Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake Finally Re-Emerges After Long Absence

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake is still alive, and it's heading to Tokyo Game Show later this month.

Seven years since remakes of SEGA's cult classic rail shooter series were announced for two Panzer Dragoon games, Zwei initially missed its target release window back in 2021. Many questioned what's happening to it after the first remake launched in 2020 and now, we've learned Zwei's getting a demo at TGS 2025. Some new screenshots (credit: Gematsu) also emerged.

Set 20 years before the original game, Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake sees your dragon's evolution come down to your play style and combat performance. Featuring branching routes across each level, boss battles, gameplay modifiers unlocked after completing the campaign and more, this includes two control schemes alongside remastered music with an option for the original soundtrack.

As thrilled as I am that Panzer Dragoon has been given a second life these last few years, I can't say I'm confident for the Zwei remake. I beat the original game's remake years back, which is just OK; nothing exceptional and hardly a disaster, yet ultimately underwhelming and could've gone the extra mile with its presentation. That's the same vibe I'm currently getting for the next game.

This isn't helped knowing it's coming from Forever Entertainment, whose Front Mission 3 Remake was widely accused of using awful looking generative AI for upscaling that resulted in some drastically different looking images. House of the Dead: Remake was passable at best and other critics agreed, while reviews for the more recent House of the Dead 2: Remake aren't exactly stellar, either.

If anything, this is a good excuse to revisit what is arguably the best entry in my opinion, Panzer Dragoon Orta. Nothing against the RPG entry, Saga; it's got plenty of fans and for good reason, but this was a revelation for me back in the early 00s that still holds up now. You can unlock the original game within it too, though Orta is sadly still an Xbox exclusive.

Either way, we'll see how Panzer Dragoon II Zwei: Remake when it eventually launches. A release window wasn't confirmed, though it's coming to Switch, PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.