Panzer Dragoon Saga

Panzer Dragoon Saga, known in Japan as Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG, is a 1998 role-playing video game (RPG) developed and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It replaces the rail shooter gameplay of previous Panzer Dragoon games with RPG elements such as random encounters, semi-turn-based battles and free-roaming exploration. The player controls Edge, a young mercenary who rides a dragon and encounters a mysterious girl from a vanished civilization.

Sega felt an RPG was critical to compete against the PlayStation and Final Fantasy VII. Development began in early 1995 alongside Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (1996). The project was arduous and repeatedly delayed; incorporating the Panzer Dragoon shooting elements with full 3D computer graphics and voice acting, both unusual features in RPGs at the time, pushed the Saturn to its technical limits and strained team relations. Two staff died during development, which the director, Yukio Futatsugi, attributed to stressful working conditions.

Sega released Panzer Dragoon Saga in Japan in January 1998 and in the West in April. It received little marketing, and Sega published only a few thousand copies in the West, where it had shifted focus to its next console, the Dreamcast. Saga received acclaim, with praise for its story, graphics, and combat; it is the highest-rated Saturn game on the aggregator GameRankings. Sales were low, which was attributed to the Saturn's failure, lack of marketing, low circulation, and Team Andromeda's lack of interest in creating a mainstream product.

After the release, Sega disbanded Team Andromeda. Several staff members joined a new Sega studio, Smilebit, and developed a fourth Panzer Dragoon game, Panzer Dragoon Orta (2002), for the Xbox. Many publications have named Saga one of the greatest video games. Although it became a cult classic, it has never been rereleased and English-language copies have sold for more than US$1000.