Panzer Paladins uncomplicated gameplay will not be for everyone and there are some very small niggles that hold it back from true achievement. Even so, it has heart, and that goes a long, long way. If youre into retro throwback games then you must truly give this a try; Panzer Paladin is a plain, exuberant action video game from start to complete, and a must for category fans.
Conclusion.
Panzer Paladins brilliant, beautifully-drawn graphics are somewhere between the familiar 8-bit visual and the smooth fidelity of modern coin-ops– to put it candidly, it felt to us like a Neo Geo game (such as Spinmaster) with NES visuals. That consistency runs through the whole game, including its unique gimmick: the weapons. You can also throw weapons straight forward for high damage, but this isnt extremely beneficial compared to the spells or maintaining stated weapon to utilize generally.
Another potential issue is that losing to a boss after tiring a number of weapons is a sickener– battling them without weapons is far from ideal (though your mecha can use its bare fists), and unless you have been forsaking checkpoints you wont be able to acquire new weapons for your next attempt. If youre into retro throwback video games then you should truly offer this a try; Panzer Paladin is an unpretentious, exuberant action video game from start to complete, and a must for category fans.
Defense are tucked in all kinds of secret breakable walls (think Castlevania) and its a video game that makes you feel very powerful. Its generous with its material, too; the 17 levels are absolutely nothing to sniff at, offered their size, and beating the game likewise unlocks “Remix Mode”, a harder, reshuffled take on the procedures.
That consistency runs through the whole video game, including its unique gimmick: the weapons. Knowing how to utilize them is a trifle, however each execute of destruction comes with a baked-in magic spell you can utilize by holding the ZL and ZR triggers to break the weapon and launch its power. You can also throw weapons directly forward for high damage, but this isnt extremely useful compared to the spells or keeping said weapon to use normally.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked).
Said employer fights top off the lengthy phases, and theyre exceptional– multi-phase fights that arent about sitting around waiting on an opening, enabling a refreshingly aggressive approach. They all have multiple attack stages and plenty of methods to eliminate you, which on your very first attempt its quite most likely they will. Which leads to the only actually significant flaw that we found in Panzer Paladin– there arent adequate checkpoints.
Yes, its an old-school tradition to send you back through the level when you lose a life, but we believed the stages here were so large that they might have finished with a minimum of one more checkpoint per stage. Given the reasonably straightforward level style, replaying them unfortunately isnt hugely rewarding– especially because there arent truly any alternate routes. In addition, using a checkpoint costs you a weapon; a decent little system, however the risk/reward appears a little manipulated when the only benefit is another reasonably non reusable sword, and the threat is replaying the totally of a six-or-seven-minute stage.
Thats a testimony to the extremely mindful design of Panzer Paladin. Its a trait thats a bit hard to explain in a way that sounds positive, however the game is really easy. You move, jump and assault. Theres likewise a Symphony of the Night style back-dash. Sometimes, youll hop out of your mecha to do a bit of swinging around– your human pilot is equipped with a fancy whip which they can use to acquire aerial hooks– but this is short and youll soon be back in the figurative metal arms of your walking death maker. The level style is seldom involved, and your interaction with the opponents isnt especially intricate. This is an excellent thing.
Panzer Paladins vivid, beautifully-drawn graphics are somewhere in between the familiar 8-bit aesthetic and the smooth fidelity of contemporary coin-ops– to put it bluntly, it felt to us like a Neo Geo video game (such as Spinmaster) with NES visuals. And it works brilliantly. From the backgrounds to the enemy sprites to the perfectly-done animation, the games look flawlessly complements its feel. Thats the outright crucial thing a video game can do, and it suggests that theres never ever a moment in your time with Panzer Paladin where youll think, “hold on, this isnt working”. Your mecha does whatever it feels like it ought to do, with a nice sideline in satisfying down and up stabs, the latter serving as a double-jump of sorts.
Caught on Nintendo Switch (Docked).
Thats probably the finest word to explain Tributes most current action platformer. Of course, theres no shortage of pixel-heavy games on the Switch, however there are couple of that feel rather so instant and responsive. Joymashers brilliant Oniken and Odallus hew the closest, but even they do not match the game action impact of Panzer Paladin.
Taking control of a big bipedal mecha, your mission comes down to stomping through each of the internationally-flavoured stages, finding and beating down every beast that gets in your way. Its a little bit like Mega Man in that you can select which creature you wish to pursue first, though there isnt a “golden order” to the one in charge fights; each one can fairly be beat from scratch.
Another potential problem is that losing to a boss after tiring several weapons is a sickener– combating them without weapons is far from ideal (though your mecha can utilize its bare fists), and unless you have been forsaking checkpoints you will not be able to obtain brand-new weapons for your next attempt. In these scenarios, we d often back out to the menu and try another stage. And its fantastic we had the ability to do that, however we can anticipate some players not having the persistence for fighting through these substantial stages over and over again simply for another crack at the manager beast.
You can exchange your gathered weapons for points which eventually purchase incremental health upgrades. This is in keeping with the rest of the video games laser-focused design, however it is a little plain.
