![]() ![]() She does take centre stage as Bianca and Hunter’s relationship blossoms (another story highlight) but it feels a little too late in the day. Sadly, one character who doesn’t quite hit the mark as much is the antagonist the Sorceress – rather than Ripto’s front-and-centre appearance in Gateway to Glimmer, the Sorceress works more from the shadows, instead relying on her apprentice to do her bidding. ![]() By far the title’s funniest element is the penny-pinching bear Moneybags though – you’ll want to reject his offers just to see what put-downs he comes up with (“What are you saving your money for, another sequel?”) or question him in some of the themed levels (in one where everyone speaks in haiku he exclaims “Stop talking to me, I hate speaking in Haiku. In general there’s a fantastic level of comedy in the game – whether it be it be the slapstick humour of playing cat hockey (you have to freeze mewing cats and push them into your goal) or running into an archaeologist called Tara Croft who likes raiding tombs. Each zone you enter feels like a lovingly hand-crafted adventure that exists outside of the events of Year of the Dragon and it helps the title create the feeling of a living, breathing world (something Gateway to Glimmer excelled at too). One level might have you assisting fairies to save their princess from being abducted by a loser cat-wizard (but as it turns out, she just wanted to elope with him after all) while another might task you with helping Handsel and Greta (also returning from Spyro 2) liberate a firework factory from ninja Rhynocs. Even with my nostalgia set aside, the game features an unforgettable lineup and it’s easy to see why it’s held up as such a classic.Īlso returning from Spyro 2 are mini-stories within each level which contain a large amount of the title’s humour. Favourites from the previous title like Hunter and Zoe return (the former being a particular highlight due to his playful naivety) while new playable characters from the military penguin James Byrd to the maniac monkey Agent 9 add an extra dose of awesome to every scene they’re in. One of the ways it achieves this is through its characterisation – while Gateway to Glimmer showed the team at Insomniac were capable of making a legion of interesting side-characters, Year of the Dragon goes all-in introducing a memorable cast. ![]() Spyro’s quest to save the eggs from an evil Sorceress isn’t going to win any writing awards, but for a kid’s game it does a remarkable job of telling a compelling story that’ll be liked by both children and adults alike and weaves in well with the already-established lore of its predecessors. ![]() The opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the game – it’s funny (Bianca steps on Hunter’s paw which wakes him up) it’s a nice dose of fanservice (characters from both the first and second games return) and it features a simple yet interesting plot. As Spyro and Hunter are the only ones who can fit down the burrows, they’re forced to follow and retrieve the eggs – starting the adventure. From here, a number of burrows appear and through them comes a hooded rabbit leading an army of Rhynocs who steal the eggs and escape to the Forgotten Realms. Year of the Dragon starts with Spyro and Hunter asleep in the Dragon Realms surrounded by Spyro’s elders and a load of dragon eggs. ![]()
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