An unofficial port from a dedicated developer is bringing a fan-favorite Sega Saturn game into the Dreamcast era.
Panzer Dragoon Is Being Ported to the Dreamcast
A well-known and fairly prolific retro gaming developer is back with another exciting project. Frogbull (developer of the unofficial Sega Saturn Final Fantasy VII tech demo) has officially revealed the first look at their unofficial Panzer Dragoon Dreamcast port.
Frogbull released a new video that showcases an early gameplay demo of the port up and running on Dreamcast hardware. According to the developer, this is a very early build. They recently finished decompiling the Saturn game and are now in the process of bringing it to life on the Dreamcast.
The preview is version 0.1, which includes the entire first level already playable on real hardware.
In a post on their Patreon, Frogbull talked about their desire to bring this project to life:
“Panzer Dragoon is one of the defining series of the Sega Saturn, with three unforgettable games released on the system. Sadly, the good old Dreamcast never received a Panzer Dragoon of its own, and the series would eventually return on Xbox with the amazing Panzer Dragoon Orta.
So naturally, I had to do something about that. 
…”
For those who are unfamiliar with the mid-90s game that kicked off the Panzer Dragoon franchise, the title released in 1995 and was a rail shooter. Players control the hunter Keil Fluge, who rides a dragon and flies around shooting enemies. The game was a Sega Saturn launch title in North America and spawned a sequel the following year.
As progress on the port continues, it will be very exciting to track Frogbull’s work and see how the rest of the game comes together and looks on the Dreamcast. Panzer Dragoon did receive an official remake for modern consoles and PC in 2020, but many retro gaming enthusiasts will likely still be very interesting in playing the original experience on the Dreamcast, as well.
Unofficial ports, remakes, and demakes have always been a popular trend in the retro gaming scene, but the creations are getting more impressive and there seem to be more of them all the time. There have been a ton of cool projects to check out this summer alone, including the recent Donkey Kong Land SNES style remake.
Be sure to check back soon for lots more retro gaming news and updates.
The unofficial Panzer Dragoon Dreamcast port does not have an official release date at this time.
The post 1995 Sega Saturn Hit Is Being Ported to the Dreamcast appeared first on VICE.
