Review by: Michael Rack
Published: February 21, 2003

While fantasy fans account for a sizable portion of the gaming community, there are few titles that cater to their fascinating mascot: the almighty dragon. Properly portraying the strength, agility, and grandeur of such a creature is clearly no simple matter. Such games are often akin to a quirky flight sim that doesn’t handle as nimbly as one might expect, while others fail graphically, resulting in a less than awe-inspiring presentation. Nothing short of a top-notch developer can be expected to successfully tackle the task of fully capturing the dragons’ mystique, such as the long established Sega, who has stepped up to the plate with their release of Panzer Dragoon Orta. Skeptics argue that no good can come from a game utilizing the antiquated mechanics of a rail-shooter, which lacks the tooth-and-nail fighting often associated with these mighty god-beasts. So the question remains: Does Panzer Dragoon Orta succeed in demonstrating the battalion-brutalizing force of a dragon while delivering enjoyable gameplay, or is this offering little more than a over-hyped shooter with wings?

The world of Panzer Dragoon Orta is one of abstract beauty and nightmarish creatures. A once war-torn civilization known as Empire has risen from the brink of extinction to assert control over the land and reclaim the world for mankind. Empire is hardly a humanitarian organization, however, as it seeks to force society to conform to its own ideals, where social class determines one’s occupation and domicile, leaving few personal freedoms to individuals. The ancient knowledge of the Imperial Academy has allowed Empire to rebuild its Imperial Army, consisting of large numbers of massive airships the likes of which have no mechanical rival, and a few engineered creatures called Dragonmares, who are manipulated by human riders through perversely imposed controls.

The protagonist is a young girl named Orta who has been imprisoned her entire life, though she does not know why. Her prison is attacked by Empire Dragonmares who break into her cell and close in around her. A Dragon untainted by Empire flies to her rescue, blasting away her assailants with its powerful Arrows of Light breath weapon, and she flees the scene atop her new-found companion. During her getaway, a Drone (thought to be a bio-engineered humanoid from ancient times to be used in battle) named Abadd implies that Orta is destined to save the world from self-destruction, but he quickly flies off. Orta pursues him in a effort to make sense of a frenzied world that has left her alone and afraid. Her quest will take her on a journey of self-discovery across tropical forests, through ancient crumbling caves, and over shimmering snow-fields, all holding unknown dangers, unexpected friends, and long-buried secrets.

The dragon who takes Orta on her quest is every bit as mysterious as she is. Its immense power is clearly evident in the opening movie, as it quickly overpowers Empire’s Dragonmares with lightning speed and explosive force. The beast is soon revealed to be more than it seems, however, as it can take on one of three forms at any time. Its Base form maintains a large amount of agility, while allowing Orta to fire an energy pistol at a fast rate. In this form, the beast can lock-on to many enemy units at once to deliver laser-like pulses capable of devastating squads of assailants in a single volley. The creature’s Heavy form features sprawling wings and high powered attacks, though it must focus its energy on only a few targets, and is incapable of deft maneuvers. The Glide form is compact, coupled with exceptional evasive speed to make for an extremely difficult target at the expense of its breath weapon, while Orta can unload with her pistol at incoming targets. As the game progresses, Orta will come across gene-capsules which develop her dragon’s skills and severely alters its appearance. Which form is developed is dependant on what mode it is in when the capsule is collected, allowing you to evolve the dragon as you see fit.