Summary
Spyrois one of the most beloved platforming mascots in gaming history, especially for all those who grew up in the ’90s and early ’00s. Once closely associated with the PlayStation brand, the franchise has expanded to almost every single platform over the years, as the purple dragon embarked on new and exciting adventures.
While there’s no doubt that the original trilogy of games is the height of this franchise, the series has had some other great games, some of which are mostly forgotten by the community. But whichSpyrogames are truly underrated and deserve to be played by every fan of the franchise?
Spyro 2: Season of Flameis a 2002 Game Boy Advance release, and a sequel toSpyro: Season of Ice, released the year before on the same system. The game is a platformer played from an isometric perspective, where players take control of Spyro as he explores hub worlds and levels, where many NPCs are waiting for him to help them solve their problems. The structure of the adventure is virtually identical to the first trilogy of games,even bringing back some of Spyro’s allies, such as Sheila and Agent 9, both of which have their own set of missions. Ripto also makes a return as the main antagonist of the game, along with his subordinates Crush and Gulp.
The game succeeds in replicating the franchise’s formula on handheld, and every single stage is rich in charm and personality. Spyro also gets some new powers, such as the ability to breathe ice and electricity, which are useful both for combat and puzzles.While the game is not as iconic as the original trilogy, fans of those games will surely enjoy their time withSpyro 2: Season of Flame.
On paper,Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocsis very similar toSpyro 2: Season of Flame. It came out just one year later, in 2003, and was made by the same development team, Digital Eclipse. And while the game does indeed play just like its predecessors, it’s also an entirely different thing at the same time. Instead of reusing the classic Spyro formula,the game mimics an open-world adventure, providing the player with some large, interconnected maps to explore. There’s also a greater emphasis on the RPG aspects of the game, as players will need to gain new abilities and retrieve objects to unlock new paths in previously visited areas.
While some fans will enjoy the change in pace and structure, others won’t like the lesser emphasis on platforming, which is what Spyro is known for. This is probablythe reason why the game is so underrated by the community: while this is indeed a good game, it’s not what most fans want from a Spyro game. It’s a shame that such a good game is still so easily forgotten by the community.
Spyro: A Hero’s Tailis the fifth and final mainline game in the originalSpyroseries. The game leaves the hub world and portals behind, instead focusing on a bigger, interconnected open world, where players often need to go back and forth to unlock new areas and missions. At the time,this change proved to be quite divisive: many fans were getting tired of the old formula, while others would’ve preferred for the series to stick closer to its roots.
Either way,Spyro: A Hero’s Tailis a good game and an underrated entry in theSpyroseries. The game offers some exciting platforming gameplay, along with some new, interesting abilities for Spyro. There are also some new playable characters, such as Hunter and Blink, and even if Blink’s missions can be quite boring, it’s still nice to see the developers try something new. With some more polish, this game could’ve easily been a turning point for the series. Instead, it’s just a good platformer, which was not enough at the time to make the series interesting again for fans.
The Legend of Spyrotrilogy is a series of hack’n’slash action games, which is usually disregarded by the broader community, but it’s fondly remembered by a smaller fanbase thanks to its greater focus on the story,which was a complete reboot of the Spyro lore. While every game in the trilogy has its good share of faults,The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragonis actually a good action game, that is mostly underrated because it belongs to this subseries.
For the first time, Spyro (and Cynder) can fly, giving players the chance to explore the world in a completely new way. The game also has some of the best locations seen in this trilogy, and there are some really neat set pieces scattered throughout the adventure. Not only that,but the game is also completely playable from start to finish in co-op, something that it’s still unique to this game within the franchise. Sure,Dawn of the Dragonwill never be remembered as one of the best action games of all time, and its version of Spyro will never be the community’s favorite, but this game still deserves some recognition for what it tried to do.
