Spyro the Dragon, part of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, is a relatively straightforward game. The mechanics explain themselves by and large, and there are very few “gotchas” in the game (outside of the level “Tree Tops”) when pursuing 120% completion. That being said, there are a few key things to keep in mind if getting 120% is your goal.
Here are some tips and tricks for newcomers to the very first Spyro the Dragon game.
Enemies
Enemies are explained as being made from treasure (blink and you’ll miss the story in this game, it’s literally a cutscene at the beginning and that’s it). Each enemy you defeat drops a gem, which persists until you either leave the level or pick it up. Once you pick up a gem dropped from an enemy, if you die and the enemy respawns, they will instead drop a piece of life (once you have a certain amount, you get an extra life) rather than a gem. Enemies only respawn if you didn’t make it to a save point (either free a dragon or step on a freed dragon’s platform) after defeating them.
Enemies follow two general types – metal and non-metal. This refers to any potential armor they might be wearing. If an enemy is sporting any piece of metal, Spyro’s flame attack will be useless, and you will need to instead charge attack them. There are some hidden skinny tall enemies in blue that point and laugh at you, then run away when you get close. These enemies carry either a dragon egg or keys for the respective level. You will need to chase them via your charge attack, then either make contact, or flame them once close enough. Spyro is a hair slower than them, so you’ll need to undercut their turns when they make them, and each enemy may require a couple laps of their route to defeat.
Treasure Chests
Treasure Chests are where the bulk of gems are in each level, and there are several types of them, each acting slightly different:
- Standard Wooden Chest: These are the most common chests, and are made of wood. They can be destroyed with either a standard charge or flame attack.
- Standard Metal Chest: These look like the wooden chests except they’re made of metal. Similar to metal-wearing enemies, flame has no effect, however a simple charge attack will destroy these.
- Strong Metal Chest: These look very similar to standard metal chests, however they have what looks like weights on each side of them. Charges don’t work on these, but they will either have a padlock on the front, meaning there’s a key for said chest somewhere in the level, or you’ll need to destroy these one of a few ways, based on the level. These chests can be destroyed via a super charge (if there’s a charge pad in the leve), a fairy-powered fire attack (if there’s a kissing fairy in the level), a cannon (if in the second hub world), or a green standalone firework which can be found elsewhere in the level (once lit, this will fly through the air and destroy the chest its pointed at).
- Gem Encrusted Chest: These look like they had gems painted in the top. Once you flame on of these, the gem on top will shoot off the top, catch it in mid-air.
- Twist-Top Chest: These look like a spinning top in chest form. Three consecutive flame blasts will destroy these and give you the goods inside.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know to get started. There are only a couple of levels that require some out of the box thinking to chase that 120% completion, and the game is very relaxing and somewhat cathartic. Now stop reading, and get saving those dragons!
