Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

"I like it a bit. But it is one of the last Spyro games that I enjoyed."

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly takes place after the events of the super succesful Spyro: Year of the Dragon. Ripto and his dinosaur lackeys are back creating havoc once again, this time stealing dragonflies in the Dragon Realm. Guess who has to find all of them? Yep, you guessed it!

Graphics: 4 / 5
The graphic system is by far the best aspect of this video game. I'm especially statisfied with Spyro's design. He hasn't changed since the last PsX game, but his design looks really detailed. The same goes with all the other characters, but none of them are as detailed as Spyro, but that's not a good thing. There are some flaws, though. For example, the game is pretty glitchy. It sounds strange, but in some levels, the wings of either Spyro or little creatures for Sparx to feed on stretch throughout the whole level. That is really annoying, and a serious downside. Also, it sometimes amazes me that this is a children's game. Ripto's face downright gives people nightmares. To top it off, it seems that the creators tried to make it look too good. Spyro's headbash attack looks like Spyro is actually flying in the air for a while.

Sound: 2 / 5
I like the fact that the voice-actors from previous games lend their voices for this game, except for Bianca, she is spoken by a new voice-actress. But I dislike the facts that there are almost no original sound effects. From death screams to the sound that vases make when they break, they are no different the PsX games, only used in different occasions. That is a seriously lazy thing to do in my opinion. Also, I noticed that in the Dragon Realm, when you talk to the little blue alligator in front of the flying honey comb while you don't have 45 dragonflies yet, he'll say his line that he's supposed to say when you do have 45 dragonflies. It is no biggie, but some players find it really annoying.

Storyline: 1 / 5
This is, simply put, crap. Even a 6-year old boy could have come up with a simple story as this. Spyro and friends thow a party in the Dragon Realm. Ripto, Crush and Gulp appear out of nowhere, steal Sparx and the other dragonflies. Bianca just happens to know where Sparx is: inside the castle where they're standing in front of. The whole game consists of finding 90 dragonflies(though not neccisary, only to gain access to some levels), defeating Ripto after beating 9 easy levels. That's all there is to it. Even if this is a children's game, the story could have been a little more complex like in the original Spyro the Dragon for PsX.

Gameplay: 2 / 5
No changes have been made to the gameplay. There is one thing that has changed to Spyro's capabilities, however: different breath-abilities. There are really few though, but they can come in really handy, and the look cool.

You start the game with Spyro's flashy old skool Flame Breath.

Next comes Bubble Breath, only good for capturing dragonlfies.

You'll soon find Spyro's Lightning Breath, a variant to Spyro's Flame Breath, only much cooler.

The last breath-ability is Ice-Breath. You'll be using it a lot in challanges, but on no other occasions(unless you like making ice cubes of your enemies).

There is also a real handy ability you obtain, although not a breath-ability: Wing Shield. It will protect you from vast projectiles like arrows, snowballs, etc. and hurls them back at your enemies. Pretty handy, but it is hard to steer the projectiles.

The reason why I'm giving this aspect such a low rating is because there are so much glitches in the controls. There are a lot of places where need to jump over a gap, but the controls refuse. That alone is why I give this a low rating.

Difficulty: 2 / 5
This game is extremely easy, though the levels can be complex if you're new to the game. The game being so easy can be a good thing for the kids playing it, but the final boss, Ripto, is tough. That is why I personally don't like the difficulty level of this game. It is a bit like Tekken 5 and Tekken: Dark Resurrection. The game is really easy, but the final boss will take a decade to beat.


Frustration Rating: 4 / 5
That this aspect gets such a high rating isn't a good thing. While this game may be easy, there are really, REALLY frustrating ways to die. The graphical and control glitches get on your nerves real easily. Some characters also have some horribly annoying dialoges.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 04/27/09

Game Release: Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (Platinum) (EU, 10/17/03)