Panzer Paladin Review

Game Octane was given a copy of this game for use in this review. All content contained within the article are the sole thoughts and opinion of the author and has not been influenced or doctored in any way.

Panzer Paladin is the newest game by Publisher Tribute Games; released on July 21st for both Nintendo Switch and on PC via Steam. Taking notes from the nes era platformers, while modernizing it for today’s standards among a sea of retro themed games, will this game make waves or will it simply be swallowed by the rising tide of the genre? Read on and find out if Panzer Paladin is right for you.

Aesthetics:

Panzer Paladin Just oozes retro in every sense of it’s design. The chiptunes slap, The graphics are striking yet minimalistic pixels, Sound effects really pair well with the graphics and music as well. Essentially if you want to be sent back to the late 80’s/ early 90’s, Panzer Paladin has got your ticket to time travel covered. A+

Story/Gameplay:

For what reason would we have to play if not for a world and story to make it work? Panzer Palidan took a very Ninja Gaiden approach with it’s cutscene based story telling. It’s beautifully animated and really gives you that nostalgia rush. The story itself is not as basic as I was expecting. Sure you gotta save the world as the pilot of a mech but You are actually a designated rescue worker who just happens to force themselves into the job after proving yourself on a rescue mission in Canada. The big evil appear to be linked to the weapons you use and those who wish to covet them but I won’t go into the details as it’s really robust and compelling so I’ll keep the spoilers to myself this time.

That said the gameplay is a wonderful blend of both simplicity and complexity. you have few buttons to use but the developers used some tricks up there sleeves to make the wide range of moves work. For example you have a back dash, a Ducktails/Zelda2 inspired pogo attack, you can slash in a 4 way direction, and you have the ability to unlock your weapons latent ability; just be mindful doing so will break your weapon. Then you have the ability to exit your mech to swing around and hit things with your whip.

Other gameplay mechanics include summoning and repairing your mech if it’s damaged or destroyed. A weapons creation system where you can design and share your own creations online, and a deep system where you can upgrade your abilities by converting your weapons into points between stages. Stages themselves are picked much like the Megaman X series; you have a map and the enemies that are in each area on the side alongside the ability to swap out for the lab to get upgrades.

Despite all these positives, it’s time to address the elephant in the room: This is a relatively easy game to play UNTIL you have to do some platforming. When you find yourself needing to make a jump the heavy feel of your mech really shines in a blinding way. If that jump ain’t perfect you will miss the platform and that can cause some otherwise avoidable deaths and headaches if hit boxes were just a lil bit longer. It’s certainly retro in this regard but some would argue that being “Nintendo hard” is a relic that should remain buried. Overall though a wonderful game to play. B+

Conclusion:

Panzer Paladin is a true love letter to NES era gaming. Blending the best of that era’s platformers, more references than you can shake a stick at and all in a lovely chip tuned filled romp that is as fun as it is challenging. A-