevant one in the face of games that barely do more than make new art and graphical assets being the most successful remakes on the market. I won’t spiel too long about their worth, or their reason for being, but I will put a fine point on one aspect of their existence: what they bring to the original game. Remakes are a common sight in the modern age. Review code provided by Forever Entertainment.
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