Panzer Dragoon Orta
- Publisher
- SEGA
- Developer
- Smilebit
- Platform
- Microsoft Xbox
- Genre
- Rail Shooter
- Year of Release
- 2002
- Order in Series
- Fourth Game
- Order in Storyline
- Fourth Story
- In-Game Year
- Imperial Year 156
- Main Character
- Orta
Almost five years after the release of Panzer Dragoon Saga, Panzer Dragoon Orta marked the continuation of the series into a new generation of gaming. Although Team Andromeda had disbanded at the end of the Sega Saturn era, many of its members had joined the Smilebit development studio, and it was Smilebit who took up the task of bringing Panzer Dragoon to the sixth console generation, exclusively for the Xbox. Rather than being a role playing game in the style of Panzer Dragoon Saga, this game brought the series back to its rail shooter roots, with gameplay that took its lead from the first Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon II Zwei. The potential of the Xbox allowed Smilebit to take the series to a whole new visual level, and various enhancements and additions to the gameplay formula made this yet another Panzer Dragoon game that received excellent reviews from the critics.1
Storyline
Panzer Dragoon Orta takes players forward several decades after the events of Panzer Dragoon Saga, to a time when the once crumbling Empire had been revived and had risen to dominance again. The Imperials had succeeded in harnessing the bio-technologies of the lost Ancient Age, and they have now created dragons of their own: twisted creatures known as dragonmares. The dragonmares and their riders swept across the Continent, bringing divided nations under the Empire’s tyrannical rule.
In a city hidden in the mountains, a young girl named Orta had lived all her life as a prisoner to a society known as the Seekers. Unaware of her origins, Orta lived out her days alone in a stone tower overlooking the city, until one night the Empire and its dragonmares came for her at last. Before she could be captured though, Orta was mysteriously saved by the legendary dragon, which had returned once again from the shadows of history. Fleeing the city upon the dragon’s back, Orta set forth on her voyage of discovery, determined to discover the truth about herself.
For a full synopsis of Panzer Dragoon Orta’s storyline, see Part 5: Panzer Dragoon Orta.
Game Versions
- Panzer Dragoon Orta NTSC-J Version (Limited Edition)
- Panzer Dragoon Orta NTSC-J Version
- Panzer Dragoon Orta NTSC Version
- Panzer Dragoon Orta PAL Version