Not everyone is crazy about the idea of remakes. Some really do hit the spot, while others fail to capture the magic of the game they’re trying to emulate. Forever Entertainment has certainly seen its mix of releases, with Panzer Dragoon Remake flying high (after a number of remakes) and its House of the Dead redos getting a great deal of criticism. (We did like House of the Dead 2, mind you.) But now Panzer Dragon Zwei: Remake is on the way, and it’s creating a bit more division – though the latest demo isn’t too shabby.
The first demo released earlier this year and received a great deal of backlash, mainly over performance issues. But the team at Forever remained dedicated to making improvements. And with its latest demo, we’re happy to see that progress come together. Obviously there are still a few things to work on, namely with mild performance stutters. But the game is definitely shaping up, and we’re happy to see the progress.
Let’s talk about the demo, and what we took away from it.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake Is All About Recapturing the Magic
Forever Entertainment is hoping to recapture the magic of the original Sega Saturn game that Panzer Dragoon Zwei is based upon. That’s a lot to ask, considering that game is, what, decades old? But so far, so good.
The first demo was definitely rough around the edges, but showed that the team was hard at work on making it tick. The gameplay involves you riding around on a “dragoon” as you blast away at enemies. You can use either lock-on fire or a free-flowing cannon, whatever you see fit. You will need both, as the cannon is useful for destroying projectiles that are fired upon you.
With this new demo, we saw nice improvements to that gameplay. I didn’t notice any real problems with the lock-on, aside from very distant targets that had to get closer in range. I also liked the movement of the “dragoon,” even if this is a rail shooter in general. You can still move left and right while walking, enabling you to dodge certain objects coming at you. In air, it’s obvious you have to rely on a quick trigger finger.
There were certain performance issues with the demo, but nothing to really get angry about. We played on a Steam Deck and, obviously, Forever Entertainment didn’t engineer this based on that technology. On a higher end PC, this probably runs smoother than ever. On the Deck, though, it wasn’t bad, maintaining solid performance, even during the boss battle.
The demo is only one level long (stage 2), and has you invading a ground stronghold before taking to a new level and taking on a large drifter boss. But it gives an idea of what’s to come with the full release on console and PC, potentially later this year. A final release date isn’t on hand just yet, but we should know more soon.
How Does the Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake Demo Look?
Let’s talk performance. The original Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake demo was, again, a bit rough on frame rate and certain details. I’m happy to report great improvement with this second demo, as it comes closer to the original vision Forever Entertainment had in mind.
I enjoyed the look of the game overall, with a very smooth frame rate and beautiful looking explosions. The ability to look around in real-time is a nice touch as well, nearly perfectly captured from the Saturn game. Again, with Steam Deck, there were mild stutters, but you get the general idea of what this world is about. The boss battle was really engaging, too.
Also, the music! Like with Panzer Dragoon Remake, Forever Entertainment is going all in on audio. You can enjoy the original soundtrack or take on a wonderfully remixed one, likely by the game’s original composer. (We’re still trying to confirm that.) That, combined with the sound effects, make this a game worth grabbing your headphones for.
Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake Is Still a Work In Progress, But Coming Along
We’ll hold final judgment for whenever Panzer Dragoon Zwei: Remake gets its final release. But we’re happy with what Forever Entertainment is doing thus far, especially when it comes to respecting the code of the original Saturn release. Obviously there’s more development ahead, along with a bit of optimization. But hot damn, the full release should be a nostalgic treat.
To each their own, of course. I know some of you weren’t fans of the House of the Dead remakes. But I’m on board if it means introducing Sega classics to a new audience. Let’s go Dragooning!
You can check out the updated Steam demo here!
