About

Title: Spyro The Dragon
Developer: Insomniac Games, Inc.
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment / Universal Interactive Studios
Platform: Playstation
Release Date: September 9th, 1998
The first title in the series, Spyro the Dragon is a fairly simple and straightforward platformer. The game begins with two Artisan dragons being interviewed, which is eventually interrupted by the game’s antagonist, Gnasty Gnorc, after one of the dragons dismiss him as “not a threat” and “ugly.” As revenge for the insults, Gnasty Gnorc uses his magic to trap all dragons within the Dragon Kingdom inside crystal prisons. However his magic misses one little dragon, Spyro, who must now rescue his fellow dragons and torch Gnasty Gnorc's ugly butt!


Gameplay Basics

Controls:
Spyro can be moved around using the or left stick. The button allows Spyro to jump, and pressing the button again while in the air will allow him to glide, necessary for crossing large gaps and reaching distant areas, but keep in mind that Spyro can only glide for a short while based on the height from where you glide. Pressing the button while gliding will cause Spyro to drop to the ground.

Pressing the L1 or R1 button while grounded will make Spyro roll in that direction, useful for dodging some enemy attacks.

Pressing the L2 or R2 button will rotate the camera. Pressing the button while grounded will allow Spyro to look around using the or left stick.

To attack foes, use the button to charge or the button to torch them with flames. Large enemies cannot be charged, and enemies wearing armor will not be affected by flame unless you can find a weak spot.

The button pauses the game and brings up the menu, the button also pauses but brings up the inventory menu instead, showing your collected items.

Controls Overview:
or Left Stick: Move Spyro
Button while grounded: Jump
Button while in the air: Glide
Button while gliding: Drop down
Button: Charge
Button: Flame attack
Button while grounded: Look around
L1 or R1 Button while grounded: Roll
L2 or R2 Button: Rotate camera
Button: Pause menu
Button: Inventory menu

Goals and Collectibles:
Spyro must rescue dragons trapped in crystal, they look like tall green statues that occasionally struggle in place, emitting a rumbling sound. To rescue a dragon, step on the pedestal that they rest on. Once rescued, a dragon may share hints, lore, and attempts at humor with Spyro, though some will depart with just a thank you.

The Dragon Kingdom's treasure hoard has been stolen by Gnasty Gnorc and his minions. Treasure appears as various color gems, which can be found scattered across the worlds or within various containers such as treasure chests. Gems that are far away will emit a sparkling glint. Some treasure chests are locked, and will require finding a key to open them. Foes will also be carrying gems with them, and will drop them the first time you defeat them.

Thieves have taken advantage of the situation within the Dragon Kingdom and have stolen precious dragon eggs. These thieves wear blue robes and will taunt Spyro. Some thieves however may wear different color robes and carry other stolen treasures. To recover stolen items from thieves, they must be chased down with Spyro’s charge attack, though if you get close enough you may be able to scorch them with a flame attack.

Lives, Hitpoints, and Power-Ups:
Spyro’s hitpoints status can be identified by the color of his dragonfly pal, Sparx. Yellow means full hitpoints, blue means 3 hits left, green is 2 hits, and when Sparx is gone Spyro will be knocked out and lose a life if he is hit by an enemy or harmed by an obstacle. To keep Spyro’s hitpoints full Sparx must be kept healthy by feeding him butterflies, which can be extracted from the various fodder that populate the Dragon Kingdom by charging or torching them. Fodder resemble small animals and creatures and will not harm Spyro. Previously defeated enemies may also release butterflies. While present, Sparx will also assist Spyro by picking up nearby gems and other collectibles.

Spyro has a limited amount of lives, which can be collected from purple chests that occasionally creak open, revealing something hiding inside. Lives appear as silver statues resembling a likeness of Spyro. Enemies that have been defeated before will drop small glass orbs, which will become a life when enough are collected, and sometimes they may drop a complete life statue.

Various power-ups are available to Spyro throughout the game, which will enhance Spyro’s abilities and allow him to overcome difficult obstacles. The first power-up is the Super Charge, available from trails of large arrows that can be found on the ground. Charge along these arrows to get a speed boost, charging along multiple arrow trails will increase Spyro’s charge power further, this power-up will be lost if Spyro’s charge is interrupted. The second power-up is the Super Flame, obtained by a kiss from certain fairies. The Super Flame allows Spyro to blast through almost any foe and obstacle, this power-up lasts for a short time. The third power-up is Super Flight, which is granted to Spyro in certain levels.

The World:
The Dragon Kingdom is separated into several homeworlds: Artisans, Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, Dream Weavers, and Gnasty’s World. Each homeworld contains a few levels, a flight course, and one boss accessible via portals. For Spyro to access the next homeworld, he must complete a task for the Balloonist, who will allow Spyro to use his hot air balloon once the task is complete.

Homeworlds are fairly open areas, while levels are usually more linear with multiple paths and some hidden areas. Flight courses grant Spyro with Super Flight, allowing him to fly around freely. The goal of flight courses is to traverse through or destroy multiple sets of obstacles within a time limit to earn treasure. Boss levels are much more linear than standard levels and are a bit smaller in scale, but have a higher concentration of difficult obstacles. Boss fights are very simple in this game, you will most likely run into issues reaching the boss than defeating them.