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''Spyro the Dragon'' is a Platform Game series starring the Video Game Character Spyro, which was originally released for the PlayStation . The ''Spyro'' series has gained substantial popularity since the first game and several Sequel s and spin-offs followed the original.


SPYRO THE DRAGON


''Spyro the Dragon'' is a platform game Developed by Insomniac Games and released for the PlayStation on September 10 , 1998 . It stars the titular dragon, and is considered by many to be one of the best PlayStation games. Reviews were mostly highly favorable. {Link without Title}

The game featured Spyro, a small purple Dragon , his Dragonfly companion, Sparx, and a multitude of fellow dragons. It takes place in the Dragon Realms , an imaginary Fantasy world, which is itself divided in six worlds: Artisans, Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, Dream Weavers, and Gnasty's World.

At the beginning of the game the main antagonist, Gnasty Gnorc (the leader of the Gnorc enemy race, looking like a half Gnome , half Orc hybrid) seeks revenge on the dragons because they called him ugly, so he traps them in crystal . Spyro, the main protagonist of the game, was small so the blast went over his head and he was spared from a crystal prison. The point of the game is to charge, glide, and flame your way through each world and defeat enemies, save dragons, and eventually face and take down Gnasty. This game, and those to follow also received acclaim for the score by Stewart Copeland

Two sequels were created for the PS1: ''Spyro (2): Ripto's Rage!'' (subtitled ''Gateway To Glimmer'' in the .


SPYRO 2: RIPTO'S RAGE


In ''Spyro 2'', also known as ''Gateway to Glimmer'' in Europe and ''Tandema Tours'' in Japan, Spyro and Sparx, while looking for a holiday at Dragon Shores, accidentally stumble through a , equipped with a Magic Sceptre , and protected by Crush and Gulp, two dim-witted Dinosaur s. The worlds are Summer Forest, Autumn Plains, and Winter Tundra. The game introduces some new movements which Spyro can execute to advance in his quest, including hovering after a glide, swimming underwater, climbing ladders, and head-butting.


SPYRO: YEAR OF THE DRAGON

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In ''Spyro 3'', the dragons are celebrating the coming of dragon . The worlds are Sunrise Spring, Midday Garden, Evening Lake, and Midnight Mountain. The worlds are named after times of the day, as apposed its predessor which the worlds were named after seasons. Sunrise Spring, as well as being a time of the day, is the season missed out in ''Spyro 2''. The third installment of the ''Spyro'' series also feature levels in which the player controls Sparx in a bird's eye view shooting game. The player also gets to control Hunter in several hidden minigames. Spyro and his new friends must find out why the Sorceress stole the eggs, what she plans to do with them, and how to stop her.


SPYRO ON OTHER SYSTEMS

Besides the three PlayStation titles, there are seven ''Spyro'' games on other Consoles , all published by Vivendi Universal Games .


Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

'''' was the first game in the ''Spyro'' series for PlayStation 2 and GameCube . It is considered by many as the worst game in the series, due to the numerous glitches, lack of storyline, originality, and long load times. This could be because Insomniac, the company responsible for the previous ''Spyro'' games, did not make this one.

The story kicks off right after the Sorceress was defeated in ''Spyro: Year of the Dragon''. The baby dragons are now preparing to receive their dragonflies, a rite of passage in any dragon's life (although in the earlier games, none of the dragons besides Spyro has a dragonfly). It's a huge celebration, filled with joy and happiness, until Ripto , (from ''Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage'') returns! He has come to capture the dragonflies, making the dragons helpless. He casts his spell but messes up. Instead, he scattered the dragonflies all over the Dragon Realms.


Spyro: A Hero's Tail

''Spyro: A Hero's Tail'' (Fall 2004 ), the latest installment in the ''Spyro'' series, is available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. In it, Spyro fights Red the Dragon and Gnasty Gnorc again. It is considered by many as being much better than ''Enter the Dragonfly'', but it has been criticized for having a lack of originality, as old bosses keep coming back, although some would say that this could hardly be called a bad thing. After all, Ripto appeared as a boss in about five games.


The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning


According to Vivendi Universal Games, the publisher of the Spyro series, a new Spyro game is currently in development. This game seems to take some leaves from ''Shadow Legacy's'' book, including level-up features and physical combat, as opposed to the classical Spyro gameplay like puzzle-solving and item quests. Also, a cast has been made that includes the likes of Elijah Wood , David Spade , and Gary Oldman . This is the most radical cast change the series has seen in its eight years.

It has been advertised as a prequel to the first ''Spyro'' game, and some fans of the dragon take this as being the final stake in the heart of the franchise from the likes of Vivendi Universal , especially after the past two console titles.


Game Boy Advance

  • (known as ''Spyro Advance'' in Japan) ( July 2001 ), probably the most challenging in the series as you are required to collect ALL of the missing "main items" in order to beat the game.

  • ( October 2002 ), this release has an improved 'collect all of these (specific) items on this level' method (to receive a reward) — if Spyro is defeated, the current count is retained, as-opposed to 'Spyro: Season Of Ice', where all of the 'collection items' must be collected/activated within one life.

  • ), disliked by many fans as it features a more RPG-based gameplay model (i.e. the collecting of numerous items required to revisit areas over-again, and long sections of dialogue).

  • ), half of a Crossover with Crash Bandicoot , is another disliked title, though not more so than ''Spyro 3''; although a true platformer, it has a basic gameplay model and fans dislike the 2D gameplay. The ''Crash Purple'' counterpart works far more successfully, as ''Crash Bandicoot'' games have always had 2D levels.


Overall, the GBA games has been successful and pleased its fanbase. Although, the games have been criticized for having tough camera angles and the gliding jumps hindered by the Graphics of the GBA.


Nintendo DS




Mobile Phone games


  • Spyro ( June 2003 ) In this game, Spyro is the special guest of the Fairy Queen for the Royal Ball. But just before the beginning of the party, none of the fairies are ready: their dresses are still locked in the magic chests. The player must help Spyro give each fairy her clothes in the right order or the party will be cancelled! In 'classic mode' Spyro has eighteen levels, the first three of which are practice tutorials. In 'arcade mode' the game is unlimited. Spyro has to help the fairies to find the right costume for the Great Ball of the Millennium. Each fairy has its own look and it is Spyro's job, against the clock, to locate the right clothing and accessories. If the clock runs down, as traditionally happens, the fairy can change her mind and throw off her costume. Then it's time to start again from the beginning. In arcade mode, the fairies are more impatient, ultimately leaving their dressing room. After two failures, it's game over.

  • ( November 2004 ), Ripto and his army have attacked the three worlds of Ice, Grass and Fire. They've damaged the machine that protects the worlds from the diabolical Ripto. The player must help Spyro and Sparx recover the 4 damaged machine parts and return them to the Professor. They breathe Spyro's traditional fire, cast spells, teleport, jump and fly around 3 magical worlds and 7 levels of game play. They also mmust interact with characters along the way to find out mission objectives and battle Ripto's army of re-spawning Rhino troops. In the end you must battle the new villain - a giant snake to win.

    • Once again, Spyro's got the fate of the world in his hands: the evil Ripto managed to break the machine that kept him sealed away! He is now free to roam as he likes to lead his armies to another war! The professor, who created the machine, desesperatly needs Spyro's help to recover the now scattered parts of the machine and bring an end to Ripto's insane ambitions. During the game, the player must run, jump and fly through 8 different levels, solve puzzle-like problems, rescue the fairies emprisonned by Ripto's henchmen, find new spells to increase their powers and finally gather the 4 parts of the machine and make Spyro become the hero that saved the world.

  • Spyro The Dragon (Not the same game as the PS1 title. Despite the name, it is similar to ''Shadow Legacy''.) ( August 2005 ), A powerful, evil sorcerer has captured all the Dragons. It is quite a disaster to the Dragon Realms, everyone has disappeared! Spyro's friends are counting on him becoming a true kata, the magic/martial arts Dragon power master to free the Dragons before they are trapped in the alternate dimension known as the Shadow Realm forever! Each level has two versions of itself, a normal (Material) version and a shadow version. Swapping between the two allows you to advance past obstacles that appear on one version of the realm but not the other. The shadow realm is dark and eerie while the material realm is empty and sad. Spyro has three different types of moves, one for attacking in the normal realm, one for attacking in the shadow realm and one for smashing certain objects. To 'level-up' your moves (as in an Role Playing Game ) you need to collect gems. There are 25 gems in all. There are three different colors, for each of the three different moves. The more gems you find of a color, the higher level of power you have for the move of the corresponding gem color. You can power up to a maximum of level 3 on each. The moves are: Charge (to break objects), Chi (magic power) and Tail (the ability to whack things with Spyro's tail to break them).



Appearances in non-''Spyro'' games

Spyro appears in several '''' demo. '' Crash Team Racing '' also contains a demo of ''Spyro 2'' and vice versa. '' Crash Bash '' and ''Spyro 3'' also contains demos of each other.

''. This idea is intentional, as these two games were produced with a sharing intention, whereby items collected from each title need to be traded with the opposing game in-order to complete a joint-collection between the two.

In '' Crash Twinsanity '', Spyro makes a small cameo protecting some of his treasure toward the end of the game.

In Crash Nitro Kart for GBA, Spyro can be unlocked by beating Velo with Team Bandicoot.


Flash Games

There have been many different games availible online, notably the "Crash and Spyro Adventure World". This was a promotion by Kraft foods. Inside Nabisco Fruit Snacks and Jell-O Pudding Bites consumers found cards with codes. These codes could be typed in online to unlock up to eight different games.

The original Insomniac Spyro game websites included minigames to play.

Most of these games have now been lost over time as the websites shut down or discontinue the certain promotion.


CHARACTERS

  • Spyro , an eager, headstrong, purple dragon and the main protagonist.

  • Sparx is Spyro's constant companion. In the game, Sparx acts as a "living" health bar: his color indicates how many hit points Spyro has. (Yellow- full health, blue- 2 hit points, green-1 hit point. If Sparx is gone, Spyro has to take one more hit to lose a life). Sparx can regain his hit points if Spyro kills various neutral animals (sheep, frogs, etc.), known as fodder. Killing these animals releases butterflies which Sparx eats to regain his points.

  • ---In some Spyro games, Sparx can earn one extra hitpoint (he turns red) before disappearing.

  • Hunter is a cheetah that was introduced in ''Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage''. Helps the player learn different abilities and occasionally challenges Spyro to various races. He is dim-witted and forgetful. In The year of the Dragon he falls in love with the training sorcerous Bianca, he sometimes forgets to teach Spyro new things or warn him as he is to interested in her.

  • '''.

  • Sheila , a young outgoing kangaroo who acts like a mother to the three Billy Goats Gruff in her home world.

  • Sgt. Byrd , a fearless military penguin who uses his jet-pack to fly.

  • Bentley , a mighty Yeti with a heart of gold. He's very intelligent and has a big vocabulary.

  • Agent 9 is a hyperactive monkey armed with a laser and is an ally to Spyro.

  • The Professor , the creator of the Super-portal in Avalar. He is the genius of Avalar (and the Dragon Worlds, as of ''A Hero's Tail'').

  • Elora , a Faun and one of Spyro's friends. She's friendly and wise.

  • Bianca , an anthropomorphic rabbit who onced served the Sorceress ; debuted in ''Year of the Dragon'' and has appeared in most games since. She's a training sorceress.

  • Toasty , an odd shepherd with a few surprises up his sleeve who appears in the first ''Spyro the Dragon''.

  • Zoe, a Fairy who helps Spyro in games ''Ripto's Rage!'' onwards, to save his progress.

  • Ember , a small pink dragon that appears in ''A Hero's Tail'' and ''Shadow Legacy''. In the latest game, she meets an Armadillo named Bandit and the two fall in love. In ''A Hero's Tail'' Ember is obviously in love with Spyro as she asks Spyro to smash the dark gem beside her into little tiny heart shaped pieces as well as it would look nice on an engagement ring. Ember is flirty.

  • Flame , a young, fiery orange dragon, appears in ''A Hero's Tail'' and ''Shadow Legacy'' much like Ember. His appearance in each is brief, and he neither activates minigames nor advances the plot.

  • --- Both Flame and Ember can be unlocked as skin modifiers in ''A Hero's Tail'', allowing the player to effectively live the adventure as them.

  • Blink , an anthropomorphic young mole, and '''The Professor's''' nephew. Equipped with special gadgets for digging, He explores the underground regions for the sake of his "fresh-air-a-phobia".

  • Dragon Elders , the dragons that serve as the government of the Dragon Realms , and are also the primary meditating body.

  • Nanny , is an old pink dragon whose job is to watch over the Dragon Eggs. After the thieves robbed the Nursery in the Dragon Realms, she sent Spyro to retrieve the eggs in return for Light Gems.

  • Ineptune , is the evil queen of the seven seas. She is apparently named for being Inept and after the Roman God "Neptune".



ITEMS

  • Gems are used as currency and as a way to get 100% in some of the Spyro games. In the first trilogy of Spyro games as well as Enter the Dragonfly, Spyro:Season of Ice, Spyro 2:Season of Flame and Spyro:Attack of the Rhynocs, there was a certain amount of gems within each level that could be collected and must be collected in order for the player to achieve a 100%. In The Cortex Conspiracy and A Hero's Tail, there was an uncertain number of gems within a level the player could collect by finding them laying on the ground or by defeating enemies.

  • Dark Gems are the gems which have the ability to darken the land. Those gems are used by Red The Dragon to get revenge for his banishment long ago. In A Hero's Tail, they are used to suck the life out of the land and to create forcefields around the bosses' lairs and the only way to enter a boss's lair was to destroy the 10 Dark gems in each realm. In the final realm, it seemed that the Dark Gems also helped power the machinery in Red's lair. There was a total of 40 Dark Gems in Spyro:A Hero's Tail.

  • Light Gems are the polar opposites of Dark Gems, and are collected by Spyro to restore peace and order to the dragon realms. They could be used to power the Professor's gadgets and open up secret areas in A Hero's Tail.

    • Note: There are also items known as "Light Gems" collected in the game Star Fox Adventures and are also used to operate machinery (in SFA's case, to give power to the CloudRunner Fortress).

  • The Dark Gem staff is the staff which is used by Red The Dragon to get revenge on his banishment long ago. This staff also can allow Red to cast spells.

  • Orbs are used by Avalarians to power their portals, most importantly the superportal.

  • Eggs are collected by Spyro in ''Year of the Dragon'', and like orbs in ''Ripto's Rage'', activate portals that aren't working. They were also collected in the first game by attacking the thieves and were mainly collected to get a 100% in the game. Lastly they were collected in A Hero's Tail to unlock bonuses (and the first egg was necessary for Spyro to collect so that Hunter would open a door).



MUSIC BY STEWART COPELAND

Stewart Copeland , the former Drummer of the band The Police , is credited with composing the Soundtracks for the first three Spyro games as well as ''Enter the Dragonfly''. The score for ''Spyro the Dragon'' was given high praise for its originality, portraying oriental/fantasy-like themes for the Dragon Worlds. All music was performed on a computer which he says were rather shallow compositions but one of the most fun gigs that he ever had. The original titles of the music tracks were named after the first noun that came into his head before he hit the "save" button.

Copeland made music for each world in the games as well as music devoted to each level, giving them each their own feel according to the natural surroundings, architecture and inhabitants of the place. For example, in ''Spyro the Dragon'' the Artisans' world of sheperds, sheep, medieval towers and endless green hills has an oriental-sounding mixture of bells and drums where as the Beast Makers' midnight swamp has a solid rhythm overlayed with the melancholy calls of an owl. Ambient music features in ''Spyro 2'' such as Autumn Plains. Mainly, the music is very "busy", i.e. full of different percussion intruments underlying the melody. , was some of his best to date. It is the stage for all kinds of sounds, including strange vocals and exotic instuments in styles from all over the world.

The diversity of sounds used in the Spyro soundtrack by the creative spirit of a passionate rhythmist make it fresh and different from other game music. The music has never been released on CD.


SEE ALSO



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