I haven't actually started the game yet, and I'm not sure when I will. But I did play through the tutorial to refresh my memory about the gameplay of the series... and there were a lot of interesting things introduced.
First, there's the fact that you can rotate the camera completely around the dragon to fight enemies on all sides. You can't move the dragon to dodge attacks unless you're using the normal view, though.
Next, the game introduced the different forms your dragon can change into... I remember something about form changing in Zwei, but I don't think you could do it whenever you wanted as you can here. As I think FO described in Panzer Dragoon Saga, there's the base form, as well as an offensive and a defensive form.
The base form is pretty good all around. It has a strong berserk attack, can lock onto a lot of enemies, and has the ability to glide (speed up and slow down for short periods of time, like in Star Fox).
The aggressive form can fire powerful lasers directly ahead with it's berserk attack, great for taking out large enemies. It also fires a more powerful normal shot than the base form, but can't lock on to as many enemies at a time. It also can't glide.
The defensive form can't lock onto enemies, but automatically targets the nearest threat. Good for shooting down incoming projectiles. Using it's berserk attack can destroy enemies while replenishing your health. It can also glide more than the base form, and you can attack using glide to charge the enemy in this form or in base form.
When fighting bosses, you can use glide to circle around to different parts of it to dodge attacks or find the weak spot.
Each form of the dragon can level up independantly, gaining in strength and health. I don't know if it's possible to max out the levels for all three forms in one game, though.
So it was actually an informative tutorial and I have a much better idea what to expect when I'm ready to start playing. Depending on how the levels are designed, this could be a very interesting game to play.
I'll also have to comment on the original Panzer Dragoon once it's unlocked.
First, there's the fact that you can rotate the camera completely around the dragon to fight enemies on all sides. You can't move the dragon to dodge attacks unless you're using the normal view, though.
Next, the game introduced the different forms your dragon can change into... I remember something about form changing in Zwei, but I don't think you could do it whenever you wanted as you can here. As I think FO described in Panzer Dragoon Saga, there's the base form, as well as an offensive and a defensive form.
The base form is pretty good all around. It has a strong berserk attack, can lock onto a lot of enemies, and has the ability to glide (speed up and slow down for short periods of time, like in Star Fox).
The aggressive form can fire powerful lasers directly ahead with it's berserk attack, great for taking out large enemies. It also fires a more powerful normal shot than the base form, but can't lock on to as many enemies at a time. It also can't glide.
The defensive form can't lock onto enemies, but automatically targets the nearest threat. Good for shooting down incoming projectiles. Using it's berserk attack can destroy enemies while replenishing your health. It can also glide more than the base form, and you can attack using glide to charge the enemy in this form or in base form.
When fighting bosses, you can use glide to circle around to different parts of it to dodge attacks or find the weak spot.
Each form of the dragon can level up independantly, gaining in strength and health. I don't know if it's possible to max out the levels for all three forms in one game, though.
So it was actually an informative tutorial and I have a much better idea what to expect when I'm ready to start playing. Depending on how the levels are designed, this could be a very interesting game to play.
I'll also have to comment on the original Panzer Dragoon once it's unlocked.
"I will do this. Nothing in my life matters except this. No moment in my life exists except this moment. I am born in this moment, and if I fail, I will die in this moment. - Raistlin

