darkSpyro

Okay, so I have a lot of questions about this series.

I was a huge fan of Spyro from the original game up through A Hero's Tail/Shadow Legacy. I always loved the humor, the characters, and the colorful world design.

I was not impressed with the TLoS series. It was too serious, most of the cool anthropomorphic animal characters were not present, the worlds were all a dark palette.

The Skylanders games were the first Spyro games I did not purchase. Up until then I had every Spyro game for PS1, GameCube/PS2, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS. I even bought multiple versions of TLoS across different systems for completionist's sake.

But Dawn of the Dragon was the first Spyro ever game I did not finish. I was bored with it. Therefore I have avoided Skylanders like the plague. I felt a part of my childhood had been destroyed.

I am wanting to give the series a chance. It seems to have restored some of the things I missed in TLoS -- anthropomorphic animal NPCs populating the game, bright & cartoony worlds, humor. It seems more like classic Spyro than TLoS.

So I wonder if anyone could answer some questions about this game.


1) How do the elements of this game compare to the original series? Are there series 'staples' such as Sparx the Dragonfly? Sheep? What breath abilities does Spyro have? Do any characters from the past games in this series return besides for Spyro? Are there mini-games? I saw there are hot air balloons - what are the function of these? Basically - I know this is an 'alternate universe' - but in what ways does the game reference or pay homage to the many earlier Spyro games?

2) I have a Wii and a 3DS. I believe a different developer worked on each system's version of S: SA? How do they differ? Which one is more like classic Spyro as in a platforming, collect-a-thon style adventure? I did not like how much beat-em-up fighting there was in TLoS. Which version is better in your opinions?

3) Are ALL of the characters for S:SA now released? I know the game has two sequels - Giants and Swap Force - are those characters backwards compatible? Or have all the characters for the first game now been released and there are no plans for more and the figures for future games are not compatible with this original game?

3.5) How many figures/characters are there for this game?

4) If I played ONLY as Spyro what percentage of the game could I complete? How many characters do you need to complete the game 100% - as in exploring all of the worlds/levels, meeting all of the NPCs, defeating all of the bosses, collecting any/all collectable items?

Thank you all so much for your help!

I don't have time to answer all, so:
3.5) 32 normal characters, 5 in-game variants, and some chase variants.
4)IDK and 8. One in each element.

The game was built on Wii and ported everywhere else. 3DS is a separate effort altogether...buy the one with the best graphics imo. In your case the Wii game is what you want...the 3DS is cute joke game whereas the other gaming platforms is the flagship product. You have no achievements on the Wii unlike Xbox/PS3 which

Do not compare this game to any of the past Spyro games...there's some similarities, but you will ultimately be disappointed if you go into this thinking it's a spyro type game.

In a nutshell, these are dungeon crawlers. There's a variety of worlds/environments in the first game, so you get to experience a bit of everything.

You also need to have all 32 skylanders just to be given the option of %100 completion. there are adventure packs which is basically just physical DLC with items & exclusive worlds(levels). This is almost nothing like the other spyro games, but you will not be dissapointed! Sparx is available as an item. Spyro has three characters(dark/legendary spyro are just color variants though with a little extra strength.) Anyone can use sparx. NO OTHER past spyro characters return, sry. the element system is different. baloons are for travel. there are sortof mini games throughout the storyline. there is a PvP battle mode added. ALL of the S:SA characters are out, but mostly in thier giants versions which you want over the originals anyways. yes they are backwards compatable but none of the new stuff works on the older games. i would first go for Wii version but i'd eventually get both because the play styles different. the game is very linier but thats ok, makes it easier for my 3yr old to play(hes very good at it!

I thought cynder was a past spyro character though <.<

there are 32 S:SA skylanders NOT including legendaries, recolors, or other variants. sry for the double post but my PS3 wont let me comment more than above. nor can i paragraph... sry.. but i'm pretty sure i saw that in the Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack there are more core spyro references and character cameos but idk cuz i dont have it yet. OH YEA! i forgot to mention that Cynder is a playable skylander, so theres another one of the older characters. i rly hope this all helps! let me know if you have anymore questions and remember there is always the skylanders wiki for more detailed info on specific things & youtube to look up gameplay to see how it plays.

..........................skylanders....... spyro
spyro.....................yes.................yes
sheep....................yes..................yes
sparx....................yes................. yes
cynder..................yes...................yes
boss.....................yes...................yes
balloons...............yes.................some times
portal...................yes..................yes
hidden bones......yes...................yes
side missions......yes....................yes
multiple characters YES .............some times
2 play a...............yes....................
money bags....... no......................yes
clear story line.....yes...................yes
min games..........yes....................yes
funny NPCs.........yes....................yes
cartoony.............yes ..................yes
family fun.............yes...................yes
player v player.....yes...................no
orbs......................as money.........as power sores
cut sens...............yes..................yes

each skylander comes with a heroic changing (side mission)
use fire element to open fire gate a wall on lave to find hats (water element=water gate)
flin the balloonist take you to levels
spyro attacks are combination of fire ,flying and horn charge
game can be completed with just spyro be is more fun using multiple characters
dragons peak be good for you its like spyro one (dragons turnd to stone)
starter pack gill grunt, triger happy, and spyro
consoles and DS have different story line (i like consoles)
giant wont work one SSA never will sroom boom, flash wing , jet vac, chill , fright rider , pop fiz, hot dog , and sprocket

if you want a new good spyro experience then then get ssa and the dragons peak adventure pack(it has sparx and dragon level). since there is 3 elements in ssa game pack and you got the fire element in the dragons peak adventure pack. now you need cynders for second players co-ops, then your left with 3 more elements, pick the one you can find at your shops. you should have 8 elements total and one of each. so you can reach all parts of the game...

now you will be ready to play the game with spyro and sparks and can reach all the places in the game.. also if you want another person to join your game let them use cynder... then you will have an awesome new spyro game... you will not even think its a skylanders game at all....

kappapopom is right no money

i think you will like this game its not formatted like over spyro game but it still has that classic feel to it with a little legend action mick in giving it its charm. don't take my word for it watch some game play be fore bye

it more classic
me stop posting

Quote: terranakari

You also need to have all 32 skylanders just to be given the option of %100 completion. there are adventure packs which is basically just physical DLC with items & exclusive worlds(levels). This is almost nothing like the other spyro games, but you will not be dissapointed! Sparx is available as an item. Spyro has three characters(dark/legendary spyro are just color variants though with a little extra strength.) Anyone can use sparx. NO OTHER past spyro characters return, sry. the element system is different. baloons are for travel. there are sortof mini games throughout the storyline. there is a PvP battle mode added. ALL of the S:SA characters are out, but mostly in thier giants versions which you want over the originals anyways. yes they are backwards compatable but none of the new stuff works on the older games. i would first go for Wii version but i'd eventually get both because the play styles different. the game is very linier but thats ok, makes it easier for my 3yr old to play(hes very good at it!

You only need 8 for the game to tell you 100%

only 8, 1 for each elimeatal gate
1 fire
1 water
1 life
1 undead
1 tech
1 magic
1 wind
1 earth

1 water - gill grunt (comes with the game)
2 tech - trigger happy (comes with the game)
3 magic - spyro (comes with the game)
4 fire - sunburn (include dragons peak and sparx)
5 undead - cynder (must buy since important character in spyro game)

these 5 you have no choice over.... then you have 3 left to pick of your own choice.

6 life -
7 wind -
8 earth -

Wow so many great & helpful answers thus far. Thank you, everyone.

Dragon's Peak sounds fun!

Another question - okay, so only 32 Skylanders figurines work with SSA... do they work with both the Wii and 3DS version in case I might get both?

The way it sounds the SSA figures are forward compatible - able to be used for Giants and Swap Force...

But the Giants and Swap Force characters are not backwards compatible - unable to be used for Spyro's Adventure ?

yes the 32 work with the 3ds version of ssa....

the ssa figures will work in giants/swap force...

giants figures will work in swap force but not ssa... and giants/swap force variants of ssa(s2/s3/lc etc) will work in ssa...

all ways forward compatible / green based are the 32 skylanders from SSA / Series 2 (orange base) with a series 1 counterpart work to (like Series 2 spyro)/ you cart use giant on SSA also shroom boom, flash wing , jet vac, chill , fright rider , pop fiz, hot dog , and sprocket wont work.

The console versions (Wii/X360/PS3) are quite a bit longer, but have an entirely different play style and storyline. The 3DS and Console versions are meant to be complementary to each other instead of just different versions of the same game. yes they work with both the X box, PS, Wii, and 3DS version

starter pack wii= gill grunt, triger happy, and spyro
..................3DS=stelf elf, ignitor, and dark spyro

In terms of compatibility, it's real simple:

Look at the roster for both games...those that are in Giants and Spyro Adventure are forward and backward compatible. In those instances it makes sense to get the Giants version (orange bottoms) of those characters since it unlocks Heroics for both games whereas the older SSA versions will not unlock Heroics in Giants.

Those that were new in Gants can't be used in Spyro because they didn't exist yet!

Basically, everything is compatible MOVING FORWARD, and BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE TO THE RELEASE WHERE THEY FIRST APPEARED. It's generally a good idea to get the latest revision of a given character since it unlocks any content from all of the games (present and past). Note there's some question on how upgrades are going to happen in Swap Force since Heroics are going away in that game.

Green Bottoms = SSA versions
Orange Bottoms = SG versions
Blue Bottoms = SF versions

right! but to unlock all heroic challenges you need them all so you can max out stats

Or have a friend who has all the characters you don't. That just makes you feel 100% complete, you only need 8 for the game to tell you 100%

My suggestions would be:
Tech: In starter pack.
Magic: In starter pack.
Undead: If you want it to feel more like a Spyro game and If you want to have an extra level.
Life: Whoever you like best.
Water: In starter pack, I highly recommend selling him and buying Slam Bam with Empire of Ice.
Fire: In adventure pack with Sparx.
Air: Whoever you like best.
Earth: For extra level.

Buy Bash, Eruptor, Ghost Roaster (but since he's so rare, just get Chop Chop), Lightning Rod, and Camo.
If you want a better character for the three elements in the starter pack, get Voodood, Wham Shell, and Boomer (but since they're so rare, you might want to just get Double Trouble, Slam Bam, and Drobot.)

or get what look cool to you

If you like hunting out items, you should quite enjoy the console version of SSA. It’s often described as Diablo for kids, but the art and humour appeals to people of all ages (I’m 33). And while the fighting/looting/exploring is fun, there are many hidden items scattered throughout the worlds that can be silly hard to locate.

Don’t worry too much about getting a full roster of characters right away – it’s possible to complete the game with just the 3 packed-in characters. To find every hidden area you’ll need one creature of each element, but you are free to replay levels whenever you want, so you can start right away with the core characters and come back for the hidden bits later when you have more figures.

Rule of thumb: If a character is shown on the poster included in SSA, the character will work in SSA. It doesn’t matter if it’s Spryo’s Adventure, Lightcore, Legendary or anything else – if it’s on the SSA poster, it’ll work in SSA.

I really enjoyed picking my first team of eight – don’t worry too much about what people suggest, just get the core game and then look at the included poster to see what’s out there. You might want to build a team that’s just different types of dragons, you might find the elves look appealing… but just take your time and pick one figure from each element.

There are four extra levels that you can buy… perhaps don’t worry too much about them yet. They can be hard to find, so if you see one in the store you may as well buy it, but they can be costly to get otherwise, so it’s a good idea to play the game first and make sure that you enjoy it
If you are enjoying it, the Giants starter pack has Cynder (undead) that works in both SSA and SG.

When I started I got the core game, then the Giants branded pack that contained Erupter (fire), Stealth Elf (life) and Terrafin (Earth). I then grabbed Cynder (undead) and Whirlwind (Air).

Since my first Spyro was SSA, I can't compare much, LOL! So I'll stick with your last few questions...

Quote: Aldebaran22

3) Are ALL of the characters for S:SA now released? I know the game has two sequels - Giants and Swap Force - are those characters backwards compatible? Or have all the characters for the first game now been released and there are no plans for more and the figures for future games are not compatible with this original game?

3.5) How many figures/characters are there for this game?

4) If I played ONLY as Spyro what percentage of the game could I complete? How many characters do you need to complete the game 100% - as in exploring all of the worlds/levels, meeting all of the NPCs, defeating all of the bosses, collecting any/all collectable items?

Thank you all so much for your help!

The first game had 8 elements, 4 characters per element, so 32 total (not counting variants of those characters, like Legendary ones or Dark Spyro). For Giants, they took 3 out of the 4 and re-posed/re-released them. So those 24 orange-base Giants characters, and ONLY those 24, are backwards compatible and will work in SSA. New characters (1 giant and 1 normal-sized per element, 16 total) do not work in SSA, they were created after the game code, so the game doesn't know who they are, it doesn't have the code to draw them, etc.

Now, if you only play as Spyro...
Exploring all worlds - Yes (to an extent)
Meeting all NPCs - Yes (I think, I don't think there's really any NPCs in special areas)
All Bosses - Yes
Collecting all collectibles - No

If only owning/playing one character, the biggest limitation is that there are Elemental Gates, basically ball-shaped doors which can only be opened by figures of that element. So Spyro - who is Magic - can open all the Magic gates, but no others. The thing is, they always put collectibles behind these Gates, so anything behind non-Magic gates, you won't be able to get. They also use water on occasion to block things (Chapter 1 has one like this), and only water types can traverse water, but so can anybody who can fly, and after you buy the upgrade Spyro can fly. However, ALL Elemental Gates are optional, you CAN complete each level with anybody. Also, you can stay ALMOST true to this play style by switching Spyro for the right element to open the gate (and usually there's a bridge beyond the gate which needs to form), then switching back to Spyro to actually explore the optional area. The only thing is there are some water and fire areas which require that element to walk around.

Also I don't THINK there are any NPCs in any Elemental Gates, only maybe outside where anybody can talk to them. I know in Giants they often have somebody to say "There's a hat in there".

1) sparks is a DLC. and some characters returns like fairies and moneybag. Spyro have just one breath(fire) the 7 other dragon have different breath and element like electrecity. The sheep can't be attacked with different outcome: Double trouble magic can create sheep of color. fire will burn sheep etc...

Oh yeah, Sparx and Sheep...

Sparx is a magical item that comes in one of the Adventure Packs. When you put him on, he's your companion/sidekick for about 30 seconds per level. After the 30 seconds he becomes unavailable until you restart the level or start a new level.

Sheep are introduced as that everybody is afraid of them. They don't do anything to you, this just seems to make it "Okay!" to attack them, LOL! They appear every now and then. MOST attacks just knock them around, but it can be fun exploring what different attacks do. Like, fire lights the wool, and they start hopping more urgently, until the fire goes out and they're a shrivelled charcoal beast. Then after a moment the wool grows back.