Panzer Paladin

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Panzer Paladin is an Action-Platformer released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2020. This is a game with a retro look and feel to it that has players fighting in a mech and collecting massive weapons from enemies.

The presentation in this game is absolutely phenomenal, with an 8-bit pixel art style that’s extremely nostalgic with some nice little animations throughout the backgrounds, paired with an outstanding chiptune soundtrack (with an optional “8-bit” variant), with some notable songs including the USA Theme and the Japan Theme. Both do an amazing job bringing back the feel of some of the best games on the NES era.

As for the gameplay, with Panzer Paladin’s massive variety of weapons, each with its own stats and characteristics, you’d think that this is a deep and complex game, but it’s actually fairly straightforward. Yes, weapons are all unique, but they’re also largely interchangeable, which is just as well because they all break rather easily. When selecting a weapon, you mainly just have to consider its remaining durability, reach, attack power, and the speed you can swing it. Weapons can also be thrown, though doing so means you’ll have to collect it if you want it back. Ceapons can also be intentionally broken to unleash a weapon-specific spell. However, don’t fret too much about how disposable the weapons in this game are, as you’ll be collecting dozens of them at any given time, and even breaking them down to upgrade your mech in-between levels. Unfortunately, this means even special weapons you get from bosses are expendable, making them a little less special (and rendering the Mega Man-style level select a bit less meaningful).

Beyond the game’s focus on its weapon system, what’s left is a pretty straightforward, but all-around excellent Action-Platformer, with good level design, interesting boss design, and even some nuance in that your character can exit her mech for added mobility and to get into tight spots (or when the mech is destroyed), and must do so to get past some points in levels, particularly when her whip-grapple is needed to proceed or a low ceiling blocks the way forward. It would have been nice if players were given the option which way to proceed through a level, but this is a fairly small gripe.

In the end, Panzer Paladin is a deceptively simple and straightforward Action-Platformer, but a good one. If you’ve been itching for a great old-school-feeling entry in the genre, this is probably the game you’ve been waiting for. Just don’t waste too much time obsessing over the weapon system – it’s a fun little extra, but not as super-important as the game seems to want to make it appear.

tl;dr – Panzer Paladin is an old-school Action-Platformer with some great straightforward action (although the game tries to make itself seem more complex than it really is). The 8-bit-inspired presentation is top-notch, the level design is great, and overall this is a fantastic entry in the genre.

Grade: B+

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