Part 5

Learn about Spyro the Dragon's health system, lives, Sparx the dragonfly, and all his core moves including charging, gliding, flame breath, and camera control.

This section covers the core mechanics of Spyro the Dragon, including the health system, lives, and all of Spyro's fundamental moves.

Health and Lives:

• Spyro is protected by Sparx, a dragonfly. Sparx changes color (yellow, blue, green) as Spyro takes damage. If Sparx disappears, Spyro loses a life upon taking further damage.
• Butterflies, obtained by killing small animals (sheep, chickens, rabbits), can heal Sparx.
• Spyro loses a life if he falls off an edge, drowns, or gets hit without Sparx.
• Players start with 5 lives. Running out of lives results in a game over, resetting the current level's unsaved progress.
• Extra lives can be gained by collecting silver dragon statues found in chests or by gathering 20 silver orbs dropped by defeated enemies (instead of gems).

Controls and Moves:

Moving:

• Use the Directional Buttons (D-pad) or the Left Analog Stick.
• D-pad: Spyro runs in 8 directions.
• Left Analog Stick: Spyro walks with a slight push, runs with a full push, and can move in infinite directions.

Camera Control:

• The camera generally follows Spyro automatically.
• Hold L2 to rotate the camera left around Spyro.
• Hold R2 to rotate the camera right around Spyro.
• The Right Analog Stick has no function for camera control.
• In the 'Options' menu, the camera can be set to 'Passive' (slower, more precise) or 'Active' (faster, keeps up better) mode.

Jumping, Gliding, and Dropping:

• Tap X for a short jump. Hold X for a higher jump.
• Tap X again mid-air to glide. Gliding from the peak of a jump provides more distance.
• Tap Triangle mid-glide to drop straight down.
• Movement controls can be used during jumps, glides, and drops to steer. Pushing backwards while gliding slows descent.
• Flight: In certain levels, gliding becomes flight. Control is similar to gliding, but with forward momentum. Pushing up makes Spyro fly down, and pushing down makes him fly up.
• Flips: Hold L1 for a 180-flip, and R1 for a 360-flip during flight.

Flame Breath:

• Tap O to breathe a jet of fire that lasts a couple of seconds and travels about three times Spyro's length.
• Effective against most enemies, but not metal or armor.
• Can be used while spinning, jumping, or gliding.
• Powerflame: Kissing a purple fairy temporarily grants powerflame, which can destroy metal and armor. An orange fairy in one level grants permanent powerflame for that level.

Charge Attack:

• Hold [] to initiate a fast charge.
• Spyro can turn and jump while charging.
• Used to catch thieves and penetrate metal and armor, but not effective against large enemies.
• Supercharging: Charging down a slope with arrows on it makes Spyro go extremely fast, indicated by steam. This lasts until Spyro stops.