The Legend of Spyro (Trilogy)

[Click here to watch the A New Beginning Trailer]

[Click here to watch the The Eternal Night Trailer]

[Click here to watch the Dawn of the Dragon Trailer]

Titles: 1.) The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning 2.) The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night 3.) The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon

Genre: Fantasy Action

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Consoles: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2 (<<<A New Beginning), Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Wii (<<<The Eternal Night), Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii (<<<Dawn of the Dragon)

Game Description:

The Legend of Spyro trilogy is a relatively newer branch of the classic Spyro games, of which there are many. This particular trilogy has newer graphics and a separate, dramatic story-line, and it also acts as the prequels to the popular Skylanders games. You play as a young dragon raised in a pleasant swamp. When you meet another dragon for the first time, you learn that you are a special dragon among the dragon species, and that it is your destiny to save the world from the Dark Master.

A New Beginning and The Eternal Night are quite similar to one another, though the second has numerous small improvements, including more varied levels. You travel through decorated fantasy lands fighting evil apes and other creatures with your claws, teeth, and draconic powers you learn throughout the span of the game, including fire, electricity, ice, earth, and eventually, time. Most of the game consists of fighting and puzzle-solving your way through levels. Flying is limited, unfortunately, and these two games are single-player only.

Dawn of the Dragon is the final installment of the trilogy. It has different animation and style than the first two, because the series was taken by new developers. This game takes place a couple of years after the first two. Since Spyro and his sister (who you meet in the previous games) are older, they can fly without limitation. This game is the only one of the three to provide multi-player. One player plays as Spyro and the other plays as his sister (who has her own, separate set of powers, including poison, fear, shadow, and wind). This game has slightly more difficult fighting and puzzle-solving. I personally found this game disappointing in comparison to the other two, and wouldn’t have played it at all if it hadn’t been for multi-player and the fantastic new flying function. Regardless, I don’t think kids will mind the differences quite as much as I do.

Skills Recommended and Required:

• Good understanding of a controller – REQUIRED
• Ability to use complex controls – REQUIRED
• Problem-solving skills – REQUIRED
• Puzzle-solving skills – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
• Patience – RECOMMENDED

General Difficulty:

These games are meant for kids, so they aren’t particularly difficult, but they aren’t easy either. They have slightly complicated fighting controls, and a lot of the game is fighting. The rest is puzzle-solving, which can be frustrating at times, especially in the third game. It is just hard enough that it will push a child to think outside the box at times, as all good puzzles do, but not so difficult that the kid declares hatred for the game forever (though there are points where a kid could get stuck for a while without help).

Level of Violence:

As mentioned before, a lot of the game is fighting. None of the violence is very graphic, however, but, as a dragon, you do possess the ability to set your enemies on fire (none of which are human). There is quite a bit of destruction, though none of it is much different than what a kid might see in an action show for kids. The fighting and destruction look cool, but are never severe, disturbing, or bloody. There are some bigger, scarier, more destructive monsters in the third game though, but again, the violence is kept down to an appropriate level for kids.

Use of Bad Language:

There is no bad language in these games.

Presence of a Story:

These games are very story-centered. Like a movie, they are involved and dramatic, aiming toward a young, particularly male, audience. The story-line spans across all three games, with the same action, adventure, humor, suspense, and occasional sadness you would find in a kids’ show or movie. The story is an essential part of the game, but there are plenty of cool powers and other game mechanics to make the game more than just a story.

Presence of a Message:

Like any story, there are lessons to be learned and themes throughout, such as mercy, forgiveness, bravery, perseverance, and friendship. While there is tension and negativity from certain characters, the most impressionable characters are good by nature.

Entertainment Value:

This is an appealing game to kids (especially boys) who love fantasy and action because of the awesome powers and fighting styles you possess. And, naturally, dragons are always an attracting force in games, shows, or movies for kids. The story is fit for children, simple enough to keep their attention and prevent confusion, but thought out enough to be interesting to them. There are also many stars that voice the characters of these games, including Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman, and David Spade. I should mention here that the handheld versions of the games (for the Game Boy, DS, and phones) have totally different graphics and style. I never desired playing them because they looked bad in comparison to the normal versions of the games.

Age Range Recommendation:

The age recommendation for these games are 10 and up, but, 7, 8, and 9 year-olds would probably play them well enough (though they might have a difficult time with later, more complicated puzzles). My brother played the multi-player third game with me when he was 4 – he learned quickly and wasn’t perturbed by the scarier parts of the game, but would have had a hard time with the puzzles without my help.

Usual Cost:

The games’ costs are all over the place, depending on the console you’re buying the game for, where you’re buying the game from, and whether you’re buying a new or used game. I see them on sale anywhere from $7 to $70. Make sure you can’t get the game for a lower price before buying it. I wouldn’t pay any higher than $30, maybe $40 for one of these games. Your best bet is probably buying a used game on Amazon.