4.5/5 ★ – kahooftheblade's review of Panzer Dragoon Orta.

The last game (of 4) in the Panzer Dragoon franchise. Unlike Saga, this is a return to the semi-on-rail shooter that the first two titles were and comes after the events of Saga. You are Orta, a girl that to certain elements (surprise: it's the empire) is considered a bad omen, but you don't know why. This is a journey of self-discovery to some degree as you flee, in search of purpose, on the back of a dragon whose origin is unknown. It's hard, and demands mastery but there is a difficulty curve so it doesn't expect you to be an expert immediately. It can be done in one session (3-4 hours) but some of the fights you end up in can easily add time whilst you figure out the mechanics, and figure out how to create opportunities for attack. You'll get more enjoyment from the story if you've played at least Zwei and Saga, but if you're playing Panzer Dragoon you owe it to yourself to start with the OG Panzer Dragoon, preferably on Saturn with the 3D controller, but the PC remake is fine also. The story is about on-par with Zwei, so I enjoyed it. Soundtrack is really good, and the credits theme is a beautiful swan song for an absolute belter of a series that is essential playing. Worth mentioning if you play this on an Xbox One or Series S|X, on inserting the disc the console will download completely recreated full HD textures and upgrades models to make this looks brilliant on modern displays - at no cost.