Panzer Dragoon Mini[a] is a 1996 rail shooter video game developed by Rit's and published by Sega for the Game Gear. It is a spin-off entry in the Panzer Dragoon series. In the game, the player controls one of three playable dragons across five levels, shooting down enemies with an aiming reticle. Mini was handled by Sega with no involvement from series creator Yukio Futatsugi or Team Andromeda. The soundtrack from Panzer Dragoon II Zwei was adapted by composer Hitoshi Sakimoto. It garnered mixed reception from critics.
| Panzer Dragoon Mini | |
|---|---|
 Cover art depicting the Blue Dragon and three Imperial flying battleships | |
| Developer(s) | Rit's |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Artist(s) | Hiroshi Kajiyama |
| Composer(s) | Hitoshi Sakimoto |
| Series | Panzer Dragoon |
| Platform(s) | Game Gear |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Rail shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
edit
Panzer Dragoon Mini is a single-player rail shooter that spans five levels, with each after the first including a boss encounter.[1][2][3] Gameplay is scaled-down compared to the Sega Saturn entries, featuring no story and three difficulty levels. The player controls an aiming reticle for one of three selectable super deformed flying dragons without a rider as they move through the level.[1][2][3][4]
The reticle can be controlled with the D-pad, and the player can attack enemies by either shooting or locking on them to fire shots simultaneously. During boss encounters, the camera occasionally switches to the side of the dragon. The boss' projectiles can be shot down but cannot be locked on. Each dragon has a health bar, which is reduced whenever the dragon takes damage from an enemy. If the dragon's health is depleted, the game is over, but the player can keep playing via unlimited continues and resume their progress via a password feature.[1][2][3]
Development and release
editPanzer Dragoon Mini was developed by Rit's, a Japanese game developer established in 1991.[5] Artist Hiroshi Kajiyama worked on the game's pseudo-3D models,[6] while the soundtrack from Panzer Dragoon II Zwei was adapted by composer Hitoshi Sakimoto.[7][8][9] Mini was handled by Sega with no involvement from Team Andromeda apart from the game's cover art, which was approved by Panzer Dragoon series creator Yukio Futatsugi.[10] The game was published by Sega on November 22, 1996, as part of the Kid's Gear lineup, a brand applied to Game Gear titles intended for children.[1][2][11] Its late 1996 release, near the end of the Game Gear's lifespan, makes the game harder to find than earlier releases. It is considered a rare collector's item that commands high prices on the secondary collectible market.[1][12][13][14]
Reception
editPanzer Dragoon Mini was poorly received, with praise for its art style and boss designs but criticism of its pacing and lack of a plot. Famitsu's four reviewers found Mini monotonous compared to the previous Sega Saturn entries and faulted its graphical presentation.[15] In a retrospective, Polish magazine Click! Konsole commended Mini for its visuals and simple gameplay premise.[12] Sébastien Péretti of French publication Retro Game called Mini a shameful offshoot of the Panzer Dragoon series.[16] 1Up.com's James Mielke regarded Mini as "a dumbed-down, cartoony shooter for kids that bears little resemblance to the epic adventures on Saturn."[4]
Hardcore Gaming 101's Kurt Kalata felt Mini was similar to Space Harrier but much shorter than the original Panzer Dragoon (1995). Kalata noted the game's slow pacing and saw the bosses as its only positive aspect.[1] MeriStation's Ramón Méndez González deemed Mini as a fun and "endearing curiosity", citing its super deformed (SD) artstyle as well as the simple controls and gameplay. Nevertheless, González concurred with Kalata regarding the similarities with Space Harrier and noted the game's lack of plot.[17] Retro Gamer's Darran Jones criticized Mini for its basic visuals, erratic reticule, simple enemy waves, and bland gameplay approach compared to previous entries in the Panzer Dragoon series.[18] Ollie Barder writing in Forbes labelled Mini alongside Panzer Dragoon for R-Zone as "pretty terrible" games, adding that "their music wasn't that noteworthy either."[19]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Kalata, Kurt (July 25, 2008). "Panzer Dragoon Mini". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "ゲームギア&キッスキア Fan: パンツァードラグーン MINI" [Game Gear & Kid's Gear Fan: Panzer Dragoon Mini]. Saturn Fan (in Japanese). No. 33. Tokuma Shoten. October 4, 1996. p. 223.
- ^ a b c Panzer Dragoon Mini 取扱説明書 (Game Gear, JP)
- ^ a b c Mielke, James (September 11, 2007). "Phantom Dust — Life After Panzer Dragoon: Retro/Active Review — Panzer Dragoon Mini". 1Up.com. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ CRV (March 29, 2015). "Rit's". Game Developer Research Institute. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Kajiyama, Hiroshi [@KAJIYAMA_] (March 16, 2014). "@st01_madox イラストじゃないけどパンツァードラグーンミニの３Dモデルとかもやりました。Macがまだ8500とかの時代。" [@st01_madox It's not an illustration, but I also did a 3D model of the Panzer Dragoon Mini. When Mac was still 8500 or something.] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "崎元仁 / Hitoshi Sakimoto — Works". Basiscape. 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Greening, Chris (January 20, 2013). "Hitoshi Sakimoto Profile". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Okunari, Yosuke [@okunari] (April 17, 2020). "ちなみにゲームギアのパンツァードラグーンminiはツヴァイのBGMをベイシスケイプの崎元仁さんがPSGに落とし込んでいるというレアなサウンドなのですが未CD化です。今年ゲームギア30周年だし、@Moba_Ito さん興味持ってくれないかなあｗ" [By the way, Game Gear's Panzer Dragoon mini has a rare sound that Zwei's BGM was put into PSG by Mr. Hitoshi Sakimoto of Basiscape, but it has not been released on CD. It's Game Gear's 30th anniversary this year, so I wonder if @Moba_Ito will be interested lol] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Mielke, James (September 11, 2007). "Phantom Dust — Life After Panzer Dragoon: Interview with Yukio Futatsugi". 1Up.com. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "ゲームギア対応ソフトウェア（セガ発売）" [Game Gear compatible software (released by Sega)]. SEGA HARD Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega. 2023. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Oldschool: Panzer Dragoon Mini". Click! Konsole (in Polish). No. 5. Wydawnictwo Bauer. September 2003. p. 70. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Collector's Closet: Why Collectors Hate the Game Gear". Tips & Tricks. No. 139. Larry Flynt Publications. September 2006. pp. 66–67.
- ^ Reichert, Nick (May 25, 2021). "The Rarest & Most Valuable Sega Game Gear Games". Racketboy. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: パンツァードラグーン ミニ" [New Games Cross Review: Panzer Dragoon Mini]. Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 415. ASCII Corporation. November 29, 1996. p. 35. (Transcription by Famitsu.com. Archived March 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine).
- ^ Péretti, Sébastien (April 2006). "Console: Panzer Dragoon — Saga D'un Dragon Immortel" [Console: Panzer Dragoon — Saga of an Immortal Dragon]. Retro Game (in French). No. 3. Japan Culture Press. pp. 46–51.
- ^ Méndez González, Ramón (March 6, 2012). "Regreso al pasado: Panzer Dragoon" [Back in Time: Panzer Dragoon]. MeriStation (in Spanish). PRISA. Archived from the original on 2023-05-17. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Darran (May 22, 2014). "Retro Revival: Panzer Dragoon Mini". Retro Gamer. No. 129. Imagine Publishing. pp. 98–99. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Barder, Ollie (February 22, 2018). "'Panzer Dragoon' Fans Can Rejoice As The Soundtracks For The Games Are Now Available Online". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
