And last but not least. We have my favorite Spyro game; Spyro 3: Year of the dragon. This game came from the glorious pants of Insomniac Games and it was truly a game that consumed most of my time as kid, trying to get all the eggs. It was a glorious gem on my shelf and the game felt like the second game but just a little bit better.
Spyro 3: Year of the dragon was named after the year of the Chinese zodiac, which was the dragon of that year. It was the third and final installment of the Spyro trilogy on the PS1 as Insomniac handed the purple dragon over to new developers and went off to work on Ratchet & Clank on the PS2 (insert feels here). The game was released in North America on October 25, 2000 and in Europe on November 8, 2000 and was the only Spyro game in the series that wasn't released in Japan.
The game's plot starts with a celebration in the land of the dragons, which occurs every twelve years when new dragon eggs are brought to the realm. While everyone is sleeping, a rabbit called Bianca invades the realm and stole all the dragon eggs, taking them to the evil Sorceress, who scatters them through several worlds and it's Spyro's job (Like always) to collect the dragon eggs and save the day.
While chasing the thief who was stealing the dragon eggs. Spyro discovers a world which once were inhabited with dragons but were now abandoned and forgotten, being told by Sheila (One of the playable characters) that when the dragons left the realm, the magic of the world began to dry up.
Spyro is accompanied by many characters during the game, with Sparx still being his dragonfly sidekick and health bar. Characters from the previous game makes an appearance including Hunter the Cheetah, who teaches the player game mechanics and also Moneybags, who continues to be a greedy dick. There are also four other playable characters with different moves and abilities to aid Spyro and gives the player a fresh new way of playing without changing Spyro's controls. I found each character to be colourful, having their own personalities.
I felt like the story of this game had a little more depth than the other two, even giving a Hunter a love interest.
The game offered improved music and graphics, still keeping to the colorful themes of each different levels, not making anything out of place and creating the atmosphere the game wants it to have. Stewart Copeland brings his beautiful music talent back and it's better than ever. Copeland recorded entire orchestral music for the visuals for an expansive sound, and used more beat-driven melodies for the high-energy moments within the game. It felt fresh, even when repeating listening to it.
Spyro Year of the dragon keeps it's traditional controls. Fire breath, glide, charge and such are all still the main controls of the character and diving, headbutting and climbing ladders doesn't need the payment of moneybags to obtain. The main goal of the game is to collect the dragon eggs that are scattered all across the worlds. The eggs are given for completing tasks and at the end of levels, and even are just hidden around. There are 37 worlds and five hub worlds. The best thing I like about the egg collecting is that the Player does not need to gather every single egg to complete the main portion of the game up until the boss, and even certain eggs can only be found by returning to the world at a later time.
Spyro 3 also introduced "critters", which are playable characters that have their own world in each hub. There are four critters in total and they all have their own special moves and ways of playing, giving a new challenge to the player. Shelia the Kangaroo; for example, can double jump to higher places and Sgt. Byrd is armed with rocket launchers and can fly.
The game also brought mini-games to the table, some of which were featured in Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer, but the game introduces a lot more of them and rewards you with dragon eggs. These mini-games range from skateboarding, boxing and racing, as well as puzzles which are played by Spyro or the other playable characters. The only issue I have with gameplay is with Agent 9, as the aiming felt a little clumsy. I just didn't like the controlling on that level at all.
This game was my favorite and will always will be. Because it can be easy for beginners or it can be challenging. It's your own choice. You don't have to collect all the eggs and gems, or complete all the mini games, but the challenge is still there, giving experienced players the challenge they want without putting too much pressure on people who are playing it for the first time. It's a good game for anyone who's just started gaming. The egg hunt is fun and challenging if you're looking for all the eggs, and collecting them feel rewarding sometimes. This game is fun to play and it's aged well, still keeping it's child-like charm.
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