Spyro: Season of Ice - Because You Can't Keep a Good Dragon Down: A GZ Interview
by The Badger

Spyro's back, and this time the cute, but thoroughly rambunctious, little dragon will be packing just a big of a punch as ever - but this time in the palms of your hands! Ever since the original, Spyro the Dragon, the successful Playstation series has a proven track record in pleasing fans of all ages and interests. What's more the rave reviews didn't diminish with the sequels, Spyro: Ripto's Rage and Spyro: Year of the Dragon - The Spyro team stayed committed to giving the purple dragon's stories their due and continued to win fans over, both old and new!  So, with all that in mind, who can resist wanting to know more about the next edition of Spyro's adventures? We sure couldn't!

That's where the great team over at Universal Interactive Studios came in! Thanks to producer Ricci Rukavina, we got our chance to answer some of those burning questions we had about the upcoming title. They've got lots in store... So without further adieu, sink your teeth (claws, talons, etc...) into the details on Spryo: Season of Ice!

1. Spyro is back - Hooray! What dastardly deeds will call our pint sized "wyrm" back into action, this time on the GBA?
As usual, an evil villain is ruining Spyro’s long deserved vacation on Dragon Shores. This time Spyro must confront a lowly Rhynoc librarian named Grendor fresh off the Forgotten Realms boat. It seems that Grendor has gotten hold of the Sorceress’s Spell book after the Year of the Dragon. Casting a powerful spell – Grendor freezes all the fairies throughout the Fairy Lands and it’s up to Spyro to rescue them before it’s too late.

2. What kinds of new and/or familiar moves and maneuvers will Spyro be able to perform in his GBA debut? Will the controls be very different from their PlayStation roots?
We stayed very faithful to Spyro’s moves while keeping the game fresh within unique perspectives. Spyro will still be able to glide great distances as well as use his famous fiery flame breath. Of course, jump, hover, and charge are also used in a variety of ways to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. And as always, Sparx will be right at Spyro’s side to help him on all his adventures. We’ve even given Speedway levels a new twist that we think makes them even more playable on a portable system.

3. Tell us a little about the minigames that Spyro GBA'ers will be able to play.
Without giving too much away, Spyro: Season of Ice spans over four unique engines which include traditional Spyro gameplay played in an Isometric Perspective, Timed Speedway levels and levels played as Sparx in top-down old school style gameplay. The fourth engine is a special reward for die hard fans who complete the game in its entirety – an infinitely re-playable arcade game, with its own save, cheats, and mechanics that can be mastered – we spent a lot of time getting it just right! As always, each level has a large variety of unique puzzles and mini-games that are a blast to play like flaming pesky pterodactyls, lighting up lighthouses, catching thieves and more!

4. With 25+ levels of gameplay and truly impressive looking graphics, it's no doubt that the newest edition of Spyro's adventures is fully taking advantage of the GBA system. How much fun has it been taking the new system out for a drive?
It has been a truly rewarding experience as well as a challenging one – Spyro’s wide fan base has high expectations both in terms of quality and depth and Spyro games always deliver. We chose from the beginning to squeeze every drop of the GBA’s power into four different engines so that we would not have to sacrifice quality for portability. We obviously had to do things differently for the GBA, but we made sure that decisions focused on great gameplay and what Spyro fans expect and in some cases we hope to surprise everyone! With so many unique environments such as Mermaid Coast, a Prehistoric Lava Prairie, Space Age Speedway, and truly challenging Sparx Levels we plan on giving gamers their money’s worth and more.

5. Will many of Spyro's old friends be present on his new adventures? Will Spyro have the chance to team up with any of them, or with any new allies?
Many of Spyro's old friends are back in Spyro: Season of Ice, including Hunter, Sparx, Bianca in addition to large variety of NPC’s. Spyro will get lots of help from all the various inhabitants that populate the Fairy Lands and Sparx even gets to go solo again in old school shooter style gameplay.

6. Tell us a little about the appearance and how you came to create the part 2D/part 3D (isometric) appearance of Spyro: Season of Ice. Will the views/player angles change much during game play?
From the moment I sat down with Digital Eclipse to create a Spyro game on the GBA we agreed that we did not want to compromise the series in anyway by taking it to a portable platform. We chose the Isometric Mode to handle traditional Spyro gameplay because it allowed us to stay to true to Spyro’s core ability, which of course is - gliding. Long range glides were not only possible, but the ¾ Perspective allowed us to tweak maps to make them more fun. The views change constantly from level to level and you never know what type of gameplay you might find as it changes constantly – you may find a Mode 7 speedway, an Isometric Level, a Top Down Sparx Level or even some things we’ve kept super secret… ;)

7. Spyro has come to appeal to an incredibly wide range of players of all ages and interests. When you first started did you have any idea that Spyro would be a favorite for so many different kind of gamers, and did anything change in your "formula" when you were in the process of planning the title for its platform switch to GBA?
There are many well constructed rules that must be followed when developing a Spyro game and changing even one of them causes other rules to break. We were very careful in staying true to what gamers expect from a game such as Spyro, regardless of platform. Although it was a challenge to say the least in transferring all the rules that make up a Spyro game – I think we have done well and that Spyro fans and even those who have never played a Spyro game before will be pleased.

8. For players who are new to the Spyro series, how would you best sum up the percentage of action and adventure in the title? Is there a great deal of character interaction, puzzle solving, and/or story elements to Spyro: Season of Ice?
Spyro is one of the best characters ever to make a game for. His unique moves and worlds that he inhabits are not only a blast to play but fun to design around. As with most Spyro games, the game works on many levels and is designed around what a player wants to get out of it. For some that might be a fast action platformer whereas others might want to focus more on puzzles or the story and interacting with all of the unique characters in the game (there are hundreds!). Regardless of the platform, Spyro: Season of Ice has a wide variety of action and adventure. The fact that you can take it anywhere is a bonus! For those who have always wanted to play Spyro anywhere - now they can - any way they want.

9. The Spyro series has gotten consistently great reviews since its inception on the PlayStation system. Is there anything you're doing with Season of Ice that you might have been waiting to do or that you're excited to be doing this time?
The Spyro series has consistently focused on great gameplay with variety and depth. We have stuck to this formula for the most part while being a little adventurous in areas that gamers might not expect. I am really excited about the new levels, the new story and the different perspectives – but above all I am excited to see Spyro in a brand new adventure.

10. Is there anything else, maybe a little intriguing tidbit; you'd like to leave our readers with who are awaiting Spyro? Can we count on Spyro's adventured to continue; no matter what platform he might choose to grace our presence with yet?
There’s lots of adventure to be found in Spyro: Season of Ice with tons of secrets along the way. And as far as other platforms are concerned – you can bet Universal Interactive Studios will be making some announcements soon about Spyro’s next adventures. As long as there is trouble in or outside of the Dragon Realms, you can count on Spyro and Sparx to be in the middle of it!

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And what's more is that Spyro fans, both old and new will have even more great details and goodies in store: We've also been informed that Spyro's very own sites -  www.spyrothedragon.com and www.seasonofice.com  - will be updated very soon! Make sure to check for new and exciting announcements on Spyro: Season Of Ice and other Spyro related announcements!

A big thanks to Ricci and the team over at Universal Interactive Studios for taking time from their busy schedules to answer our questions - and also for their enthusiasm in bringing the hottest little dragon around, Spyro, to the hottest handheld around - the GBA! We're looking forward to taking Spyro out for his next adventure!