E3 2002: Panzer Dragoon update

We had the opportunity to meet with Takayuki Kawagoe, managing producer, Akihiko Mukaiyama, project leader, and Shigeru Kurihara, artist, of Smilebit on the topic of their work on the upcoming Panzer Dragoon Orta for the Xbox. The latest entry in Sega's critically acclaimed Panzer Dragoon series, the game is likely to be one of the most heavily scrutinized games from Sega, given the cult following the critically acclaimed series gained on the Saturn. We asked them if the Panzer legacy and fan expectations intimidated them when taking on the project. Surprisingly, the trio wasn't fazed much by either factor. While they understood the attention focused on the title--especially considering that Team Andromeda, the internal Sega team responsible for the classic trilogy on the Saturn, had disbanded--they didn't feel as much pressure because the game is being developed for the Xbox. The new platform and new start for the series have kept things from being too intimidating. Kawagoe-san stated that, had they done the game for the Dreamcast, there might have been more pressure, but developing the game for Xbox keeps everything new. Their main focus is to take the game to the next level and deliver a good surprise for the fans. As a result, he feels the timing of the Xbox game is a good thing.

Development on Panzer Dragoon Orta began in the spring of last year. At the start of the project, the team numbered eight people, however, now that work is in full swing, that number has grown to 30. We asked why the team decided on a shooter-style game rather than an RPG to reintroduce the series. Kawagoe replied that they felt a shooter would be the best way to reintroduce players to the series. To ensure they produce a strong game, the team is trying to refine the dragon-morphing mechanic and its positioning during battle as much as possible. When we pointed out the sequence in the demo level in which you face off against a large creature and have to carefully position yourself around it reminded us of the combat in Panzer Saga, they stated that Panzer Saga was always lingering somewhere in the back of their minds as they worked on Orta. Their intention is to evolve the gameplay players know Panzer for into something different. Our next gameplay question focused on your ability to morph your dragon. Kawagoe stated that the morphing lets players morph their dragon to suit the fighting style and stated that, while he couldn't give out exact details, you'll be able to morph your dragon into more than three forms.

He was equally vague when asked about the size of the game and expected gameplay length. He stated that the game would offer roughly 10 levels to explore, but an estimate of the number of hours of gameplay in the title was difficult to give because of how the game will unfold as you play. In addition, Orta will follow the model of Smilebit's other titles and offer players incentives to replay the game. Kawagoe's other cryptic response involved our question about whether the game would feature any online components.

On the subject of the game's story, we were told that it is set roughly 20-30 years after the Saturn trilogy. While they weren't able to give out many more details, we asked about cameos by characters seen in the previous games. Kawagoe said that if we'd seen the trailer shown at Microsft's press conference earlier this week (which clearly showed the silhouette of Azel from Panzer Saga), we'd probably have a good idea of what to expect.

In terms of presentation, we asked if it was challenging to come up with new enemies to include in the game, given the highly stylized art the series is known for. Kurihara stated that it wasn't so difficult due to the mix of old and new creatures being used in Orta. Another key component of the Panzer series is the in-game music. Kawagoe noted that the same staff who did the music for the Saturn trilogy was back and working on the music in Orta. From the tracks we heard in the demo, it sounds as though the game's music will be faithful to the music of the previous installments in the series. Kawagoe also noted that he expected that the game's theme song would be heard by this autumn. While we were on the subject of sound, we asked if the game would support Dolby 5.1 and were pleased to find that it would. It was one of the many aspects of the Xbox's functionality the team is taking advantage of. They feel that, given Smilebit's experience working on Gunvalkyrie and Jet Set Radio Future, they know the Xbox hardware very well, and the graphics in Orta reflect that.

Finally, we asked if the team would consider doing a Panzer RPG once work on Orta is done. Kawagoe replied that it has always been a possibility, noting that when they began the project, the RPG genre was among the ideas they bounced around. When we asked what would get the team to actually do one, Kawagoe laughed and replied, "Big sales!"

Thanks to Takayuki Kawagoe, Akihiko Mukaiyama, and Shigeru Kurihara of Smilebit for their time. Look for much more on Panzer Dragoon Orta in the coming months.