The Panzer Dragoon Remake from 2020 might have released in a bit of a rough state, but the game really came into its own a few updates in. With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and finding this game consistently on sale, I figured now was a good time to dive in. It also helped get me ready for trying out its sequel at Tokyo Game Show 2025, which you can see more about here. Anyway, is Panzer Dragoon Remake worth taking a look at on the Nintendo Switch 2? Let’s dive in.
Note
Just as an aside before kicking off the review in earnest, I did not play Panzer Dragoon on Sega Saturn back in the day. I didn’t get that system until the early 2000s, and while I was aware of the existence of Panzer Dragoon and the series, I didn’t play it until now. With that said, I don’t have any strong connection with the games, but have always been interested. This review is taking a look at this remake in particular, how it performs on the Nintendo Switch 2 and if it’s worth picking up.
Story & Gameplay
Panzer Dragoon is set thousands of years after a once thriving civilization has perished. The few humans that remain live in fear of cyber-genetic warfare. There is still hope from an excavated ancient tower which provides some weapons for humanity. Because of the acquisition of these, nations around the world are fighting amongst themselves and against these bio-weapons. After a hunter randomly stumbles across two dragons fighting in the skies, a mysterious blue dragon and its severely inured rider make their way to where he’s standing. Taking the reins and the place of the previous rider, the player is now tasked with tracking down the dark dragon with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
Panzer Dragoon is an on-rails shooter, similar to Nintendo’s own classic Star Fox series. I mainly played using the “Classic” control scheme in the game. Here, the left stick controls both the cursor and the dragon. You can shoot with the press of A or B, or lock on and fire by holding the same button. Several enemies at a time can be locked onto, so it can be very beneficial to make use of this when in the heat of combat. What sets Panzer Dragoon apart from something like Star Fox is the ability to adjust the camera around the dragon and rider at all times. Pressing R or L will swing the camera around your character 90 degrees at a time. Enemies can come from all sides and not only that, but also park themselves at any position that they like on all sides. This makes for more fun and engaging gameplay as you have to choose (with some limitations depending on enemy movement) how you want to take out foes. The in-game radar on the upper right hand side of the screen will help you see where they are coming from. This control method and the general feel of Remake is fantastic.
Remake brings a new control method to the table aptly called “Modern.” This allows for control of the shooting and dragon separately. While this could potentially give you more maneuverability to avoid incoming fire and to let off some offense of your own, it felt a little bit too finicky for me. It’s definitely worth trying out to see if it works for you. Other than this, the main thing you’ll have to do is just keep track of your health throughout the levels. Even on the Normal difficulty setting, and in my case not knowing the levels when starting out, the game can be challenging. Thankfully it’s not too punishing. Successfully completing levels skillfully will grant extra continues that come in handy in some of the later, more challenging levels.
Panzer Dragoon is a short game offering six episodes (and a “Last Episode”) with about an hour or so of gameplay if you play straight through. Even with that said, there are some unlockables on offer including galleries, a level select option, god mode, a rapid fire option and more. I enjoyed trying out some of these after clearing the game and some of you out there may as well.
Visuals, Audio & Performance
I can understand if fans of the original Panzer Dragoon don’t enjoy the visual found in Remake. I feel that the original was going for something more akin to a realistic look within the confines of the Sega Saturn technology. Here with the Switch version (running on the Nintendo Switch 2), the game has a polygonal look that sports plenty of detail and features a somewhat realistic style. Having no direct connection to the series (outside of looking at it from afar), I’m fine with this for the most part. The character modes are nicely done and look clean. The stages themselves also look…clean. Maybe a bit too clean and almost borderline generic at times. This is more noticeable up-close and during the cutscenes. I don’t think it’s bad, but I know there are a lot of people out there that absolutely hate it.
Playing mostly on the Nintendo Switch 2, Remake runs super smoothly, holding at 60 frames per second through pretty much the entire experience. When trying it out on the Switch 1, I did notice some stutters here and there, but this wasn’t present on Nintendo’s new system. One small nitpick for me comes with Episode 5, a stage that has players traversing the skies over a jungle area. While I think this looks pretty good for the most part, some of the shadows from the trees look a bit jaggy. This has no bearing on the gameplay, but it’s something that you will notice while playing the level.
Conclusion
Although the visual style might not be to everyone’s liking, Panzer Dragoon Remake’s solid gameplay and the overall fun factor is enough to warrant taking a look at the game. It’s a shame that on-rails shooters like this rarely get made anymore these days, but this remake captures what makes the sub-genre fun. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, runs great on Switch 2 and features an interesting story. If you’re into the genre or are coming at the series for the first time like me, you’ll find some enjoyment out of this one. If you’re a hardcore fan of the original, the visual style might turn you off from the experience.
But, let’s turn things over to you guys. Did you pick up Panzer Dragoon Remake? Did you play the original on the Saturn back in the day or any other entries into the series? Are you looking forward to Panzer Dragoon II Remake? Sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
by Danny Bivens
Final Score: 7.5
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