A new Panzer Dragoon VR game has been announced today to celebrate 25 years since the first game in the series came out in Japan. This new game reimagines and combines the Sega Saturn trilogy.
It's being made by Japanese game studio Wildman Inc. under the working title Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record. It completely reworks - not remakes - Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga with new graphics for modern VR headsets.
Sorry, this is not a full VR remake. But you will meet Blue Dragon (TYPE-01), Lagi, Prototype Dragon(TYPE-02), Guardian Dragon, Atolm Dragon! https://t.co/kjvAD5SGVT
— Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record (@PanzerDragoonVR) March 10, 2020
You play as a dragon rider in first-person, armed with a handgun, and shoot enemies with the VR controller as you fly across skyscapes. It's been in development since 2014 and has even been on show at some game events between then and now. When shown the game is at events, players sit on a rodeo seat that emulates the feeling of being sat on a dragon as it flaps as it wings, while a fan blows wind at their face.
This VR game is different to the Panzer Dragoon remake for Nintendo Switch that was announced during a Nintendo Direct in 2019 as that's being made by another studio.
The original Panzer Dragoon trilogy of games came out for the Sega Saturn in 1995, 1996, and 1998. The first two are rail-shooters that have you fighting against a dark dragon in the first game, and an airship in the second game, which is actually a prequel.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/09/26/history-of-awesome-sega-saturn"]
The third game dropped the on-rails nature of the previous two games as it was an RPG complete with random encounters. It allowed for free exploration for the first time in the series, even on foot, while battles were a mix of turn-based and real-time elements.
Exactly which VR headsets Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record will be available on hasn't been confirmed yet. It doesn't have a firm release date either, but it should be out before March 2021, hopefully sooner.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.