Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record arrives on VR headsets March 2021.
First debuted back in 1995 on the Sega Saturn home console, developer Wildman announced via Twitter yesterday that Panzer Dragoon is making a glorious return, this time on VR headsets.
Scheduled for release March 2021, Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record is described by its developer as a “VR dramatic shooter” optimized specifically for VR headsets. Breaking away from the franchises’ usual third-person perspective, Voyage Record will have players grabbing the reins of their own massive dragon as they soar through open skies from a first-person perspective. According to a tweet from Wildman, players will use their motion controllers to wield a handgun to bring down waves of enemies, similar to previous releases.
Unlike the original titles, however, Voyage Record will not feature its own original story. Instead, players will be revisiting popular chapters from past Panzer Dragoon games, including Panzer Dragoon, Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei, and Panzer Dragoon Saga; no mention of any chapters from 2002’s Panzer Dragoon Orta, unfortunately.
This is not the first time the series has been adapted for the VR format, however. Wildman previously worked on a location-based VR experience called The Gunner of Dragoon. Showcased at Japan’s BitSummit indie game festival back in 2016, this bizarre immersive experience had attendees sit on a Panasonic JOBA exercise device that moved in sync with the VR experience. It’s unclear at this time if Voyage Record will include any haptic accessories.
As previously stated, Panzer Dragoon Voyage Records is scheduled to launch March 2021; no word yet on official price or platform availability at this time. Wildman will be providing updates throughout the year as they continue development on the project.
Can’t wait a year for more Panzer Dragoon? Series creator Yukio Futatsugi released a spiritual successor on the Xbox One back in 2013 called Crimson Dragon that borrows heavily from the series. Sega also confirmed during E3 2019 that HD remakes of both Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei are currently in development, the first of which is expected to ship Winter 2020.
Feature Image Credit: Wildman
