I went through dozens of previews and data pages for Dawn of the Dragon and copy and pasted
all the information I found. This comes from all sorts of sources – game
journalists who got to demo the game at the Sierra Spring Break event in
Mallorca, the producers of the game, the composers, game store employees and in
some places just logic and good counting skills.
Some of this is in my own words and some is not. If you feel
like you’ve read it before, you probably have. A lot of this is copy and pasted
from previews, but anything extraneous taken out so you’re left with the solid,
good to know information sans the personal opinions or asides.
At times it is redundant, with several preview clips saying essentially the same thing. I left it as such so you could read various journalists’ impressions; each one has a different spin to the same idea and some reveal a little more than others.
Nothing here is really new, per se; you may not have read as
many previews as I went through so some information may be new to you. You also
may simply not have thought about some of this information so this guide will
be some kind of revelation in some places.
Some statements may seem as if words are missing preceding
them or following them. This is because they are taken out of context, but the
information I left is all that really matters.
If I missed anything please email me at nealpatten@gmail.com or PM me and I’ll
add it.
I think this is super comprehensive, I can’t imagine what I missed or omitted. Some might say I have a little too much information.Enjoy. Dawn of the Dragon’s announcement has been very exciting!
- This will be Spyro’s 16th overall unique (as in you only count The Eternal Night once, not five times for each individual system) game between mobile, handheld and console systems.
- It will be his 8th console game.
- The handheld version will be his 8th handheld appearance.
- This is the tenth year since the Spyro franchise was launched.
- This will be his 10th and 11th developers.
- Development was begun by Krome for the console version but switched for unknown reasons. When or why they got booted off the game is not yet known but guesses are that either Krome got ousted for poor review scores on The Eternal Night or it was because Sierra didn't like where the project was headed. Another possibility was Krome couldn’t juggle the Spyro game and their high-profile, upcoming star wars game.
- It is not confirmed or denied if Amaze had begun work on the DS version before the developer switch.
- Composers are Gabriel Mann and Rebecca Kneubuhl, who composed for the last two games as well.
- Producers are Chris Wilson - senior producer and Michael Graham - associate producer, same as the previous two games in the “Legend of” trilogy.
- Dawn of the Dragon is the last game in The Legend of Spyro trilogy, which is seen as the reboot of the Spyro franchise. Dawn of the Dragon marks the first time that Spyro will be appearing on the HD consoles.
- However, this is NOT the last Spyro game. Simply, the last one for this trilogy.
- Interestingly, a Spyro and Crash team-up game has been mentioned as a definite possibility down the track.
- Those who have seen footage of the game at Sierra's Spring Break event claim it will be a step up for the series.
Developer: Console Version - Etranges Libellules (France-Based) [Name means Strange Dragonfly]
Other titles they developed include Arthur and the Invisibles (based upon the movie of the same name), Asterix & Obelix XXL, a Pink Panther game and other titles of lesser notability.
DS Version -Tantalus Interactive (Australia-Based)
Other titles they developed include Unreal II: The Awakening, Metal Shell and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger.
Systems/Platforms:
Playstation 3 – First Spyro Game
Xbox 360 – First Spyro Game
Playstation 2 – Fifth Spyro Game
Nintendo Wii – Second Spyro Game
Nintendo DS – Fourth Spyro Game
Mobile/Cell Phone – Sixth Spyro Game
Systems that won’t see a release:
Although Sierra makes high-profile PC games, this game will not
be on the platform.
Although the previous Spyro game was on GBA, this one won’t be (which is too bad as the GBA version of
TEN
got the highest scores out of any release for the title).
Despite the next Crash Bandicoot appearing on the PSP, Spyro won’t be.
The PS2 is the only sixth generation system to get the game
– the dead GameCube, DreamCast and Xbox won’t be.
The game obviously won’t appear on any system prior to the
sixth generation.
Publisher: Vivendi
Producer: Sierra
Genre: Adventure/Platformer/Action
ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
Projected Release Date: Oct/Nov 2008
10/08/08 (says Nintendo power) for Wii and DS systems
10/07/08 according to the GameStop Employee Circulars
09/30/08
for PS2 according to Voodoo Extreme
Working titles:
Untitled The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night Sequel
The Legend of Spyro: Part III (final title TBD) (Velvet Octopus’ title in their Spyro slideshow)
The Legend of Spyro 3(fan forum title)
The Legend of Spyro: Not Yet Announced (ToTheGame temporary title)
The Legend of Spyro:
The Darkest Hour (EB Games listing for a Wii game)
Confirmed features:
Local Co-Op: Supported
LAN or System Link: Not Supported
Number of Players Offline: 1 or 2
Online Co-Op: Not Supported
Splitscreen: Not Used
Joinable in Progress: Supported
In-talks features:
Online play
Rumored features:
DS to Wii connectivity
PS2 and Wii - Lower resolution graphics, but something with a data "recall", or in other words, PS2 can take the save data from ANB and TEN for something extra (unknown) as the Wii can take ANB from a game cube memory card and TEN from the Wii memory.
PS3 and 360 - much high detail in graphics, superior sound quality.
Control Schemes:
PS3 – Sixaxis and Dual Shock confirmed
Wii – Remote confirmed, nunchuk likely, classic controller possible, game cube controller possible, if the GameCube controller is used, so can the PS2 controller if you buy a converter such as this
DS – touch screen and D-pad confirmed
Mobile Phone – keypad, some phones have game pad accessories sold separately
X-Box 360: Regular controller and supposedly Microsoft is coming out with a motion-based controller which could be used as the Wii remote and Sixaxis are being employed
PS2: Controller
Prices according to GameStop Employee Circulars:
PS2- $39.99
Wii- $49.99
PS3- $49.99
360- $49.99
DS- $29.99
Mobile – Indeterminable, depends on phone. Generally around
$7.99
Current Media:
Demos: possibly on PSN, was at the
sierra game day 2008 for journalists, the game is expected to be at the E3
convention in July
Videos: no gameplay video yet, was one at sierra game day 2008
There is an interview video with Chris Wilson
X-Box 360 Screens: 37
PS3 screens: Presumably same as 360 screens
DS screens: 5
Wii screens: None
Mobile screens: None
Concept art: 14
Feelings on graphical style (from
game journalists):
The graphical style obviously has far more color and detail in the XBox 360 version. The DS version is upgraded too, however. Both versions have taken Spyro from his young dragon image to a more teenaged style. That would make sense considering the ending of the previous Legend of title was that Spyro would be frozen in crystal while the world underwent dramatic change.
Spyro mixes a lot of brightness and darkness in its style, reminding me of Fantasia or other old-guard Disney animations. Grasses leaned back as the wind raked over them, in a saccharine outdoor scene. But in another moment, sharp, muted stones matched the danger from an attacking monster.
As you fly around the game, you could easily think that this was a living oil painting. The game is very colorful, vibrant and fresh. The levels Spyro runs around in now are more of what one would expect to see in a story dealing with dragons. A lot of the areas we saw were very wide open and gave Spyro plenty of room to fly around.
Flying about the map gave us a chance to take in the slick new graphics engine. A vibrant pallet is used to bring out the best in the lush forest landscape. As Spyro flies overhead we see churning rivers rushing by and clouds of pollen drifting up from the flower beds below.
And the new Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is definitely in the same platformer vein as the previous games in the series. But this time, Spyro’s entire look is different. Not only is he more complex looking and bigger, his entire world is more lush and detailed, creating a magical fantasy land that’s reminiscent of Kameo in the best ways possible.
The first we noticed was how beautiful the game looks. Exquisitely detailed environments have that Rare [the game company] quality about them. In fact, the mountainous scenery we saw was very reminiscent of Kameo: bright colours, every blade of grass visible and vibrant lighting.
Dawn of the Dragon certainly doesn't look like its predecessors. Not too surprising, when you consider it's the first installment in the series for PS3 and Xbox 360. But this really is Spyro as you've never seen him before; bigger, more detailed, and swooping around some seriously beautiful environments with amazing agility.
To begin the demo we're shown is a pretty pastoral scene complete with sunlit clouds, sparkling waterfalls and rolling green hills. The high level of detail and superb lighting are impressive. So is the way Spyro soars and dives through the air with, as Wilson explains, an unprecedented level of freedom.
"This being Spyro's first time on next-gen has given us a chance to go back to the drawing board and think about how we can really take advantage of the power of the new consoles," reveals Wilson. "There was definitely a conscious decision to do something different."
The vision, he says, was always to make a game that was like an interactive Disney/Pixar movie - even before Sony started saying that about Ratchet & Clank PS3. "We think we're pretty close. Of course there's always room for achievement, but we think it really is going to feel like you're immersed in this big, epic chapter of a movie trilogy."
Aside from Spyro’s obvious evolution, the game has taken a significant visual step, too. On the Xbox 360 version we saw, levels comfortably straddled the line between realism and cartoon stylization. Little touches, like eroded nooks along the sides of a riverbank and flotsam drifting along its current go a long way in creating environments that feel like actual places. Well, places that are the stomping grounds for dragons. The PS3 version will sport some Sixaxis controls, but the team says it is taking great pains to make sure the controls make sense and don’t fare as poorly as other motion-based dragon games.
Moving through environments looks fluid and the game just seems massive. There is a lot of detail and Spyro looks all kinds of shiny in HD.
With the crisp, vibrant, and bright graphics of the newer generation of consoles, Spyro also seems to have grown in size some more and added more particle effects and dynamic lighting to his world.
Story:
In the culmination of the trilogy,
players find Spyro teaming up with an unlikely ally - Cynder, his former enemy,
to face his most challenging mission to date. As the Dark Master's evil
envelopes the world like a plague, Spyro must fulfill his destiny and unlock
the true power of the purple dragon within him to stop the Dark Master in his
tracks.
As far as the story goes with Dawn of the Dragon, three years have passed since the last game took place. Monsters have been destroying the world and Spyro is the hope of the world, as it's his destiny to take out the Dark Master. Cynder, Hunter the Cheetah, Sparx and a whole cast of others will aid you in your quest.
In other words, don’t expect to ride around on a skateboard in The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon.
Plot issues:
Cynder’s only power was flame in the first game, where’d she get these four new powers and what happened to flame?
Cynder’s cuffs were gone after ANB and not present inTEN,
why are they back?
Character & Character Designs:
Playable: Spyro:
"He's leaner, more athletic -- more of a teenager
now," says Michael Graham
During the preview, the current developer, Etranges
Libellules, openly admitted that Spyro himself has always looked a little bit
childish in nature, but in this final chapter in the trilogy, Spyro seems to
have finally let his fireballs drop, metaphorically speaking.
Playable: Cynder:
She mysteriously has her ankle and neck cuffs back
Guardians:
Concept art has shown that the four dragon guardians are returning and they’ve now got defined scales and have a battle-worn look.
Ignitus appears to be missing a wing. However, diligent Spyro fan Tiffani debated that fact:
"Ignitus most likely has both wings. They just only draw one in the concept design to make it easier. In the ANB art, they put in shadows for Cynder and Terrador's secondary wings, and I've seen a couple of DotD concept drawing where Spyro and Cynder only have one wing each. Also, the wallpaper shows all the Guardians missing a wing, so I'm pretty sure it was just done to make the concepts easier to draw."
Thanks Tiff. Here's the art in question for those who haven't seen it:
I've gotten a lot of gripe for originally saying that Ignitus WAS missing a wing - so I went back through and looked at all the official concept art and models from ANB and TEN - out of 7, only one has the wing missing. The three images from the TEN in-game gallery have both wings and the ANB site has both. It's only the TEN site that shows once again a wing apparently missing... so I wasn't sure. Draw your own conclusions.
Ignitus Concept Art Photostream
Hunter:
Hunter appears to be in armor and is chained up in various images
New Characters:
Hunter the Cheetah may be returning but he is being re-imagined as a badass
instead of an easily frightened source of comic relief.
The Destroyer – a giant dragon causing the dragon world’s destruction. The Dark Master has aspirations of using this mile-high Destroyer Dragon to run a ring of annihilation around the Earth. If it completes a circuit, the planet will shatter.
There’s a giant lava golem for a boss.
Characters confirmed to be returning from new series:
Ignitus, Terrador, Volteer, Cyril, Spyro, Cynder, Sparx, Malefor (AKA The Dark Master)
Characters confirmed to be returning from old series:
Hunter
Characters possibly returning from new series:
Mole-Yair, Ex-Humor & the Manweersmalls
Kane and the Atlowa Tribe
The Chronicler will more than likely return like the dragon
guardians are
Characters possibly returning from old series:
There’s a lot of speculation that Bianca is returning, also
Most other characters seem highly unlikely
Characters not returning from new series:
It’s highly unlikely that Skabb or Gaul
will return as both were killed in TEN
Characters not returning from old series:
Nothing confirmed
Voice cast:
Spyro - Elijah Wood
Cynder - Christina Ricci
Ignitus - Gary Oldman
Sparx - Wayne Brady
Dark Master - Mark Hamill
Hunter - Blair Underwood
The returning actors are Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman
Newcomer Christina Ricci plays Cynder who was previously voiced by Cree Summer and Mae Whitman
Wayne Brady takes over as Sparx, who was previously voiced by David Spade and Billy West
Blair Underwood is Hunter the Cheetah
Mark Hammil is Malefor, the Dark Master
Elijah Woods (Spyro) is known as Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings
Gary Oldman (Ignitus) is known as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter Series
Christina Ricci (Cynder) is known as Kathleen "Kat"Harvey in Casper
Mark Hamill (Dark Master) is Luke Skywalker from Star Wars.
Wayne Brady (Sparx) is known for the Comedy show on ABC Whose Line is it Anyways?
From the little voice work they already had in the game, it
seemed like they were doing a great job.
Moves:
New Moves:
Cynder:
Poison breath – acts as a corrosive
Fear breath – drives off enemies
Wind breath
Shadow breath
Free Flight
Magic tether to Spyro
Grappling
Spyro:
Free Flight
Magic tether to Cynder
Grappling
Returning Moves:
Spyro:
Fire breath
Earth breath
Ice breath
Electricity breath
Furies
Possibly Returning Moves:
Dragon Time
Not Returning Moves:
Not yet known
Spyro now throws enemies into the air, grabs them and slams them down into the ground. He can use spinning attacks and also make use of his elemental abilities - fire, ice, electricity and earth - all which can be strengthened through power-ups littering the game’s 11 levels.
Quick Feature/Plot Points:
· The game takes place three years after The Eternal Night
· Spyro finally faces the Dark Master
· This is the third and final installment of the trilogy
· Has a more mature character design and story line than the previous title; The Eternal Night
· Combat-based gameplay with new elemental attack moves/combos, enemies, environments, etc.
· Cynder is being touted as a strong, female lead alongside Spyro, so girl gamers will have something to get excited about!
· The Dark Master's name is Malefor
· Spyro uses fire, ice, electric and earth attacks, while Cynder uses poison, shadow, fear and wind.
· There are sets of armor to collect that upgrade certain powers when you wear them - almost more like an RPG game.
· You can go through areas multiple times to find everything, unlike TEN.
· There is no gauge for flying - it truly is unlimited. The only limit is how high you fly.
· The breaths play prominent roles in puzzles.
· There's now a combo meter (it reads 1 hit, 2 hits, 3 hits, etc.) that increase the gem return - which was a feature in the GBA version of TEN.
· The Map systems let's you select where to go. No word on if that replaces a hub world (this game would appear to be nonlinear as you can fly anywhere). If there is a hub, a first for the Legend arc, then the map might let you switch locations in-level.
·
There are ten levels
in the game, according to Game Tap and videogaming24/7says there’s 11
levels. By comparison ANB had 6 levels, 1 ‘speedway’ and the dojo sections, while TEN had 6 levels, and multiple dream
stages.
Gameplay Features:
Official Statement:
“Spyro has grown up a lot since his debut, and players are
going to notice advanced gameplay, character design and story lines in Dawn of
the Dragon,” said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing for Sierra
Entertainment. “The game takes some exciting twists and turns – fans of the
series and newcomers alike will experience non-stop fun, a renewed sense of
intensity and the type of challenging adventure only Spyro can overcome.”
Flight:
"Spyro can now take off and fly at any point, not just jump and glide. For the most part you can fly everywhere you want to go, and if there's a gap in front of you, you should be able to fly to it. We're conscious you never feel like you're flying to a ledge and you're like, 'I'm right there, why can't I fly to it?'" But surely that will mean players end up flying everywhere rather than running and jumping. Does that mean Dawn of the Dragon isn't a platform game at all?”
No longer do you have a time limit for how long you can stay
airborne. You can fly around as long as you want and anywhere you want. The
only limit that is imposed is that you can't get too high into the
air.
"He's a dragon -- of course he can fly," Chris
Wilson "He couldn't in previous games because it was a technical
limitation [and] difficult to pull off."
As you fly around as Spyro, Cynder will fly alongside you and will help you fight any enemies you encounter.
You can also take flight, you to traveling in the air as
long as you like. No longer limited to gliding to the nearest platform, you can
now take to the skies whenever you like and stay there as long as you want.
In previous games, Spyro could only sort of hover and glide
a short distance, but now he has the full power of flying at his fingertips.
Land Motion:
Spryo can still land and scurry across the ground.
"We didn't want this to turn into a flight-shooting game," Graham says. "We want to maintain the essence of what it has always been."
"We still wanted to stay true to the platforming roots of the series, while at the same time allowing people to feel the sensation of flight. So there is a ceiling to it. You can't fly as high as you want to, there is a limit,"Wilson explains.
"We did that because we didn't want to turn it into a flight shooting game where you're always in the air shooting fireballs. In some instances, like if there's a cliff that's really high up, you might need to climb using ivy. We've incorporated a lot of platforming elements into that, so there might be boulders falling and you'll need to jump out of the way. It's very similar to God of War, the way they do their climbing zones."
Co-op Play:
The game will support co-op, so you and a friend can battle
it out together. This option will only be available locally as there are no
plans for online co-op, although it's something they're still considering
before the final release.
You can switch to Cynder on the fly, and control her as you
desire.
You'll often need to switch to her character to solve
puzzles, but a second player can join at any time and control her (both dragons
share the screen; the game doesn't currently support online play).
Joining Spyro in his adventures is Cynder, a rather goth
like female dragon who was formerly an enemy in the last game. You can play as
both characters by switching back and forth with a button press or bring a
friend along to play in co-op mode.
When playing alone, gamers can swap between the two dragons,
letting the AI control the second. But another player can drop in at any time
on the same console to join in. The two dragons solve puzzles together,
although they're always linked by an invisible tether. While a convenient
mechanic to keep players from wandering too far apart, the link also allows
some team-based moves, such as the ability to swing along its radius.
In order to avoid split screen, the invisible magic tether
gently pulls the two characters back together when they wander too far apart
from each other.
Implementation of moves:
The main difference between both dragons is they have
different magical attacks. Spyro is more focused on elemental magics and has
ice, fire, thunder and earth spells, whereas Cynder has dark magic attacks such
as poison and shadow because of her past life as a dark warrior. They not only
play into the way you fight, but also into the varied puzzle sections on the
game.
Spyro and Cynder will both have their standard melee attacks
as well as grapple attacks.
The game focuses on combat, with different attacks and grapples
available depending on whether Spyro is airborne or on the ground.
Cynder has her own attacks based on dark magic - ugly stuff
like poison and shadowy tendrils.
For instance, Spyro's ability to harness the elements
features a Kratos-like electrical area attack that will take out multiple enemies
at the same time. Cynder has her own set of abilities as well that make use of
her darker shadow powers, using things like poison and fear.
Powering up:
Collecting special Spirit Gems lets you customize the
dragon's combat specialty. Allocate gems to Spyro's electricity powers, for
instance, and he'll develop paralyzing combos.
The fighting looks fierce, like Spyro and Cynder really just
want to tear enemies apart. You can get combos for attacks, and after enemies
have been taken out, you collect orb-like items that will go towards upgrading
your attacks.
Executing combos rewards you with gems, which can be used
for upgrades; bigger combos will result in more gems.
Gems can be collected throughout the levels to help power up
Spyro and Cynder's various powers.
Each dragon can perform sets of combos, increasing the
rewards (read: gems) you get from fallen foes, which in turn restore health,
breath power and give you points to upgrade all of your powers.
As you upgrade the abilities, the graphics involved with the attack also increase to some impressive levels.
Combos:
A combo counter ticks over on-screen while Spyro performs
various new attacks such as knocking them skywards for a mid-air pummeling or
roasting them with toasty fireball attacks.
You can also expect to see the quick-time button press
events that God of War popularized.
Collectables:
In addition to upgrading your attacks, you'll also be able
to get upgradeable armor. Spyro and Cynder can be equipped with a helmet and
other types of armor. This isn't going to be just for looks, as these will help
reduce how much damage they take from enemies while in battle. This is an
RPG-like element of item collection.
Spyro and Cynder can now wear armor, although there are
different types for each of them, so you won’t be battling over who gets which
piece of loot. If you collect all the pieces of an armor set (helmet, bracer,
back pieces), you’ll receive a bonus when you equip that set.
There are also sets up armor to collect that upgrade certain
stats when you wear them. With a story that’s said to be a bit darker, Spyro
needs all the help he can get. Fortunately, he can collect bits of armor now,
including helmets, back shields and gauntlets. A variety of matched sets are
available, with complete sets instilling bonuses on their wearer.
Sets of armor can be found throughout the game that can be
mixed and matched or use one whole set to gain bonus abilities.
There looks to be plenty of puzzles to solve and plenty of
content to unlock, which will keep OC folks like me collecting for hours.
Bosses:
Boss battles look to be massive, with some taking up most of
the stage you just progressed through. You will also find that the game is just
as open some of the previous iterations.
Backtracking:
You can go through areas multiple times to find all the goodies
hidden therein.
Gameplay Style:
The team was influenced by games like God of War, apparently, and there’s a far more hack’n’slash style to the fighting.
"You could say we're a bit inspired by games like God of War and Devil May Cry," he says. "In a lot of kids' games, you don't often get some of those gameplay elements you're seeing in triple-A mature titles. We saw this as a unique opportunity to take some of the cool things we like about GOW and DMC, and bring that to a more mass-market game."
The gameplay in the game was your standard action/platform fare with quicktime events added in for good measure.
Bosses:
I saw a boss battle with an epic, molten monster. The
low-angle, third-person perspective showed the dragons in front, but much of
the rest of the screen was filled by this glowing beast. The enemy swung a huge
fist at the dragons, trying to crush them. Then another scene showed the more
typical follow-camera of their escape. Hopefully the rest of the game will
match this variety.
The action definitely took a turn for the better when a
towering 200 foot tall lava monster lumbered out of the volcanic depths to
menace dragonkind. As he proceeded to swat at Spyro with earth-shattering
punches, he began to literally bring the house down as columns and platforms
started shattering and crumbling into the lava.
The biggest and baddest of the enemies is called "The Destroyer", who is a mile-high beast that walks around the world leaving a meters-deep trench of fire behind him.
We were also treated to a boss fight where a huge fire monster appeared from the lava, clawing his way towards toward you inside a mountain. Although very reminiscent of the Minotaur from God of War, this boss looked about ten times the size and actually followed you through the level, holding onto stalactites and stalagmites.
After we were taken through some levels, we got to an area
where we encountered a giant lava monster. You could only hit it when it laid
its hand on the platform you were standing on. After a short time, the lava
monster knocked down the platform you were on, and a context-sensitive button
appeared on the screen as the platform was falling. Press the button prompt in
time and Spyro and Cynder will make it to safety.
Levels:
The fly at any time mode has affected Spyro’s surroundings;
the developers intentionally built each of the game’s 10 environments to be
more expansive than they have been in previous games, so players can take
better advantage of Spyro’s new abilities.
A lava-filled tomb that looked quite a bit like the Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings, complete with a fiery Balrog-type boss.