Panzer Dragoon VrSource: SEGA/Wildman, Inc.

What you need to know

  • Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record will be released on VR platforms sometime in the next year.
  • No specific platforms have been announced at this time.
  • Panzer Dragoon VR marks the first original entry into the series in almost 20 years.

It's been a quiet decade for the Panzer Dragoon series, but that's all about to change with the advent of two major upcoming games in the series. Marking the 25th anniversary of the release of the original Panzer Dragoon on the Sega Saturn, Sega has announced a publishing partnership with Wildman, Inc. to develop Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record. Panzer Dragoon VR is said to be an omnibus of the original trilogy of games and will relive various episodes from Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga.

As expected based on the series history, Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record will be a "dramatic VR shooter", likely featuring on-rails movement with player-controlled dodging and path choosing. Players will aim their VR controllers similarly to a gun and shoot targets while riding the back of a dragon in first-person, which is a change from the 3rd-person perspective that the series has historically been built upon.

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As the series' first foray into VR, Panzer Dragoon VR is being handled by a developer who has specialized in VR development since 2013. Wildman, Inc. also worked on a title called Gunner of the Dragoon, which you can find a video of below. The mechanics look incredibly similar to what's described in the press release for Panzer Dragoon VR, so it's pretty safe to say this video is an accurate representation of what to expect from Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record. We've seen the Panzer Dragoon series come back in spiritual successors in the past, but this is the first original entry in the series since the Xbox release of Panzer Dragoon Orta in 2002.

Sega and Wildman, Inc. have not announced any specific platforms for release at this time, but the target release date is "2020 Japanese Fiscal Year", which lasts from now until March 2021. Based on Sega's current VR library, we expect this game to release for major VR platforms when it finally hits. Players looking for a non-VR Panzer Dragoon experience should check out the Panzer Dragoon Remake, which is making its way to all major platforms this year.