Spyro the Dragon
A purple dragon rescues his kingdom from Gnasty Gnorc.
Spyro the Dragon is a 1998 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It stars a young purple dragon named Spyro who must rescue his fellow dragons and recover stolen treasure from the antagonist Gnasty Gnorc. The game is notable for its open-ended 3D levels and use of a panoramic engine that shifted levels of detail among rendered objects.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Insomniac Games
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Producer
- Michael John; Seth Luisi
- Artist
- Charles Zembillas
- Writer
- Peter Kleiner
- Composer
- Stewart Copeland
- Series
- Spyro
- Platforms
- PlayStation
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Spyro the Dragon is a 3D platform game in which the player controls the titular character across the realms of the Dragon World. Worlds consist of six dragon home worlds, each serving as a hub with portals to different levels. The player progresses by talking to a balloonist, who transports Spyro to the next world via hot air balloon after the required collectibles are found. Each home world contains a boss fight and a hidden flight stage that involves destroying objects while flying. Levels are open-ended and revolve around exploring and obtaining collectible items. Crystallized dragons are freed by stepping on their statue bases, and they provide advice and act as save points. Stolen treasure appears as multicolored gemstones found inside enemies, breakable boxes, and treasure chests. Stolen dragon eggs are reclaimed by chasing and defeating thieves. Finding every collectible unlocks an additional world.
Development
Spyro the Dragon was the second game developed by Insomniac Games, following their debut title Disruptor, which was a commercial failure but received positive critical reception. Artist Craig Stitt suggested a game about a dragon, and the team initially drew inspiration from the film Dragonheart, aiming for a dark, realistic tone. The original pitch, titled Lifespan, involved the dragon defending its lair over thousands of years across nine eras, including the US Civil War, and would have alternated between flight simulator and corridor shooter gameplay. A revised pitch called DragonSpan expanded to twelve eras and had the dragon age over the course of the game. Producer Mark Cerny advised the team to create a game with more mass market appeal, leading to a shift toward a whimsical, light-hearted direction. The dragon character was originally named Pete, but copyright concerns over similarities to the Disney film Pete's Dragon led to the name being scrapped. After considering Pyro, the name Spyro was settled on. Stitt's production documents listed support characters that were not retained, including a friendly gnorc named Gruph, a sheep named Shank, a centaur love interest named Amber, and Snorch, Pete's father and king of the dragons.
Release
Spyro the Dragon was first unveiled at the 1998 E3 convention in Atlanta, Georgia. It was released in North America on September 9, 1998, and in Europe on October 23, 1998. Sony Computer Entertainment's American Marketing Vice President Andrew House stated at a press party in Las Vegas that the game, along with other upcoming PlayStation releases, was part of an effort to appeal to younger audiences and compete with the Nintendo 64's larger library of children's titles. An advertisement campaign featured Toasty the Sheep protesting against Spyro's actions, including TV commercials with an actor in an animatronic costume and a promotional website, sheepagainstspyro.com. On August 16, 1999, SCEA announced the game would be included in their Greatest Hits lineup. The game was digitally re-released to the PlayStation Store on December 12, 2012, alongside its two sequels. A remake was included in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy compilation for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2018, followed by Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows in September 2019.
Reception
Spyro the Dragon earned an 85% aggregate score on GameRankings from 18 reviews. IGN's Craig Harris called it the most enjoyable 3D platformer he'd played since Crash Bandicoot, giving it a "two claws up" endorsement. Computer and Video Games praised it as the best 3D platformer on the PlayStation, despite its child-friendly tone. Electronic Gaming Monthly's Shawn Smith compared Spyro's importance to the PlayStation to Banjo-Kazooie's on the Nintendo 64, highlighting its strong graphics and gameplay. Crispin Boyer, also from EGM, said it raised the bar for the genre. GameSpot's Joe Fielder found it a proficient platformer that surpassed Blasto in every way, but noted its low difficulty kept it from reaching the heights of Super Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie. Edge magazine named it the PlayStation's top 3D platformer, though it criticized Spyro's limited moveset and less varied design compared to Super Mario 64.
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