Spyro: Year of the Dragon

Alright, let's get into the thick of it with Part 2 of our Spyro: Year of the Dragon journey. This section covers some of the core story elements and how those precious dragon eggs work.

Game Story

So, every twelve years, the dragons have this huge celebration called the "Year of the Dragon." It's when the fairies bring new dragon eggs, and everyone parties until they're totally "eggshausted." But this year, things go south. While everyone's celebrating, a forgotten kingdom on the other side of the world is ruled by a grumpy Sorceress. She's tired of being forgotten and hatches a plan to get revenge on the dragons and restore her realm's magic. She's got her army of 'rhynocs,' her disciple Bianca, and, of course, those 150 magical dragon eggs to help her out.

Eggs

Yep, the Sorceress has swiped all 150 dragon eggs. She's planning to use their magic for her own wicked purposes. Your main mission now is to track down every single one of them and return them to their rightful homes. You'll find eggs hidden in all sorts of places: tucked away in secret spots, given to you for helping out the local animals, or just lying around in plain sight. Keep in mind, some portals to new levels won't even open until you've collected a specific number of eggs. Here's the breakdown of how many eggs you'll need for each portal:

• Molten Crater: 10 Eggs
• Seashell Shore: 14 Eggs
• Mushroom Speedway: 20 Eggs
• Spooky Swamp: 25 Eggs
• Bamboo Terrace: 30 Eggs
• Country Speedway: 36 Eggs
• Fireworks Factory: 50 Eggs
• Charmed Ridge: 58 Eggs
• Honey Speedway: 65 Eggs
• Haunted Tomb: 70 Eggs
• Dino Mines: 80 Eggs
• Harbour Speedway: 90 Eggs
• Sorceress' Lair: 100 Eggs
• Super Bonus Round: 149 Eggs (you'll also need gems for this one!)

Gems

There are a whopping 20,000 gems to find in total throughout Spyro: Year of the Dragon. The atlas might only show 15,000 because it doesn't include any bonus gems you might find. Gems are your currency and are scattered everywhere, so keep your eyes peeled!

In Spyro: Year of the Dragon, gems come in five different colors, each with a varying value and rarity:

• Red Gems: Worth 1 gem. Found abundantly throughout the game.
• Green Gems: Worth 2 gems. Twice as rare as red gems.
• Purple Gems: Worth 5 gems. Found in some baskets and locked chests.
• Yellow Gems: Worth 10 gems. Twice as rare as purple gems.
• Magenta Gems: Worth 25 gems. Very rare, found only 1-3 times per world (except Super Bonus).

Moneybags returns in Spyro: Year of the Dragon, requiring increasing amounts of gems to unlock new areas or progress:

• Sunrise Spring Home: 300 gems to release Shelia.
• Cloud Spires: 200 gems to activate the Bellows.
• Molten Crater: 300 gems to unlock the Thief Challenge.
• Midday Garden Home: 600 gems to release Sgt. Byrd.
• Icy Peak: 500 gems to unlock Nancy's Challenge.
• Spooky Swamp: 500 gems to progress through the door.
• Evening Lake Home: 1,000 gems to release Bently.
• Frozen Altars: 800 gems to unlock the Ice Hockey Challenge.
• Charmed Ridge: 600 gems to get the steps working.
• Midnight Mountain Home: 1,300 gems to release Agent 9, and 0 gems to retrieve all gems from Moneybags.
• Crystal Islands: 1,000 gems to extend the bridge.
• Desert Ruins: 800 gems to progress through the door.

You can bypass paying Moneybags in Crystal Islands and Desert Ruins by defeating the Sorceress (requiring 100 eggs) and then chasing the gems from him. The Super Bonus Round requires 149 eggs and 15,000 gems. Portals within the Super Bonus Round require 16,000, 17,000, 18,500, and 20,000 gems to unlock.

Skill Points are optional challenges in the game, with 20 available. They do not count towards the game's percentage but offer rewards upon completion. Earning 10 Skill Points while defeating the Sorceress unlocks a 5-page atlas addition about the Forgotten Worlds. Earning all 20 unlocks another 5 pages for the epilogue.

Controls Overview:

Key:

• X = Cross Button
• T = Triangle Button
• O = Circle Button
• [] = Square Button
• L Stick = Left Analog Stick
• R Stick = Right Analog Stick
• START = Start Button
• SELECT = Select Button
• L1 = L1 Button
• R1 = R1 Button
• L2 = L2 Button
• R2 = R2 Button
• ^ Directional Button = Up Directional Button
• v Directional Button = Down Directional Button
• < Directional Button = Left Directional Button
• > Directional Button = Right Directional Button

Spyro's Controls:

• Movement: L Stick
• Camera Control: L1/R1 (point behind Spyro), L2 (rotate left), R2 (rotate right)
• Jump: X
• Glide: X + X
• Glide and Hover: X + X + T
• Flame Attack: O
• Spit Projectile: O (with projectile in mouth)
• Spyro Vision: Hold down T
• Charge: Hold down [] + L Stick
• Pause/Resume: START
• Open Atlas: SELECT
• Turn on the Spot: L1 + L Stick (left), R1 + L Stick (right)
• Directional Movement: ^ (forward), v (180 degrees), < (90 degrees left), > (90 degrees right)
• Sparx Gem Pointer: L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 (once earned)
• Headbash: X + T
• Underwater Charge: Hold Down [] Underwater
• Underwater Paddle: Hold Down X Underwater
• Slow Descent (while gliding): v
• Climbing Ladders: Press X to jump on, then ^ or v to climb/descend.

Skateboarding Controls:

• Jump: X
• Flame: O
• Spin Left (on half pipe): <
• Spin Right (on half pipe): >
• Flip Forwards: X + T + ^
• Flip Backwards: X + T + v

Sheila's Controls:

• Movement: L Stick
• Jump: X
• Air Hop: X + X
• Double Jump: X + X (as soon as you hit the ground)
• Kick Attack: O or []
• Sheila Vision: Hold Down T
• Pause/Resume: START
• Open Atlas: SELECT
• Camera Control: L1/R1 (point behind Sheila), L2 (rotate left), R2 (rotate right)
• Turn on the Spot: L1 + L Stick (left), R1 + L Stick (right)
• Directional Movement: ^ (forward), v (180 degrees), < (90 degrees left), > (90 degrees right)
• Sparx Gem Pointer: L1 + R1 + L2 + R2 (once earned)
• Stomp Attack: X + T

This section covers the various control schemes for Spyro and his allies, as well as detailing the different types of levels found in Spyro: Year of the Dragon.

Spyro's Controls:

• L Stick: Move
• R Stick: Nothing
• Hold X: Fly upwards
• O: Launch Missile
• Hold Down T: Aim View (Byrd Vision)
• Hold Down T in Mid-air: Aerial View
• [] when carrying object: Drop object
• Drop on object: Pick up object
• START: Pause/Resume Game
• SELECT: Open Atlas at page of level/Resume Game
• L1/R1: Point Camera at the back of Sgt. Byrd
• L2: Rotate Camera Left
• R2: Rotate Camera Right
• L1 in mid-air: Strafe left
• R1 in mid-air: Strafe right
• L1 + L Stick: Turn on the Spot to the left
• R1 + L Stick: Turn on the Spot to the right
• ^ Directional Button: Move forward
• Directional Button: Turn 180 degrees
• < Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the left
• > Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the right
• L1 + R1 + L2 + R2: Sparx Points to nearest gem (once earned)

Bentley's Controls:

• L Stick: Move
• R Stick: Nothing
• X: Jump
• O: Club smash
• Hold down T: Look Around (Bently Vision)
• Hold down []: Club spin
• START: Pause/Resume Game
• SELECT: Open Atlas at page of level/Resume Game
• L1/R1: Point Camera at the back of Bently
• L2: Rotate Camera Left
• R2: Rotate Camera Right
• L1 + L Stick: Turn on the Spot to the left
• R1 + L Stick: Turn on the Spot to the right
• ^ Directional Button: Move Forward
• Directional Button: Turn 180 degrees
• < Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the left
• > Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the right
• L1 + R1 + L2 + R2: Sparx Points to nearest gem (once earned)

Agent 9's Controls:

• L Stick: Move
• R Stick: Nothing
• X: Jump
• O: Shoot
• T: Switch between Normal and Sniper Mode (Agent 9 Vision)
• []: Throw bomb (if carrying)
• START: Pause/Resume Game
• SELECT: Open Atlas at page of level/Resume Game
• L1/R1: Point Camera
• L2: Rotate Camera Left
• R2: Rotate Camera Right
• L1 + L Stick: Turn on the Spot to the left
• R1 + L Stick: Turn on the Spot to the right
• ^ Directional Button: Move Forward
• Directional Button: Turn 180 degrees
• < Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the left
• > Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the right
• L1 + R1 + L2 + R2: Sparx Points to nearest gem (once earned)

Sparx's Controls:

• L Stick: Move
• R Stick: Nothing
• X: Fire Powerup Projectile
• O: Fireball
• Hold Down [] + L Stick: Charge
• START: Pause/Resume Game
• SELECT: Open Atlas at page of level/Resume Game
• L1/R1 + Left Analog Stick: Strafe
• ^ Directional Button: Move Forward
• Directional Button: Turn 180 degrees
• < Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the left
• > Directional Button: Turn 90 degrees to the right

Home Levels:

Home levels are the main levels of a world. The first one is where the game starts, and the subsequent three are accessed by defeating the boss of the previous realm. There are four 'homeworlds' in the game: Sunrise Spring Home, Midday Garden Home, Evening Lake Home, and Midnight Mountain Home. These home worlds also contain portals to the rest of the levels in that world. Moneybags can also be found in these locations, guarding characters that need to be unlocked from Bird Cages.

The Home Levels are:

• Sunrise Spring Home
• Midday Garden Home
• Evening Lake Home
• Midnight Mountain Home

Morphing Levels:

In morphing levels, you play as characters other than Spyro. To unlock these levels, you must pay Moneybags the required gems in the home worlds. After a cutscene where Moneybags is harmed by the unlocked character, you can enter their levels. Completing the mission in a morphing level makes that character playable and aids in progressing to the next world. Each morphing level contains 3 dragon eggs and an additional amount of gems (400, 500, 600, and 700 gems respectively).

The Morphing Levels are:

• Shelia's Alp
• Sgt. Byrd's Base
• Bently's Outpost
• Agent 9's Lab

Regular Levels:

Regular levels are the primary and most crucial levels in the game. Within a 'normal world', you will find 6 dragon eggs.