Spyro the Dragon (character)

Development

Spyro was created by Charles Zembillas for the game Spyro the Dragon. During the development of the game, Spyro was originally going to be green, but the developers thought it was a bad idea because he would blend in with the grass areas, so they eventually changed him to purple.

After the first creative pass into the project, the producers came to their first important decision: They decided that the dragon would be a character that appealed to 8–10 years old. The character had to be cute, but at the same time, mischievous, bratty, unpredictable and something of an upstart. By the end of this pass, the character design that would become the basis for Spyro was defined.

In an interview, Ted Price stated that they gave up the series after releasing Spyro: Year of the Dragon because Spyro's actions were limited, due to not being able to hold anything in his hands. With the failed sales of Disruptor, Spyro was Insomniac Games' last resort before going bankrupt. Stewart Copeland was commissioned by Insomniac Games and Universal Interactive Studios in 1998 to make the musical scores for Spyro the Dragon.

Characteristics

Throughout the original series, Spyro is portrayed as energetic and curious (and somewhat mischievous), with little regard for his own safety. He is also described as a courageous hero, known for his somewhat cocky attitude and stubbornness.

The reboot of the Spyro series, the Legend of Spyro trilogy, features an alternate incarnation of Spyro, wherein he is described as willing to help his friends and strangers with whatever problems they may have, without desire for reward. Here, Spyro is adventurous, curious about his past and eager to shape his future, in which he is expected to become something of a chieftain.

In the Skylanders adaptation, Spyro is described as strong-willed and young at heart, but possessed of a headstrong and arrogant attitude. As in his Legend of Spyro incarnation, in Skylanders, Spyro came from a rare line of magical purple dragons able to harness the power of the various classical elements.

Abilities

In the original series, Spyro's main attacks consist of ramming his opponents with his long horns or breathing fire at them. In later games, power-ups allow flying, spitting fire balls, and breathing ice. In every game past Spyro 2: Season of Flame, Spyro is able to exhale fire and ice, with power-up gates letting him breathe 'super' fire, ice, and lightning. In Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly he exhales fire, bubbles, lightning, and ice. In Spyro: A Hero's Tail, he is able to breathe fire, water, ice, and lightning.

In the Legend of Spyro series, Spyro controls the elements of Fire, Electricity, Ice, and Earth.

In the Skylanders series, Spyro has the ability to control all of the elements of the world of Skylands, but he prefers fire. On some occasions, he can also harness the powers of darkness to become his dark alter ego, Dark Spyro; but this process always leaves him at risk of being consumed by the darkness.

Most of the games, Sparx, Spyro's dragonfly companion, is an important element throughout the game. He represents Spyro's health. When Spyro gets hit, Sparx will start to change color. Yellow is high health, blue is in the middle, green is low. If Sparx disappears, Spyro will be vulnerable, and will die if struck again. Sparx can reappear, or be restored, by eating butterflies found when Spyro attacks animals.

Original series

In Spyro the Dragon, Gnasty Gnorc traps all the dragons in crystal, except for Spyro, who thereafter goes across the Dragon Realms saving the trapped dragons, and finally vanquishes Gnasty, after killing the other Gnorks. In Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, Spyro seeks a vacation from the dragon realms; but arrives in Avalar, where Ripto, an evil wizard, has proclaimed himself ruler, and Spyro must defeat him. After liberating each of the three kingdoms of Avalar, he defeats Ripto, and finally has his vacation. In Spyro: Year of the Dragon, an anthropomorphic rabbit named Bianca, and her army of Rhynocs, steal dragon eggs. Because Spyro is the only dragon small enough to enter the hole Bianca created, he pursues the eggs. After Bianca finds out what the Sorceress (her superior) plans on doing with the dragon eggs, she allies with Spyro. After going through all four of the Forgotten Realms, Spyro and Bianca rescue the eggs at last.

In Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, Spyro rescues all the dragonflies, stolen by the evil Ripto. Spyro: A Hero's Tail shows Spyro saving the Dragon Realms from being plunged into darkness by an ancient dragon named Red.

The Legend of Spyro series

The Legend of Spyro trilogy serves as a reboot for the series. The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning states that Spyro was raised by a family of dragonflies in a swamp; but afterward travels to the dragon temple, to find it under attack by Cynder, a dragon in the service of the Dark Master. After Spyro defeats Cynder in battle, she converts to goodness.

In The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, the dragons are attacked by Gaul, the Ape King, to release the Dark Master. Spyro travels to the Mountain of Malefor to stop Gaul and to rescue Cynder, whom the Apes had kidnapped. After Gaul is defeated, Spyro traps himself, Sparx, and Cynder in a giant crystal to protect them as the mountain crumbles.

In The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, Spyro and Cynder are released from the crystal by their enemy's minions. They are attached by magic snakes and are attacked by a giant golem and must escape with the help of Hunter. They find out that Malefor, the Dark Master, has escaped and later released the Destroyer, a beast capable of destroying the world. They must travel to the Dragon city through the enchanted forest and then through Avalar (where they rescue Meadow, a cheetah from Hunter the Cheetah's village). They then arrive at the Dragon city and must help protect the city and save the mole people. He and the four elder dragons slow down the beast, then Spyro and Cynder confront the Dark Master. During the battle, the three of them fall into the center of the earth, where Malefor is defeated. From there, Spyro repairs the damage the Destroyer caused to the planet, and he and Cynder are later seen flying together through the air toward the end of the game. This signifies the end of the game and is the last game in The Legend of Spyro series.

Skylanders series

Spyro the Dragon has appeared in the Skylanders franchise starting with Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. While his role is small in the games, he is given larger roles in the novels and certain IDW comic book issues of Skylanders. In Skylanders: Imaginators, Spyro, along with other certain fan-favorite Skylanders, were given a bigger role as guides for players within certain levels.

Spyro's backstory states that he hails from a rare line of magical purple dragons that come from a faraway land few have ever traveled. It's been said that the Scrolls of the Ancients mention Spyro prominently; the old Portal Masters having chronicled his many exciting adventures and heroic deeds. Finally, it was the Portal Master, Master Eon himself, who reached out and invited him to join the Skylanders. Now calling Skylands his home, Spyro remains one of its most valued protectors, with evil facing a new enemy—and the Skylanders gaining a valued ally.

During his time as one of the Skylanders, Spyro became good friends with two fellow Skylanders, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy. He is also responsible for defeating and freeing Cynder from the spell of the Undead Dragon King, Malefor. Within the novels and comics of the Skylanders franchise, Spyro is strongly implied to be second-in-command, regularly taking over as leader of the Skylanders whenever a Portal Master, such as Master Eon, is unavailable.

Other media

A number of spin-off titles were also made for hand-held consoles. In Spyro: Season of Ice and Spyro 2: Season of Flame, Spyro works to save the Fairy Realm and Dragon Realm, respectively, after they are covered in ice by Ripto and the Rhynocs. Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs shows Ripto trying to invade the Dragon Realm; Spyro sets out to repel the invasion. Spyro: Shadow Legacy describes an invasion by a sorcerer who creates a dark version of the Dragon Realm, hoping to use this realm to conquer the Dragon Realm. Spyro sets out to free the sorcerer's captives and defeat the sorcerer. Skylanders: Universe was an online version of the original Skylander video game.

Three games were made for mobile phones, pitting Spyro against previously established villains like Ripto. There is also a crossover game called Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy, in which Spyro teams up with fellow Universal/Sierra character Crash Bandicoot to defeat Ripto and Crash's nemesis, Doctor Neo Cortex; Spyro also made a brief cameo in a cutscene of Crash Twinsanity, flaming some of that game's villains for stealing some of his treasure, and also appeared in the GBA version of Crash Nitro Kart as an unlockable character.

Spyro is one of the main characters in the 2016 Skylanders spin-off television series, Skylanders Academy. He is voiced by Justin Long. He was found as a newly hatched egg by Master Eon, and was raised by him, thus so far his origins in this universe is largely unknown.

Merchandises

Five toys based on Spyro—including a checkerboard and key chain—were packaged with kids' meals in a Wendy's promotion for The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. There were also toys released at McDonald's along with Crash Bandicoot toys in 2006.

Various stuffed toy versions of Spyro have also appeared in toy stores, although it is unknown whether or not they are official merchandise. Other merchandise of Spyro, including plush toys and MEGA Blok toys, are part of the latest Skylanders franchise.

Cameo appearances

Spyro himself makes a brief appearance in Crash Twinsanity, flaming a few of the game's villains for stealing his gems. Spyro also appeared in the advertisement for Ty the Tasmanian Tiger in a hospital bed along with Crash Bandicoot and Sonic the Hedgehog. Krome Studios developed the first two installments of The Legend of Spyro. Spyro also appeared in the Game Boy Advance release of Crash Fusion (known as Crash Purple: Ripto's Rampage in the U.S.) where he was playable when the game was linked to its Spyro counterpart, Spyro Fusion (Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy in the U.S.). He also appeared as an unlockable racer in the Game Boy Advance version of Crash Nitro Kart.

Reception

Game Revolution criticized Spyro's voice in the first game, comparing it to the Taco Bell chihuahua (who was also played by Carlos Alazraqui). IGN praised Spyro's design, saying he is "cute but not sickeningly cute", and later said that he "is just a little bland, and not the kind of mascot that I would ever fall in love with", stating that "He's kind of like a blend between a big puppy and a donkey, painted purple." UGO.com listed Spyro on their list of The Cutest Video Game Characters stating "The purple little guy was cute, but not cute enough to win the Great Playstation Mascot War of 1998." The 2011 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition lists Spyro as the 39th most popular video game character. In 2012, GamesRadar ranked Spyro, "one of the most relatable mythological creatures of all time", as the 92nd "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games. In the same year, he was ranked 9th in Complex's "The 25 Most Kickass Dragons in Video Games" list, with the writer Obi Anyawu stating Spyro "is truly an original just from his size and color alone."