...I'm starting to realize I don't actually like Spyro lol

Once again the simple uninteresting platforming is the same as it always has been across these 3 games but this time in a classic case study of developers completely running out of new interesting ideas to inject for the third consecutive entry for their early 3D platforming franchise (see also: Crash 3 Warped), instead of improving the design or core gameplay in any way, they just tack on a handful of gimmicks and call it a day. Case in point for this game: the alternate playstyles. The game eventually thrusts 5 (not counting Hunter) additional playable extra characters on you in the hopes that you'll like at least one of them, and yeah they aren't really that fun. They're either mundane or at worst they slow the already slow pace to a crawl. The issue is that at least with Crash 3 they tried to improve the gameplay to some extent with the addition of upgrades to Crash's arsenal, and for the most part it actually worked because it ended up boosting his overall movement abilities (Crash Dash/Death Tornado Spin) and made stages/box hunting all the more fun to do so. Spyro 3's extra characters do literally nothing to enhance the gameplay. You're essentially playing the same game, but occasionally it just so happens to get even worse.

The progression structure is sort of a half and half from Spyro 1 and 2, unfortunately still leaning more towards 2's nonsense. On the one hand the main collectable (Dragon Eggs) can once again be collected by finding them scattered throughout levels or by completing a level, just like Spyro 1, allowing you to collect them at your own leisure. On the other hand, most of the time the eggs are handled in Spyro 2 fashion, though instead of completing some stupid side mission to get them, you instead often get to partake in minigames in order to earn them.

These minigames are the pits.

The skateboarding, the ice hockey, none of gimmicky minigames are really what I consider fun, they're just that: blatant gimmicks. Spyro doesn't get minigames exclusively either, sometimes the extra playable characters THEMSELVES get minigames, like the laughably bad boxing match for the yeti. Boss fights are slightly improved but that's not saying much.

I feel nothing but apathy at this point

Year of the Dragon has all the elements to make it the very best spyro game. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that pile up to hold it back.

Spyro's friends are just straight not as fun to play as him (especially Sgt Byrd). A lot of minigames in levels have weird balancing issues where they're either way too easy or brutally unfair. The speedways all have a race tacked onto to them now. And they are mind numbingly boring.

All of this brings down what's otherwise, a stellar spyro experience. Honestly, if you cut out the fluff here, you basically have a spyro game that's on par with 2.

Oh, and there are loads of bugs in the reignited version that make getting all the achievements a bit of a pain.

Again, Spyro 3 is great but it's all the constant little things that make it worse than it should be. Getting your gems back from Moneybags is still a peak gaming moment.

Whilst this game introduces a ton of new concepts, that upon viewing seem interesting and a fun way to spice things up - the realisation slowly sets in that the way these are executed are more tedious than enjoyable. This is in part due to the recurring bugs that plague each level, to no fault of the developers, thanks to this game being rushed out by Activision. But as a whole I question why some of these earlier levels feel so much harder than those that appear nearer to the end game. I can't say I was terribly stuck on each, but having to constantly look up solutions to beating these areas which usually result in having to play in a different manner to what was supposedly intended, and constantly changing framerates in hope that this will miraculously solve the dilemma you are facing, feels more effort than what it's worth.

Despite all this though, I did push through, this game still has the charm of the two that proceeded it, but its flaws just hold it back from being a well-rounded experience, and it's something I don't think I'd visit again.

no esperé que este fuese el juego que menos me gustase de la trilogia pero vaya decepción de juego

los niveles se hacen larguisimos, tienen demasiadas subsecciones / minijuegos, y algunos de ellos son MALISIMOS (el skate en concreto es lamentable). las secciones con personajes secundarios son aburridas, a lo peor frustrantes. se cargaron las secciones de vuelo, lo mejor de los otros dos juegos, metiendo contrarelojes imposibles y "carreras" donde tienes que ejecutar todo a la perfección si no quieres acabar 2o como mucho.

no me gustó el juego, ni me esforcé en hacerle 100% esta vez porque no me estaba gustando nada. Disappointing!

I never played the original Year of the Dragon, so this one was a big surprise for me when it came out bundled in the trilogy remake. 1 and 2 were always my favorite and I kept playing these so I actually missed out on this one. After playing this and achieved 100% of all Trophies, I could say it felt new and refreshing for me, especially with all the characters. Playing as Sheila was very fun, a nice variety to play. I was also surprised by being able to let Spyro do some Skateboarding. Lastly I can say that I enjoyed all the levels just as Spyro 1 and 2. Long story short, go get this if you love slow paced games with a great collecting mechanism. For me, there is no better platform game rather than Spyro.

✅80%

Spyro: Year of the Dragon is one that I started off not really liking, but in the end absolutely loved it. It's got so much charm and creativity which makes it have so much to do. Each level has something unique about it making them stand out. While Spyro's friends could occasionally suck (Sgt. Byrd I'm looking RIGHT AT YOU), there were fun missions in them. The Agent 9 mission in Dino Mines was so much fun, and I liked the side-scroll mission with Sheila. The problem with the side characters is they have something holding them back in controls. Sgt. Byrd feels terrible overall, but Bentley is a bit too slow, and both Agent 9 and Sheila's movements can feel a little stiff. I had fun with most of them, but comparing them to Spyro they don't feel all too great. The game does have a lot of fun missions in the levels to balance this though. I enjoyed the Sorceress as a villain, but I wish her boss battle was improved. It felt like a first draft: no cutscene, one stage, no death. I feel like with how much they were building up this confrontation between Spyro and Sorceress, it just felt underwhelming. I'm complaining a lot about this game but I really did enjoy it. It keeps the charm of the first two games, and the eggs were so much fun to collect. The baby dragons had cute animations and when you unhatched one you just want to unhatch all of them. You don't want any of them left behind. The game looks amazing with the colors being so vibrant and the environments looking great. I genuinely feel like a lot of this game was almost on par with Ripto's Rage, but there are a few shortcomings that prevent it from getting there. Year of the Dragon oozes fun, and despite some issues, still provides one heck of an adventure.

Damn. Quite easily the weakest of the trilogy. I really struggled with this at a few sections. Not in terms of difficulty, but from boredom and clunky mechanics. Those flying missions that I absolutely hated in the last two games were doubled down on massively. Absolute agony to get through. Not just that though, the missions/sections where you have to play as anyone but Spyro, or just Spyro on a vehicle, were pretty bad too. Nevertheless, I really enjoy the core Spyro gameplay, so I feel like a weak 3 stars is the right fit for this. The game is just held back so much by a lot of things.

Both the most ambitious and the most flawed of the Spyro trilogy. The vibes are still there and collecting with Spyro is always fun, but a few too many of these levels feel like they're running on fumes inspiration-wise. And the gimmick levels with the friends are...well, they're there. Some are refreshingly off-beat, others are totally insufferable - it's a coin toss every time, which led to me dreading them more than I'd like. Still, it's a collect-a-thon of the highest order, and I'm glad to have finally played through one of my childhood favorite game icon's finest hours.

It improved the new playable character levels of the second game. They felt more polished. Not the best, but better. For instance, the yeti character needs a better camera position because he's tall. It vastly limits your view. The level designs are improved from the second game. More enjoyable to explore since they are linear and not large maps. They have improved the speedway levels to be more clear in the order of collection.

I also love the fact they brought back dragon animations. Instead of rescuing adults dragons from statues, you are collecting eggs. Each rewards you with an animation that is much more fun than simply getting a boring orb in the second game. Some of your helper NCPs return from the second game. Namely the professor and Hunter. The professor I understand, but Hunter? He's still useless. Not sure why they brought him back. Comic relief? The story and villain are more fleshed out and shown here.