
Exploration is encouraged by the plethora of Dragon Relics lying around. Spyro can develop his four elemental attacks by collecting blue gems (of which you obtain more if you dispatch foes using extended combos).

You can even redo the fights any time you pay a visit to the elemental temple.Īside from fighting, the game's main draws are character development, exploration, and a small touch of platforming, although combat remains the focus. On a good note, most of the boss fights are well designed and challenging. At times you may find yourself avoiding enemies rather than killing them. Enemies frequently come in groups that can be pummeled collectively, though if you miss one it will get some hits on you as you try to take out its brethren.

Since the challenge is primarily in fighting, this repetition stands out a bit more than it might have otherwise. For example, the four elemental temples, being magical training grounds, frequently feature enemies from the most recent normal levels (in addition to a few elemental temple exclusives, which differ from one another only in color and stats). This problem isn't incredibly pronounced, but it is noticeable. Other than its brevity, the game's main weakness is a lack of diversity among its basic enemies and the way that they are distributed. The game diverts you periodically to a training ground to keep you up to speed. Simple combos are a matter of mashing the attack button, but extravagant combos require mixing up ground, air and elemental attacks.
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Speaking of attacks, the majority of Spyro's foes take quite a few hits such that success absolutely requires learning how to string together combos (unless you play easy mode). Once you get used to it, it feels just right. The slightly weighty feel on the ground seems like a drawback at first (particularly if you play a lot of Castlevania games), but the control is actually one of the best things about the game. On the ground, Spyro has a sense of weight that goes well with the melee nature of his essential attacks, yet in the air, he's agile and responsive. Throughout the rest of the game, Spyro acquires four elemental attacks, and if you explore the environment and back-track, you'll gain a number of optional techniques and stat boosts as well.ĭespite the complex array of moves, Spyro controls well. This provides a good foundation for the game to build upon. The initial list includes double jumping, gliding, an uppercut attack, wall jumping, dashing (good for mobility and combat) and air diving (likewise). By the end of this very short level, Spyro acquires a number of Dragon Relics, each of which adds a technique of some kind to his arsenal. The first level serves as a training ground. But never mind, it's clear that the dragonfly, Sparx, is an ally, and though the dialogue isn't half bad, the game quickly gets to what it's really about-action. As a result, when the introduction ends, you'll find yourself reading a dialogue between Spyro and a dragonfly creature whose origin ought to be known to you. This is clear upon starting, where the ending of the previous game is recapped while the beginning is left a mystery. While this Spyro outing makes for a good game, it does lack that fine coat of polish that the greats have. Only this time they added a healthy dose of adventure elements and got a lot more right than wrong. Amaze stuck with the theme and core gameplay of the prior entry in the series, continuing the retelling of Spyro's story and making another side scrolling brawler.

And yet the Spyro name still holds water and so the franchise passed to a new developer once again, Amaze Entertainment. In fact, the game just prior to this one seems to have been particularly bad in its GBA incarnation. Anyone can glance at the average review score of a recent Spyro game and see that Spyro brand usually means mediocre or worse.
