Panzer Paladin

Panzer Paladin consists of 17 levels, during which the player takes control of either the slow but powerful Paladin mech Grit or the small but swift Squire pilot Flame. While commanding Grit, the player can pick up discarded melee weapons dropped by defeated enemies to use in battle against them. The combat mechanics include a high-versus-low attacking and blocking system (similar to Zelda II), along with a rock-paper-scissors style weapon triangle system that grants the player's weapons damage bonuses or reductions depending on the weapon used by the enemy.

The game implements a weapon durability system similar to Breath of the Wild where weapons will degrade and eventually break after enough uses, with some weapons being more durable than others. Every weapon also has a predetermined spell contained within them that the player can cast at any time by intentionally breaking the weapon, ranging from recovery and defensive spells to ranged or screen-clearing attacks. Weapons can also be thrown as projectiles at enemies to deal extra damage at the cost of instantly breaking them or be left at one of several pedestals scattered across each level to act as a checkpoint upon death.

The story follows the exploits of Flame, a spunky, good-natured rescue service android and the pilot of Grit, a sentient bipedal power armor mecha known as a Paladin. The pair work as operatives for Gauntlet, a peacekeeping organization dedicated to defending Earth from invaders, consisting of the group's unnamed but reputable Director, the scientist responsible for Paladin research and development Dr. Bloom and the group's timid and easily frightened technical support member Etch.

The group works together to fight against the dark prince Ravenous (a tall bird-like creature closely resembling a griffin) along with his army of demonic creatures led by the powerful Weapon Keepers, each of which bearing a strong resemblance to entities from human myth and folklore such as the Egyptian god Anubis, the Russian apparition Baba Yaga and the Greek monster Medusa.

Tribute Games announced the game's title with promotional art and early screenshots on March 13, 2019. Concerning early development, game designer and art director Jonathan Lavigne stated in a press release: "For a long time I wanted to make a NES-style game with swordplay mechanics like the ones from Zelda II on NES. Panzer Paladin is the culmination of two subjects I wanted to address in a traditional platformer: swordplay and mechas. A strong aspect I also wanted to include in this project is the various usage of an array of weapons.

A little bit like in our previous title Mercenary Kings". The developers also mentioned that they would be including over 100 unique kinds of weapons in the final game.

The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 79% of critics.

The visual design and presentation of Panzer Paladin received significant praise. Stuart Gipp from Nintendo Life was impressed by the game's visuals, stating "Panzer Paladin's vivid, beautifully-drawn graphics are somewhere between the familiar 8-bit aesthetic and the smooth fidelity of contemporary coin-ops ... From the backgrounds to the enemy sprites to the perfectly-done animation, the game's look flawlessly complements its feel." IGN's Seth Macy agreed, noting "[The game's plot] sets the perfect tone for the gameplay, and the story plays out in animated cutscenes that would be right at home in any legendary anime of the series, such as Bubblegum Crisis or one of the dozen or so Gundam series over the years."