Panzer Dragoon Saga

rdf:langString Panzer Dragoon Saga

rdf:langString Panzer Dragoon Saga

rdf:langString The Panzer Dragoon Saga European cover art. The protagonist, Edge, stands before his dragon and another character, Azel.

rdf:langString European cover art

rdf:langString Mariko Nanba

rdf:langString Manabu Kusunoki

rdf:langString Team Andromeda

rdf:langString A

rdf:langString Sega Saturn Magazine

rdf:langString Panzer Dragoon

rdf:langString Panzer Dragoon Saga

rdf:langString Panzer Dragoon Saga, known in Japan as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG, is a 1998 role-playing video game developed by Team Andromeda and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. The third in the Panzer Dragoon series, it replaced the games' rail shooter gameplay with RPG elements such as random encounters, semi-turn-based battles and free-roaming exploration. The player controls Edge, a young mercenary who rides a dragon and encounters a mysterious girl from a vanished civilization. Sega felt an RPG was critical to compete against the PlayStation and Final Fantasy. Development began in early 1995 alongside Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (1996). The project was arduous and repeatedly delayed; incorporating the Panzer Dragoon shooting elements with full 3D computer graphics and voice acting, both unusual features in RPGs at the time, pushed the Saturn to its technical limits and strained team relations. Two staff members died during development, which the director, Yukio Futatsugi, attributed to stressful working conditions. Panzer Dragoon Saga is the most acclaimed Saturn game and is often listed among the greatest games of all time, earning praise for its story, graphics and combat. As Sega had shifted focus to its Dreamcast console, Saga had a limited release in the West and worldwide sales were poor. The Andromeda artist Katsumi Yokota attributed the low sales to the creative spirit of the team, who were not interested in creating a mainstream product. Panzer Dragoon Saga has never been rereleased and English copies sell for hundreds of US dollars. After its release, Sega disbanded Team Andromeda; several staff members joined Sega's Smilebit studio and developed a fourth Panzer Dragoon game, Panzer Dragoon Orta (2002), for the Xbox.