Welcome to the vibrant worlds of Spyro the Dragon, a beloved PlayStation platformer from 1998. As Spyro, you'll master dragonfire and aerial acrobatics, exploring colorful realms like Artisans Homeworld. Your mission is to collect every gem and dragon egg scattered throughout these lands, while honing your gliding skills to uncover every secret.
This guide is your go-to resource for mastering Spyro's adventure. We'll help you navigate tricky platforming sections, defeat challenging bosses, and ensure you collect every last gem and dragon egg. Get ready to explore every nook and cranny and achieve 100% completion!
Part 1
Embark on your first adventure in Spyro the Dragon! This guide covers the initial steps, basic controls, and essential tips to get you soaring through the first worlds. Learn how to move, collect gems, and defeat early enemies.
Welcome to your very first steps into the magical world of Spyro the Dragon! This guide is designed to be your friendly companion, helping you navigate the early challenges and get a solid grasp of the game. Think of me as that experienced friend sitting next to you, pointing out the ropes. We'll cover the absolute basics to get you started, from understanding the game's setup to mastering Spyro's core moves. Don't worry if you're completely new to this; we'll take it one step at a time!
What's Covered:
- Getting started and understanding the game's setup.
- The story so far – what's Spyro up against?
- Mastering Spyro's basic controls and moves.
- An introduction to collectibles and how they work.
- Understanding chests and how to open them.
- A peek at the different levels you'll explore.
- How health and lives function in the game.
- Saving your progress and loading your game.
- Navigating the START menu.
- An overview of the six worlds you'll visit.
Part 2
Learn how to set up Spyro the Dragon, its story about Gnasty Gnorc, and the PS1 controller layout.
- 1Acquire Spyro the Dragon.
- 2Set up your console according to its specific instructions.
- 3Load the game.
- 4Observe the introductory screens showing developers, ending with Insomniac Games.
- 5Watch Spyro swoop down and knock over the sign.
- 6Land on the ground platform.
- 7Select your language.
- 8Choose a memory card (insert one if prompted, or play without saving; if one is inserted, this is skipped; if two are inserted, select which one to use).
- 9Load an existing save file or create a new one.
- 10The game will begin or continue.
- Copies of the PSX disc are becoming rare; downloading via PSN to PS3 or PSP is a good alternative.
- The game was originally released on the Sony PSX in 1998/99.
Story:
In the beginning, five Dragon families lived harmoniously until Gnasty Gnorc, an unpleasant creature banished to the Dragon junkyard (which he renamed Gnasty's World), grew resentful of the dragons and their shiny jewels. He learned magic spells to trap all dragons in crystal and animate gems into Gnorc soldiers. On a sunny day, Gnasty cast the freeze spell, trapping the dragons, and turned gems into his minions, also transforming Dragon Worlds into Gnorc Worlds. However, Spyro the Dragon was too small for the spell to affect him. Now, Spyro, the only unfrozen dragon, must travel through six worlds, including Gnasty's industrial world, to free the dragons and collect their stolen treasure. Gnasty's minions will try to stop him, but Spyro is aided by the dragons he frees, who offer hints, and is accompanied by his best friend, Sparx the Dragonfly. His adventure culminates in a final conflict with Gnasty Gnorc.
- Gnasty Gnorc's personality is described as having the short temper of a gnome and the bad attitude of an orc.
- The gems animated by Gnasty become Gnorc soldiers.
Controls:
To navigate Spyro the Dragon, you will use various buttons on the PlayStation controller:
- Left Analog Stick: Located at the bottom, left of the center gap; it's a joystick.
- Right Analog Stick: Located at the bottom, right of the center gap; it's a joystick.
- L3: Press down the Left Analog Stick.
- R3: Press down the Right Analog Stick.
- L1: Top of the controller, front left.
- R1: Top of the controller, front right.
- L2: Top of the controller, back left.
- R2: Top of the controller, back right.
- Up d-button: Top button on the directional pad (d-pad) to the left.
- Down d-button: Bottom button on the d-pad to the left.
- Left d-button: Leftmost button on the d-pad to the left.
- Right d-button: Rightmost button on the d-pad to the left.
- Triangle (T): Top button on the pad to the right.
- Square ([]): Leftmost button on the pad to the right.
- Circle (O): Rightmost button on the pad to the right.
- X: Bottom button on the pad to the right.
- SELECT: Leftmost button in the middle.
Part 3
Learn all about Spyro the Dragon's controls, including button mappings and combos, and discover the locations and values of all collectibles like gems, dragons, and eggs.
This section covers the controls for Spyro the Dragon and details the game's main collectibles: gems, dragons, and dragon eggs.
Controls
Here is a table showing what every button on the PS controller will do when pressed once:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Left Analog Stick | Moves Spyro in direction you push it |
| Right Analog Stick | - |
| L3 | Recenters camera behind Spyro |
| R3 | - |
| L1 | Makes Spyro roll to the left |
| R1 | Makes Spyro roll to the right |
| L2 | Rotates camera to the left |
| R2 | Rotates camera to the right |
| Up d-button | Moves Spyro away from the camera |
| Down d-button | Moves Spyro towards the camera |
| Left d-button | Moves Spyro to the left of the screen |
| Right d-button | Moves Spyro to the right of the screen |
| Triangle (T) | Hold to get a still first-person view |
| Square ([]) | Hold to charge in the given direction |
| Circle (O) | Makes Spyro release a burst of flame |
| X | Makes Spyro jump (hold to get higher) |
| SELECT | Brings up the 'Inventory' Screen |
| START | Brings up the Pause Menu |
And here are the results of button combos:
| Buttons | Action |
|---|---|
| L1/R1 + LAS/D-pad | Rolling with an extra dimension |
| T + LAS/D-pad | Rotates view from first-person |
| [] + X | Jump charge (faster, worse handling) |
| X + O | Flame in mid-air (helps hit higher) |
| X + X | Jump, then glide in given direction |
| X + X + T | Jump, glide and then drop in mid-air |
Collectibles
Gems
Gems are the most common collectable, scattered throughout all levels. Each level houses several hundred gems, with values varying by color:
- Red = 1 Gem
- Green = 2 Gems
- Purple/Blue = 5 Gems
- Yellow/Gold = 10 Gems
- Pink = 25 Gems
Gems can be found lying around, dropped by enemies, or in chests. There are 14,000 gems in total in the game. You need 6,000 to beat Gnasty.
Dragons
Dragons are trapped in crystal and must be rescued. They are found in most levels, usually between two and five per level (one in boss levels, none in flight levels). To free them, step on their platforms. Once freed, they offer advice and can serve as checkpoints or save points. There are 80 dragons in total in the game. You need 50 to beat Gnasty.
Dragon Eggs
Dragon eggs are minor collectibles, stolen by blue thieves who run from Spyro. They can be caught by charging or by using a burst of flame. Eggs are found in only a few levels, with one or two per level, and are often well-hidden. There are 12 dragon eggs in total in the game. You need 5 to beat Gnasty.
Part 4
Discover the different types of chests in Spyro the Dragon, from Wooden to Locked, and learn how to open them. Understand level types like Home, Regular, Flight, and Boss, and how to navigate between them. Learn about the health and lives system.
Chests:
- Wooden Chests: Common, red and beige. Any attack breaks them, revealing a random gem.
- Metal Chests: Second most common, shiny metal. Any attack except the standard flame breaks them, revealing a random gem.
- Colour-topped Chests: Appear randomly. Slightly larger with a wooden bottom and a colored top indicating the gem color inside. Flame or charge them to make the gem jump out, then jump on it to collect. Advanced attacks destroy them instantly.
- Strong Chests: Very rare, cuboid, all metal with chains. Require advanced attacks (supercharge, powerflame) to open, releasing multiple gems.
- Locked Chests: Rarest, similar to Strong Chests but with a lock. Require a key found within the level to open.
- Life Chests: Fairly common, purple with eyes. Contain a single extra life. Can be destroyed with any attack, but charging causes a rebound.
Levels:
- Level Navigation: Portals in home levels lead to other levels. 'Return Home' vortices in non-home levels allow travel back to the home world. The balloonist in home levels allows travel between different worlds.
- Total Levels: 35
- Level Types:
- Home: Starting levels, link to all other levels in the world and other home worlds. 6 in total.
- Regular: Main levels accessed via home worlds, contain collectibles, challenges, and enemies. 17 in total.
- Flight: Timed challenges where Spyro can fly freely to destroy obstacles. One in each world (except the last). Contain 300 gems each as rewards. 5 in total.
- Boss: Accessed near the end of home levels. Similar to Regular levels but conclude with a boss fight. 6 in total.
- Bonus: Super secret, only one in the game. No further details provided.
Health & Lives:
The game features a limited-life system and Spyro can take damage from various sources, including falling and drowning.
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