Purple Dragon Thoughts
Aug. 18th, 2025 08:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xzyolotlIncoherent babblings about purple dragons.
Recently recorded a playthrough of Spyro: Year of the Dragon and still have tiny purple dragons running around my brain. Didn’t yet reach 100%, only defeated the Sorceress then took a break, the third game is my least favorite, it’s got too much stuff (I don’t dislike it though, just not the favorite.)
The second game, Ripto’s Rage, is my overall favorite (as in, what seems closest to a perfect Spyro game to me.) It has a nice balance to it. More Spyro, but not too much. The art direction and characters are fun, too. Ripto is my favorite villain, such a silly cranky little lizard guy. The Sorceress is my second favorite, I enjoy the more cruel direction of her character.
Though, the “real” favorite Spyro game for me (and probably my favorite video game overall) is the first game. The simplicity of it and the magical essence of the art direction in that game make it feel so unique. Twilight Harbor has my favorite music, it has such a chill feeling, which is amusing considering it is also a level where the gnorcs are armed with explosives and automatic weapons.
Super charge is my favorite power-up in the games, though seems underutilized (especially in the second game.) Probably due to limitations of the PS1. I am probably one of the few who enjoy how super charge was used for the Tree Tops level in the first game. The dedicated super charge areas in the third game are kinda...meh.
I have played most of the post-Insomniac entries in the series, my favorite of them being Enter the Dragonfly, unfortunately (it’s buggy and unfinished.) I remember playing it on the PS2 when it was released, I enjoyed the game but it seemed very “off” (if I remember correctly, the game’s story ends rather abruptly.) Years later I would find out it was a rushed release. Enter the Dragonfly seems like it would have been an okay game if the developer’s had more time to work on it.
Season of Ice / Season of Flame were pretty good 2D renditions of Spyro’s gameplay.
I know I played quite a bit of A Hero’s Tail, but don’t remember much (years later I would play another game by the same developers: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.)
When A New Beginning was revealed...I was not particularly excited (though was curious.) When I finally got to play it, I did not care for it. Too much button mashing. Though I think A New Beginning and the later games had some interesting ideas, the execution of those ideas didn’t really work for me.
I didn’t play Skylanders (I knew it had Spyro in it, but thought it was a case of Spyro getting absorbed into a new IP to sell copies. Sort of like what happened with Dinosaur Planet / Star Fox.) Wasn’t super into the collectible toys thing.
Years later, Spyro Reignited Trilogy would arrive, it was okay. I was hoping once it was released on PC, that modding / custom levels could possibly be a thing. There a few custom levels I think that were released / being worked on, though model swapping seems to be most popular.
Honestly surprised that so many Spyro games were developed / released.
The Spyro the dragons games are my favorite pieces of media, yet I have created so little fanart. I think I’ve created more Crash Bandicoot fanart than Spyro fanart. I have a [ Spyro Fanpage ] where my fanart can be viewed. Don’t have a Crash Bandicoot fanpage, not sure if I’ll ever make one.
Kinda wanna dig though Archive.org / Wayback Machine and see if I can find any old Spyro fansites.
That’s enough babbling about purple dragons for now.
Recently recorded a playthrough of Spyro: Year of the Dragon and still have tiny purple dragons running around my brain. Didn’t yet reach 100%, only defeated the Sorceress then took a break, the third game is my least favorite, it’s got too much stuff (I don’t dislike it though, just not the favorite.)
The second game, Ripto’s Rage, is my overall favorite (as in, what seems closest to a perfect Spyro game to me.) It has a nice balance to it. More Spyro, but not too much. The art direction and characters are fun, too. Ripto is my favorite villain, such a silly cranky little lizard guy. The Sorceress is my second favorite, I enjoy the more cruel direction of her character.
Though, the “real” favorite Spyro game for me (and probably my favorite video game overall) is the first game. The simplicity of it and the magical essence of the art direction in that game make it feel so unique. Twilight Harbor has my favorite music, it has such a chill feeling, which is amusing considering it is also a level where the gnorcs are armed with explosives and automatic weapons.
Super charge is my favorite power-up in the games, though seems underutilized (especially in the second game.) Probably due to limitations of the PS1. I am probably one of the few who enjoy how super charge was used for the Tree Tops level in the first game. The dedicated super charge areas in the third game are kinda...meh.
I have played most of the post-Insomniac entries in the series, my favorite of them being Enter the Dragonfly, unfortunately (it’s buggy and unfinished.) I remember playing it on the PS2 when it was released, I enjoyed the game but it seemed very “off” (if I remember correctly, the game’s story ends rather abruptly.) Years later I would find out it was a rushed release. Enter the Dragonfly seems like it would have been an okay game if the developer’s had more time to work on it.
Season of Ice / Season of Flame were pretty good 2D renditions of Spyro’s gameplay.
I know I played quite a bit of A Hero’s Tail, but don’t remember much (years later I would play another game by the same developers: Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy.)
When A New Beginning was revealed...I was not particularly excited (though was curious.) When I finally got to play it, I did not care for it. Too much button mashing. Though I think A New Beginning and the later games had some interesting ideas, the execution of those ideas didn’t really work for me.
I didn’t play Skylanders (I knew it had Spyro in it, but thought it was a case of Spyro getting absorbed into a new IP to sell copies. Sort of like what happened with Dinosaur Planet / Star Fox.) Wasn’t super into the collectible toys thing.
Years later, Spyro Reignited Trilogy would arrive, it was okay. I was hoping once it was released on PC, that modding / custom levels could possibly be a thing. There a few custom levels I think that were released / being worked on, though model swapping seems to be most popular.
Honestly surprised that so many Spyro games were developed / released.
The Spyro the dragons games are my favorite pieces of media, yet I have created so little fanart. I think I’ve created more Crash Bandicoot fanart than Spyro fanart. I have a [ Spyro Fanpage ] where my fanart can be viewed. Don’t have a Crash Bandicoot fanpage, not sure if I’ll ever make one.
Kinda wanna dig though Archive.org / Wayback Machine and see if I can find any old Spyro fansites.
That’s enough babbling about purple dragons for now.
