Spyro

Not to be confused withSpiro.

This article is about the series. For the title character, seeSpyro (character).For the video game, seeSpyro the Dragon.

Spyrois aplatform gameseries originally created byInsomniac Gamesas an exclusive forSony'sPlayStationconsole. The series features the adventures of the main protagonist ofthe title character,a dragon. Since the series' introduction in 1998, there have been numerous sequels and a reboot trilogy. The series was originally produced byUniversal Interactive,later became known asVivendi Games;the rights to the intellectual property were acquired byActivisionafter its merge with Vivendi in 2008.

Spyro
Logo since 2018
Genre(s)	Platform Action-adventure
Developer(s)	Insomniac Games(1998–2000) Digital Eclipse(2001–2003) Equinoxe Digital Entertainment (2003) Check Six Studios (2003) Vicarious Visions(2004) Kaolink (2004) Eurocom Entertainment Software(2004) Amaze Entertainment(2005–2007) Krome Studios(2006–2007) Big Ant Studios(2006) The Mighty Troglodytes (2006–2008) Étranges Libellules(2008) Tantalus Media(2008) Toys for Bob(2011,2018)
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment(1998–2000) Universal Interactive(2001–2003) Vivendi Games(2004–2008) WonderPhone (2004) Digital Bridges (2004) Vivendi Games Mobile(2006–2008) Activision(2008–present)
Creator(s)	John Fiorito Dan Johnson Jared Hardy Alex Hastings Brian Hastings Alain Maindron Chris McNulty Ted Price Alex Schaefer Craig Stitt Chuck Suong Oliver Wade Matthew Whiting Charles Zembillas
Platform(s)	PlayStation Game Boy Advance PlayStation 2 GameCube Xbox Nintendo DS Java ME Wii PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 PlayStation 4 Xbox One Microsoft Windows Nintendo Switch
First release	Spyro the Dragon 9 September 1998
Latest release	Spyro Reignited Trilogy 13 November 2018

The series went dormant for a decade until a collection ofremakesof the originalSpyroPlayStation trilogy calledSpyro Reignited Trilogy,developed byToys for Bob,was released for thePlayStation 4andXbox Onein November 2018, and later for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch in September 2019.

Development and history

Release timeline

1998	Spyro the Dragon
1999	Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!
2000	Spyro: Year of the Dragon
2001	Spyro: Season of Ice
2002	Spyro 2: Season of Flame
	Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly
2003	Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs
2004	Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy
	Spyro: A Hero's Tail
	Spyro: Ripto Quest
2005	Spyro the Dragon
	Spyro: Shadow Legacy
2006	The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
2007	The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
2008	The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018	Spyro Reignited Trilogy

PlayStation exclusivity (1998–2000)

Main articles:Spyro the Dragon,Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!,andSpyro: Year of the Dragon

Spyro the Dragonwas released in North America on 9 September 1998 and Europe in October 1998 for thePlayStation.It is a platform game that placed the player as Spyro, a small purple dragon set with the task of freeing his fellow dragons from crystal prisons, which are scattered around their world. Each level is accessed through 'portals' from a main world. The game closes out with the climatic battle between Spyro and the primary antagonist, Gnasty Gnorc. The game sold well, with a total of five million copies being sold worldwide.The game received favorable reviews fromIGNgivingSpyro the Dragona 9 out of 10.It received acclaim for its musical score byStewart Copeland.

Ripto's Rage!,known asGateway to GlimmerinPAL regions,followed on from the success of the first title, making its release on 2 November 1999 in North America and 5 November 1999 in Europe for the PlayStation.The game introduced new characters including Hunter, acheetah;Elora, afaun;The Professor, amole;and Zoe, afairy.The structure of the game is similar to the first, with levels being accessed from the three main home worlds: Summer Forest, Autumn Plains, and Winter Tundra. The game ends with the climatic duel between Spyro and the primary antagonist, Ripto. The game introduces some abilities for Spyro, including hovering after a glide, swimming underwater, climbing ladders, head-bashing, and the ability to use power-ups. Like its predecessor, it was critically acclaimed.

Year of the Dragonwas released in North America on 24 October 2000 and Europe on 10 November 2000 for the PlayStation, and it was Insomniac's lastSpyrogame.In the game, the dragons are celebrating the Year of the Dragon, an event held every twelve years in which new dragoneggsarrive in the dragon worlds. Bianca, ananthropomorphicrabbit,steals the eggs, and Spyro follows her down a rabbit hole. The rabbit hole leads to the Forgotten Realms, which are under the rule of the game's primary antagonist, The Sorceress, to whom Bianca is apprenticed. As in the previous games, levels are accessed from a central home world, of which there are four: Sunrise Spring, Midday Gardens, Evening Lake, and Midnight Mountain. The game also features levels in which the player controls "Sparx", Spyro's companion dragonfly, in a bird's eye view shooting game as well as four new playable characters: Sheila theKangaroo,Sgt. Byrd, Bentley theYeti,and Agent 9 theMonkey.

Multiplatform and handhelds (2001–05)

Main articles:Spyro: Season of Ice,Spyro 2: Season of Flame,Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly,Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs,Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy,Spyro: A Hero's Tail,andSpyro: Shadow Legacy

Season of Icewas the first Spyro game not to be developed byInsomniac Gamesor be on a Sony console, released for theGame Boy Advanceand developed byDigital Eclipse.It is known asSpyro Advancein Japan. Spyro must use his fire breath to rescue the fairies in the various Fairy Realms after they are frozen by an evil monster named Grendor.

Season of Flamewas the second Digital Eclipse title and was released for the Game Boy Advance. It is the sequel toSeason of Ice,and introduces new features, such as the ability to breathe other elements besides fire. In the game, Spyro must recover the stolen fireflies scattered across the Dragon Realms and foil an evil plot by Ripto and his minions.

Enter the Dragonflyis available for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, and was developed by Equinox Digital Entertainment and Check Six Studios. It had received mixed to negative responses from reviewers, referring to the numerous glitches, lack of storyline, originality, and long load times.The story begins with the baby dragons preparing to receive their dragonflies and celebrating. Ripto captures the dragonflies, making the dragons helpless, and accidentally scatters the dragonflies across the world with a spell. Spyro must recover the dragonflies.

Attack of the Rhynocs,also known asSpyro Adventurein Europe and Australia, is the third and final game to be developed by Digital Eclipse. Spyro is tasked with collecting the "Heart" of each land in order to stop Ripto's latest evil scheme after a machine malfunctions opening a portal, bringing Ripto back into the dragon realms following the events of Enter The Dragonfly.

The Cortex Conspiracy,known asSpyro Fusionin Europe and Australia, andSpyro Advance Wakuwaku Tomodachi Daisakusen!in Japan, introduces multiple game screening. It is a crossover game betweenSpyro the DragonandCrash Bandicoot,and a companion game toCrash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage.In the game, Spyro travels throughCrash's universe in a side-scroller, rather than the traditional isometric, top-down view.

A Hero's Tailis available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube, and was created byEurocom.The game revolves around an evil plot by the villain Red, a former Dragon Elder, who begins to plant Dark Gems around the Dragon Realms, sucking the life out of these worlds. He also works alongside Gnasty Gnorc and Ineptune. Spyro then begins his journey to destroy all the Dark Gems, alongside Sparx, Hunter, Sgt. Byrd, and Blink.

Shadow Legacyacts as a sequel toSpyro: A Hero's Tailand was released only on theNintendo DS.This is the firstSpyrogame that plays as a role-playing game as opposed to a platformer and the game allows Spyro to gain experience, level up and learn new spells and combat moves. Spyro must use his new skills to save his allies when they are trapped in the "Shadow Realm" which features returning levels from the Dragon Kingdom, Avalar, and the Forgotten Realms.

The Legend of Spyroreboot trilogy (2006–08)

Main article:The Legend of Spyro

The Legend of Spyrois a game trilogy that is part of theSpyro the Dragonseries. It acted as arebootto the original series. The games use a combination of close-combat and platforming gameplay, though the gameplay is more oriented towards combat than previous games in the Spyro series were. The story revolves aroundSpyro,the protagonist, and his efforts to stop Malefor, The Dark Master, from destroying the world.

The first installment of this game is titledThe Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning.It focuses on Spyro's origins as a legendary purple dragon and his quest to stop Cynder, the black dragon waging war against the world. He meets Ignitus the Fire Guardian, a red dragon who tells him about his past and offers to train him in his newly discovered ability to breathe fire. Spyro must then embark on a quest to various worlds to rescue the other three Guardians; Volteer, the Electric Guardian, Cyril, the Ice Guardian, and Terrador, the Earth Guardian. Each guardian trains him in a new elemental breath to help him on his journey and eventual fight with Cynder herself.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy(2018)

Main article:Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Discussions around the relaunch of Spyro began as early as 2014. In a July 2014 interview withThe Daily Telegraph,Sony Computer EntertainmentCEO, Andrew House stated that his team was considering bringingSpyroback. House stated that he believed video gamers would be interested in revisiting a character from their youth.Later that same year,Insomniac GamesCEOTed Pricealso stated that making a newSpyrogame was a possibility.In 2017, developerVicarious Visionsstated that they were aware of how high the popular demand was for a revival of the classic Spyro series. In a statement they said, "just keep asking".Spyro Reignited Trilogywas officially announced on 5 April 2018 and was originally going to be released on 21 September 2018 forPlayStation 4andXbox One,before being delayed to 13 November 2018.The game was developed byToys for Boband was ported to Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch, with a release date of 3 September 2019.

Other games

In addition toCrash PurpleandSpyro Orange,Spyro has made various crossover appearances in theCrash Bandicootseries. Spyro appears as a playable character in theGame Boy Advanceversion ofCrash Nitro Kart,and makes a cameo appearance inCrash Twinsanity.The characters Spyro, Cynder, Dark Spyro, Sparx the Dragonfly and Malefor also made appearances in theSkylandersseries, including all six mainline games and thetelevision series.Elements from theSpyroseries were added toCrash Team Racing Nitro-Fueledas part of a post-launch game update in August 2019. Spyro, Hunter, and Gnasty Gnorc appear as playable characters, along withSpyro-themed karts and a "Spyro Circuit" race track.Spyro-themed parade and pool floats appear inCrash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time,while both Spyro and Dark Spyro have major roles inCrash Bandicoot: On the Run!Spyro, Elora and Ripto made appearances as playable characters in season 3 ofCrash Team Rumble.

Cancelled games

Spyro Ever Afterwas going to be the first Spyro educational game where Spyro meets fairy tale characters likeThe Three Little Pigs,Little Red Riding Hood,Puss in Boots,Goldilocks and the Three BearsandGolden Goose.However, the game never passed the storyboard, and was cancelled.

Agent 9was aJames Bond-like parody spin-off game starring Agent 9 as the main character as he does spy missions. It was set to be developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment and Backbone Entertainment and be published by Universal Interactive. The game's production was cancelled for undisclosed reasons.

After the cancellation ofAgent 9,Digital Eclipsereworked the game into a fullSpyro the Dragontitle, that took place in a large desert environment. The video game title was never released to the market, and was scrapped by Digital Eclipse.

List of games

Game	Developer	Release Year	Platform
Spyro the Dragon	Insomniac Games	1998	PlayStation
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!		1999
Spyro: Year of the Dragon		2000
Spyro: Season of Ice	Digital Eclipse	2001	Game Boy Advance
Spyro 2: Season of Flame		2002
Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly	Equinoxe Digital Entertainment Check Six Studios	2002	PlayStation 2 GameCube
Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs	Digital Eclipse	2003	Game Boy Advance
Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy	Vicarious Visions	2004
Spyro: A Hero's Tail	Eurocom	2004	PlayStation 2 GameCube Xbox
Spyro: Ripto Quest	Kaolink	2004	Java ME
Spyro the Dragon	Kaolink	2005	Java ME
Spyro: Shadow Legacy	Amaze Entertainment	2005	Nintendo DS
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning	Krome Studios Big Ant Studios Amaze Entertainment	2006	PlayStation 2 GameCube Xbox Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night		2007	PlayStation 2 Wii Game Boy Advance Nintendo DS
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon	Étranges Libellules Tantalus Media	2008	PlayStation 2 Wii PlayStation 3 Xbox 360 Nintendo DS
Spyro Reignited Trilogy	Toys for Bob	2018	PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch Windows

Common elements

Characters

The main character of the series isSpyro the Dragon,a young purple dragon. In the original series, he is accompanied by Sparx, adragonflythat performs many functions such as helping protect Spyro from damage and collecting gems. Most of the games before theLegend of Spyroseries include Hunter the Cheetah, a loyal friend of Spyro's who sometimes helps him on quests; Moneybags, a money-obsessed bear who in some games is needed to make pathways for Spyro for a small fee; and Zoe, a fairy who serves as checkpoints in each land that Spyro visits.

Locations

The Dragon Realms are the main setting of the series where most of the dragons including Spyro live. Avalar is a separate world that was being threatened by Ripto inSpyro: Ripto's Rage.The Forgotten Realms are the ancient home of the dragons before being driven out by the Sorceress and serve as the setting for Spyro: Year of the Dragon. The Fairy Realms are a separate series of realms that are inhabited by fairies and only appear inSpyro: Season of Ice.After collecting enough orbs inSpyro 2: Riptos Rage,the Dragon Shores can be accessed, which has games and a special power-up for Spyro.

Collectibles

A large part of the original series revolves around item collection. When the player collects a certain amount of items, they can move on to the next area. The most common of these aregems,which are often used not only for collecting, but also for buying skills, passageways, items, and more. InA Hero's Tailthere were special dark gems, which the player had to destroy to proceed to new areas within the game, while collecting light gems allowed use of some of the professor's inventions and opened certain doors.

Freeing dragons is the main goal inSpyro the Dragon,while retrieving dragon eggs is the main goal inSpyro: Year of the Dragon.InSpyro the Dragon,dragon eggs are also collected by chasing down thieves (but their color designs are different from those of the third installment). They also appear inSpyro: A Hero's Tail,and collecting them will unlock concept art. Collecting Talismans and Orbs are the primary goal inSpyro 2: Ripto's Rage!,as the devices are used in a portal to get Spyro back to his home. Dragonflies are the primary collectibles inSpyro: Enter the Dragonflywhere Spyro catches them using his bubble breath. InSpyro: Season of Icefreeing fairies is the main goal, and inSpyro 2: Season of Flamecollecting fireflies is the goal.

Music

Stewart Copelandcomposed the soundtracks for the first fourSpyrogames. Copeland made music for each world in the games as well as music devoted to each level, often playing each level so he could tailor the mood of the music to the level.As with the voice cast inA Hero's Tail,Stewart Copeland was replaced and the soundtrack was composed by Steve Duckworth and Paul Lawler. Rebecca Kneubuhl and Gabriel Mann of thea cappellaband Spiralmouth composed the music forThe Legend of Spyrotrilogy. Finally, forReignited Trilogy,Copeland's music was remixed in-house by the developer and remained mostly faithful to the original scores; Copeland himself composed a main theme for the compilation.

Reception

Aggregate review scores

Game	Metacritic
Spyro the Dragon	(PS1) 85%
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!	(PS1) 87%
Spyro: Year of the Dragon	(PS1) 91/100
Spyro: Season of Ice	(GBA) 74/100
Spyro 2: Season of Flame	(GBA) 76/100
Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly	(GC) 48/100 (PS2) 56/100
Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs	(GBA) 72/100
Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy	(GBA) 60/100
Spyro: A Hero's Tail	(GC) 62/100 (PS2) 60/100 (Xbox) 64/100
Spyro: Shadow Legacy	(NDS) 50/100
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning	(Xbox) 69/100 (NDS) 68/100 (GC) 67/100 (PS2) 64/100 (GBA) 44/100
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night	(GBA) 80/100 (Wii) 60/100 (NDS) 56/100 (PS2) 54/100
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon	(Wii) 64/100 (X360) 62/100 (PS3) 59/100 (NDS) 57/100
Spyro Reignited Trilogy	(NS) 79/100 (PC) 75/100 (PS4) 82/100 (XONE) 83/100

As of 2007, theSpyro the Dragonseries has sold over 20 million units worldwide.According to theLos Angeles Times,the firstSpyrogame has sold over 4.8 million units worldwide as of November 2007 making it the seventeenth best-selling PlayStation game of all time,Ripto's Rage!sold 3.45 million units andYear of the Dragonsold 3.28 million units.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

• Official website