Big. That’s probably the best word to describe Tribute’s latest action platform game. Big and thick. Everything is bold, brash, and refreshingly simple. Of course, there’s no shortage of high-pixel gaming on the Switch, but there are few that feel so immediate and responsive. Joymasher is brilliant Oniken and Odallus cuts the closest, but even they don’t match the impact of the arcade action of Panzer Paladin.
Taking control of a large biped mecha, your mission comes down to trampling each of the internationally flavored stages, finding and defeating every monster that stands in your way. It’s a bit like Megaman in that you can select which creature you want to go first, although there is no “golden order” in boss battles; each can be reasonably defeated from scratch.
That is a testament to the exceptionally careful design of the Panzer Paladin. It’s a trait that’s a little difficult to describe in a positive-sounding way, but the game is very simple. You move, jump and attack. There is also a Symphony of the night backboard style. Occasionally, you’ll come out of your mecha to do a little rocking – your human pilot is outfitted with a sleek whip that they can use to latch onto aerial hooks, but this is brief, and you’ll soon be back in. The figurative metal arms of your walking death. Level design is rarely involved, and your interaction with enemies is not particularly complex. But this is a good thing.
The vivid and beautifully drawn graphics of Panzer Paladin are somewhere between the familiar 8-bit aesthetic and smooth fidelity of contemporary coin trading, to put it bluntly, we found it to be a Neo Geo game (as Spinmaster) with NES images. And works brightly. From backgrounds to enemy sprites to perfectly done animation, the look of the game perfectly complements its feel. That’s the most important thing a video game can do, and it means there’s never a moment in your time with Panzer Paladin where you think, “wait, this isn’t working.” Your mecha does everything it looks like it should, with a good sideline to satisfy stabs down and up, the latter serving as a kind of double jump.
That consistency runs throughout the game, including his one trick: weapons. Enemies have the ability to drop weapons (hammers, swords, spears, etc.) that your mecha can grab and use. They are not complicated in their rules; rather, you have some that are longer, some shorter, some sweep, and some point directly. Learning how to use them is a bit, but each implement of destruction comes with a baked magic spell that you can use by holding down the ZL and ZR triggers to break the weapon and unleash its power. These range from basic perks (attack / defense, etc.) to powerful offensive attacks. The trade-off, obviously, is that the weapon you broke is gone, which can put you in an uneven position when it comes to boss battles. You can also throw weapons forward for great damage, but this is not very useful compared to spells or withholding that weapon to use normally.
Such boss battles culminate the long stages, and they’re excellent: multi-stage fights that are not about sitting around waiting for an opening, allowing for a refreshing and aggressive approach. They all have multiple attack phases and many ways to kill you, which is very likely on your first attempt. Which leads to the only really noticeable flaw we found in Panzer Paladin: There are not enough control points.
Yes, it’s an old-school tradition to send him back through the level when he loses a life, but we thought the stages here were so big that they could have ended with at least one more checkpoint per stage. Given the relatively straightforward level design, playing them sadly isn’t very rewarding, especially since there really aren’t any alternative routes. Also, using a checkpoint costs you a weapon; It’s a decent little system, but the risk / reward seems a little biased when the only reward is another relatively disposable sword, and the risk is to fully reproduce the six or seven minute stage.
Another potential problem is that losing to a boss after exhausting multiple weapons is a disease: fighting them without weapons is far from ideal (although your mecha can use their bare fists), and unless you have abandoned checkpoints, no You’ll be able to acquire new weapons for your next try. In these situations, we used to go back to the menu and try another stage. And it’s great that we were able to do that, but we can foresee some players not having the patience to fight through these long stages over and over again just for another crack in the boss monster.
While we are collecting nits, it’s a shame updating your wick is so basic. You can trade your collected weapons for points that eventually buy incremental health buffs. This is in line with the rest of the laser-focused style of the game, but it’s a bit simple. A final small problem is that the sections where you are forced to eject and continue on foot are often full of instant death pits, it’s not particularly difficult to navigate, but losing your life in these areas sometimes really stings, given how helpless it is. you are and how much ground it may take to back off.
However, these are really minor issues, since most of the game is so damn nice. The weapons are hidden in all kinds of secret breakable walls (think Castlevania) and it is a game that makes you feel very powerful. It is also generous with its content; The 17 levels are nothing to sniff at, given their size, and beating the game also unlocks “Remix Mode”, a tougher, reorganized version of the procedures. You can also design your own weapons using an in-game pixel art tool, which is neat; He draws it, sets his stats, and then shares it online with other players. A cute feature, but ultimately not as interesting as getting stuck in the main game.
conclusion
Panzer Paladin’s uncomplicated gameplay won’t be for everyone and there are some very small tickles that take you away from true greatness. Still, he has a heart, and that lasts a long time, long road. If you like retro flashback games then you really should give it a try; Panzer Paladin is a lush, unpretentious action game from start to finish, and a must-see for fans of the genre.
