New Spyro The Dragon: Dawn of the Dragon Q&A

June 26, 2008

New Spyro The Dragon: Dawn of the Dragon Q&A

Sierra Entertainment have released a new Q&A for
their upcoming Spryo the Dragon title, Dawn of the Dragon. The Q&A, which can be
read below, is answered by Associate Producer Mike Graham.

Additionally, they have released a new mini-game
on the official Spyro’s Lair site today:

Spyro the Dragon: Wings of Fury – Join Spyro and
Cynder as they battle through 10 heart-stopping levels into the Floating Islands
and beyond the Burning Wastelands to face a colossal enemy…

You can access Spyro’s Lair here:

http://lair.spyrothedragon.com/us/

For more information, check out the post on
the Spyro forums:


http://forums.vgames.com/forum.jspa?forumID=52

Spyro The Dragon: Dawn of the Dragon Q&A:

Answered by: Mike Graham, Associate Producer,
Sierra Entertainment

Why was Etranges Libellules selected for the
latest Spyro adventure?

Etranges Libellules had caught our attention when
they released “Arthur and the Invisibles” (based on the movie). We were all very
impressed with the artistic style and the visual quality that they were able to
achieve on the PS2. Based on their prior experience with platform adventure
games, we knew they would be a good fit. But at the time, we were waiting for a
few decisions to be made regarding Spyro, and weren’t really sure when we would
be able to release the final chapter in the “Legend” trilogy. It just so turned
out that the timing was perfect. The call was made for a 2008 next-gen release
and they had a team ready to hit the ground running. It became very clear early
on that they were all very passionate about making great games, and we knew were
onto something very special.

Will this be the last Spyro game or are there
plans to make more after this finale?

Without a doubt, there will be more Spyro games
in the future. The entire purpose of the trilogy was to re-establish the
characters and the world in a way that would allow for growth and expansion.
We’ve only scratched the surface.

Will there be any other playable characters in
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon?

Spyro and Cynder are the only playable characters
in Dawn of the Dragon. This is a story about dragons after all. More
specifically, this is a story about Spyros destiny and a story of Cynders
redemption. We wanted our main characters to have a lot of abilities and really
be the stars. Often times, when more playable characters are introduced, you end
up having to spread the time and effort across so many mechanics, that the end
result feels diluted and simple. We chose to focus all of our efforts on giving
players a deeper experience with the two main characters.

Will the Spyro’s moves be a bit more diverse than
those in The Eternal Night?

The ability to fly alone has totally opened up
Spyro’s move set. I really can’t wait for players to get their hands on it. It
feels very fantasy and magical to fly and glide on the air. But that aside,
Spyro’s elemental abilities are much more diverse than they were in “The Eternal
Night”. Plus Cynder has all new elements that have never appeared in any Spyro
game.

How long is The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the
Dragon going to be?

Seeing as how we aren’t finished with it yet,
it’s hard to estimate how long the game will end up. We’ve taken a “best of both
worlds” approach in terms of level design to allow player to play the game at
their own pace. We have way more hidden gems and collectible items than any of
the previous games in the trilogy. Not all of them are necessary in order to
progress, but they certainly help. Any player that wants to blast through the
game as fast as they can are certainly welcome to try, but it will be much more
challenging for them. Players that take their time to explore will have an
easier time in the end.

What exactly do we mean by the element "fear" for
Cynder? I’m imagining moves that scare the daylight out of enemies to send them
running or freeze them to the spot.

Part of the inspiration for FEAR came from a
various popular fantasy books – such as Dragon Lance. Dragons give off Dragon
Fear, which frightens anyone in the vicinity to near paralysis. There are a lot
of really interesting magical abilities that some of the darker dragons have,
not just in that series, but in many fantasy books that deal with dragons.

Is it going to be harder to power up your moves
in The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon?

Powering up Spyro and Cynder’s elemental
abilities will function similarly to the way it has in the first two games of
the series. But that’s not to say it will be easy. A large amount of spirit gems
(experience points) will be hidden in gem clusters throughout each level so
players aren’t just blasting through everything and getting too powerful. In
addition to elemental upgrades, we have included a lot of health and magic
upgrades, as well as armor pieces. Each armor piece has an impact on your
character. Some pieces increase your attack speed, some reduce damage – there’s
quite a diverse list of armor that players can equip once they are found.

Will the levels in The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of
the Dragon be larger than in previous games?

Not all of the levels are the same size. Each
area in the game is the length and size that we felt they needed to be in order
to maintain the proper pacing for the story and gameplay. Having said that, we
do have quite a few areas that are very large – much larger than anything we
have done in the series so far.

What’s the purple bar between Cynder and Spyro on
the HUD?

The purple bar that has been seen in a few
screenshots is a rough (not final) version of the Fury Meter. Furies will be
slightly different in this year’s game. We like the presentational aspect of
furies – it’s neat to see a buildup and a massive explosion of magic and energy.
We just wanted the aftermath to be more interactive. So now furies will
temporarily give Spyro and Cynder special powers.

Can you use Cynder to play the entire game?

Yes, players can choose to use either Spyro or
Cynder throughout the entire game. Of course, there are some areas in the game
where the player will need to use an ability of one of the dragons in order to
advance, but aside from those instances, it’s really up to the player.