Case study

Azel: reverse engineering Panzer Dragoon Saga into native C++

Reconstructs the Sega Saturn RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga as native C++, rewriting the game’s SH-2 routines for its kernel, field, town, battle, menu and audio systems. The rewritten code loads the user’s original disc files and reads their tables by Saturn address, rendering through bgfx and SDL with ImGui debugging views. README calls the project very early: the opening is semi-playable, with bugs, up to the Arachnoth battle, and no byte-matching rebuild is attempted.

Targets: Game
Category: Independent reconstruction cases
Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-19
Evidence class: C2 code & docs, no demo or download

Stars: 191
Last commit: 2026-10-29
Language: C++
License (GitHub): MIT

GitHub data as of 2026-11-10

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Evidence

Observed: Code, documentation and a demo observed; no download method found.
Checked: 2026-11-09

How evidence classes are assigned

Requirements & limits

Supply disc 1 files from your own copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga in data/; the game loads original .MCB/.CGB bundles. The README names no region or version.
Windows builds use Visual Studio 2022, CMake, recursive submodules and vs2022.bat. The README reports the opening as semi-playable, with bugs, through the Arachnoth battle.
The project is MIT-licensed; submodules keep their own licenses. The vendored aosdk includes BSD, zlib, GPL and an old MAME license that forbids commercial use. Original game files and sample music retain their rights holders' terms.

Cite

BibTeX

@misc{azel-panzer-dragoon-saga-reimplementation-case,
  title = {{Azel: reverse engineering Panzer Dragoon Saga into native C++}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/yaz0r/Azel}},
  url = {https://github.com/yaz0r/Azel},
  urldate = {2026-10-19},
  note = {Awesome REA entry: \url{https://awesomerea.org/resources/azel-panzer-dragoon-saga-reimplementation-case/}}
}

Plain text

Azel: reverse engineering Panzer Dragoon Saga into native C++. https://github.com/yaz0r/Azel (accessed 2026-10-19). Awesome REA entry: https://awesomerea.org/resources/azel-panzer-dragoon-saga-reimplementation-case/

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About this entry

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Primary sources

README.md GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
CMakeLists.txt GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
.gitmodules GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
.github/workflows/cmake-multi-platform.yml GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
AzelLib/field/field_a3/o_fld_a3.cpp GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
AzelLib/common_generated.cpp GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
PDS_Tool GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
ThirdParty/aosdk/license.txt GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f
LICENSE GitHub · yaz0r/Azel · Revision c52329f