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This page details prerelease information and/or media for Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation).
Spyro the Dragon is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation on September 10, 1998. The first game in the Spyro series, it stars the title character, a young purple dragon named Spyro, and his dragonfly friend, Sparx, who must journey across the Dragon Kingdom in order to defeat Gnasty Gnorc (pronounced nas-tee nork), who has. Spyro The Dragon 2 Free Download PC Game setup in direct link for windows. Spyro The Dragon 2 is an action 3D game with animated graphics. Spyro The Dragon 2 PC Game Overview. Spyro the Dragon 2 is a platform game. It is developed under the banner of Insomniac Games. It was released 16 March 2000 and Sony Computer Entertainment published this.
To do:
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- 5Concept art
- 63D Renders
- 7Silver Dragon Builds
- 8Gold Dragon Official Screenshots
- 10Other Early Magazine Screenshots
- 13E3 Demo
- 15EGM Issues 111 and 112
- 15.1EGM 111
- 15.2EGM 112
- 16Miscellaneous Screenshots
Subpages
Press Kit The two version of the press kit which was distributed all the way back in 1998 to advertise the game to gaming journalists. |
June build An unreleased build of the game dating from June of 1998. |
Conception
Spyro the Dragon started development following the poor sales of Disruptor, Insomniac Games' previous game. Noticing the rise in popularity of platformers such as Super Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot, Insomniac decided that their next game would try to appeal to a larger audience. Aiming to create a character for their new game which would in a way serve as a mascot for the more child-oriented part of the Playstation library, art director Craig Stitt suggested this character to be a dragon due to their sheer appeal in terms of both appearance and gameplay options.[1] The idea was then pitched to the rest of the development team, only to receive a positive reception. And so began the story of Spyro the Dragon.
Changes in Spyro's character in early stages of development:
- Spyro's working name / title used to be 'Pete', before later being changed to Spyro. It's worth mentioning that at some point Spyro might have been called 'Pyro' before his final name was chosen, but this is information is uncertain.
- Spyro was originally intended to be an adult dragon, but was later turned into a kid in order to be easier to animate and look cuter.
- Other preliminary sketches also depict Spyro as being bipedal. 'The Making of Spyro the dragon' released by Playstation Underground actually shows us an early animation test of Spyro raising on his hind legs and putting his hands on his hips in a sassy manner.[2] While Spyro can go bipedal (like during the ending of the first game) he is otherwise quadrupedal by default.
- Spyro's original color was green, but it was switched to purple so that he wouldn't blend into grassy environments. Spyro's early color scheme can be seen in one of the early animation tests shown in 'The Making of Spyro the dragon'.[3]
- Spyro's voice allegedly went through 5 or 6 revisions[4] according to his voice actor, Carlos Alazraqui. Two proposed but ultimately rejected voices include a younger, more nasily voice, and an older, more tough sounding one.
(Source: The Making of Spyro the dragon)
Development Timeline
- Conceptual phase (Early 1997)
- Late 1997
- VHS footage shows a colour test used around this time to decide on a colour scheme to give Spyro.[5]
- ~March - May 1998
- Press screenshots and perhaps a couple builds of some of the earliest publicly seen versions of the game are sent to previewers. The game would not be officially unveiled to the public until E3, at which point the game was significantly more complete than these preview builds.
- Some of the earliest builds - the silver dragon builds - show a much earlier variant of the dragon statue, as well as an extremely primitive HUD.
- The gold dragon builds featured in multiple magazines and trailers and showed a slightly later version of the game with an updated HUD and a gold variant of the dragon statues
- An early trailer from a currently unknown source shows yet another update to the game's HUD, including a graphic that went unused in the final game. Dragon statues now use their final design.
- May 29th to the 30th
- E3 1998 began, and Spyro had a booth.[6][7][8] Said booth featured an early build of the game with a few notable differences. In particular, the HUD is now in a near-final state, but the life icon is located in the upper-centre of the screen instead of the right-hand side.
- Date Uncertain (May - June 1998)
- The Tabloid demo is built. It appears to be from a similar point in development to the build of the game shown at E3 1998.
- June 15th 1998
- The June 15th, 1998 prototype is built around this time.
- More trailers of the game seem to also be from around this point in development, closely matching the June 15th prototype.[9][10]
- The June 15th, 1998 prototype is built around this time.
- Late June 1998
- A second demo of the game is built. This version is later than the June 15th build but slightly earlier than the unreleased June 1998 build.
- A currently unreleased prototype of the game, featuring different enemy placement, slightly different level design in a few levels (such as additional platforms), a multitude of dragon differences and an incomplete title screen.[11]
- EGM's build(s) of the game seem to be from a similar point in development to this version of the game.
- July 18th 1998
- A later build of the game, apparently only featuring a relatively small number of differences. The title screen still isn't finished, and a large number of dragon cutscenes are still missing or incomplete.[12]
- August 12th 1998
- On August 12th - or perhaps some time over the two proceeding days - the NTSC-U build of Spyro the Dragon finished development, according to the final game's file modification dates.
- August 27th 1998
- A PAL prototype is presumed to have been compiled around August 27th.
- September 1st 1998
- The final PAL build seems to have finished development around this time, or perhaps the week or so following it, according to the game's file modification dates.
- Late 1998
- Sep. Spyro the Dragon is released in North America.
- Oct. Spyro the Dragon is released in Europe.
- 1999
- Apr. Spyro the Dragon is released in Japan.
Early Gameplay Ideas
In late 1998, Insomniac Games created a website based on Spyro's in-universe news channelː the 'Dragon News Network'. Featured on this website was a page describing the game's technical marvels and what the player could expect from it, yet a few things are mentioned here but never actually seen in-gameː
- The 'moveset' section references a Fireball power-up, which would only make its debut in the game's sequel. It may imply that it was originally planned to be in the first game.
- Gnasty's World / Gnorc Gnexus is referred to as 'Machinists', its earlier name. Unused text in the Tabloid demo still references this homeworld as Machinists.
- Listed among the ways to discover hidden areas are 'flaming a rock' and 'running around a tree'. While no areas in the final game can be unlocked by doing those things, this concept may have inspired the concept of the hidden Skill Points presents in the game's two sequels.
Mark Cerny, then President of Universal Interactive, mentioned some unused ideas for the game in an interview from the 48th issue of Next Generation magazine. According to him, most of the ideas for the game ended up on the cutting room floor, namely missions (which would later appear in Spyro 2 and 3), the use of items, and long-distance shooting (which reappeared in a way in Spyro 2 in the form of the spitting mechanic, as well as actual shooting in the third game's Agent 9 sections).
One of the developers, Craig Stitt, also confirmed that it was at first planned for Spyro to be able to swim. This feature ended up being removed due to a lack of time. According to Stitt, no swimming-based levels were planned but small secret underwater areas were supposed to be found in some levels.
(Source: Dragon News Network)
(Source: Craig Stitt regarding swimming in Spyro 1)
Concept art
Gnorcs
Judging from concept art, the basic Gnorcs enemies were at first planned to have a more humanoid / clearer body shape and wore more medieval-inspired clothing, as opposed to the final design which is rounder, simpler, and usually either 'naked' or wearing nondescript metallic clothing. The reason for this change was likely motivated by the Playstation's graphical limitations, and the Gnorcs' design from later Spyro games - namely Spyro: A Hero's Tail - more closely match the early concept art.
Fodder
There exists concept art for some fodders which never made their way into the final gameː such as a sort of fuzzy animal, a strange horse-like creature, and two sorts of birds. The latter two have a more toon-like aesthetic, which contrasts with more realistic / less stylized fodders found in the final game.
Enemies
Conceptual sketch for a cut enemy called a 'Flying Monk', which bears a striking resemblance to the Green Wizards from the final games. It is unknown whether this enemy was a sub-specie of the Green Wizards or if they simply inspired / evolved into them (which could be supported by the existence of the second artwork, which appears to be a fusion between a Flying Monk and a Green Wizard).
A rough early sketch of a Tin Soldier informs us that in order to defeat them you would have to 'push him sideways until he drops', which was changed probably due to the Armored Gnorcs in Ice Cavern requiring a similar method in order to defeat them. The design of the armor itself was also later refined, the feather on the helmet being replaced by three spikes and the sword by a shield.
Unknown creature
There exists a piece of artwork featuring a bizarre troll-like creature. Said creature has a large nose, shaggy black hair tied in a braid, greasy skin, and a disproportionately small body with a light stomach pattern. It may have been an enemy design which was ultimately scrapped. Another theory is that it may have been a sort of fodder (hence the small body and apparent lack of ways of attack) that was scrapped because of its unsettling appearance.
(Source: The Animation Academy)
3D Renders
To do: How do we know which renders are 'early'? That Sparx render was created at a later date to the other one, for example. Futhermore, the model of Dream Weavers seems a lot closer to the final model than it does to, say, the June 15th prototype, so I doubt the skybox thing is a result of it being unfinished and more just a rendering issue. tl;dr, this section could do with an update. |
Multiple official renders depict slight variations upon some of the levels and character designs seen in the final game. It may be the case that these renders represent an earlier stage of these designs than the ones seen in-game.
Sparx
More on-model render |
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It appears that Sparx's appearance was planned to be more complex, as seen in this render used repeatedly in the NTSC manual, as well as a few official promotional art for the game. This version of Sparx features many elements not shown on the in-game model, mainly due to hardware limitations, namely two feelers, a set of eyebrows, and a pair of arms.
It is worth noting that at the time, other renders closer to Sparx's appearance in-game (such as the one pictured on the right) also existed at the time and were used in a few promotional art pieces (or the back of the PAL box art in the case of the one pictured here). As such, it isn't clear is Sparx's official design was even set in stone.
Egg Thief
Early | Final |
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It appears that the dragon eggs held by the Egg Thiefs were at first planned to be white with colorful spots on it as opposed to pink with purple spots.
Gnasty
![Game Game](http://main-im-game-1.gamewise.co/Glory-of-Empires-Age-of-King-597751-full.png)
Final |
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Strangely enough, the render of Gasty Gnorc used in both the original North-American manual and both version of the box art uses a different color scheme than the one used in-game. Indeed this one appears to wear silver armor-plates and a brown-red armor, as opposed to both of them being colored gold. It's possible this render reflects what Gnasty's armor was planned to look like before it was replaced with the other render, which is more reflective of Gnasty's appearance in-game.
It is worth noting that the redesign of Gnasty's armor seen in Spyro: A Hero's Tail appears to be based on the original render in terms of color scheme.
Terrace Village
The skybox is flipped here, as seen by the sun being on the right as opposed to the left. It's unknown whether this was the original placement of the skybox or if this was only changed for the render.
Dream Weavers
The skybox appears to be either placed differently or different altogether compared to the final game. The flag on top of the castle is also missing (most probably due to it being an object not part of the level geometry).
Gnorc Gnexus
The skybox is flipped here, as seen by the moon being behind the dragon heads as opposed to in front of them. It's unknown whether this was the original placement of the skybox or if this was only changed for the render. The skyboxes shown inside the portals however are definitely all kinds of wrong: Twilight Harbor uses an half-orange half-purple skybox as opposed to an entirely orange one (which is actually used in Gnasty's Loot portal here!), Gnasty Gnorc's skybox is bright yellow as opposed to blue and purple, and the skybox of Gnasty's Loot is that of Twilight Harbor's.
(Source: Spyro 1 official website)
Silver Dragon Builds
Some of the earliest screenshots of the game can be identified by the presence of a silver dragon statue in place of the blueish design seen in the final game. In particular, an extremely early version of the HUD is seen in some of these screenshots, indicating that they represent an earlier build than any of the other prerelease media for the game.
Build 1
Several magazines - including PSX Extreme Issue 11-12, PlayStation Magazine UK Issue 34 and Superjuegos Issue 75 - represent what appear to be the same version of the game (as some of the screenshots appear in more than one of the aforementioned magazines).
This screenshot of Cliff Town shows a dragon in a location where no dragon appears in the final game. The dragon features an arguably quite primitive design, with a silver colouring as previously mentioned.
A screenshot of the beginning area of Cliff Town, showcasing what seems to be the earliest iteration of the HUD: the Gem counter icon is a green gem (instead of a golden treasure chest) and the Dragon and Life counter both lack any kind of icon. The way each section is organized is also different, each counter being placed in a corner of the screen rather than being all on the top portion of it. The font used also appears to be different, the '0' being rounder and using a different shading.
A screenshot of Spyro flaming an Ice Gnorc in Wizard Peak. The HUD is once again shown to use a unique font, the '7' appearing much rounder than its final design.
Build 2
An unknown issue of Ultimate Solutions (and for some reason, later on, the November 2000 issue of the Official Australian PlayStation Magazine) also features screenshots of a similar (if not identical) version of the game, though as of yet no screenshots from this magazine have been found to also be in any of the previously mentioned magazines.
Another picture of the silver crystal dragon design, this time taken in the small room at the bottom of Stone Hill's well. This dragon also seems to be closer to the center of the room as opposed to the leftmost wall, though this might be due to the misleading camera perspective.
One can also notice that the design of the locked chest appears to have once being closer to that of a traditional chest (à la The Legend of Zelda) as opposed to the design used in the final game, which is more angular and is made out of metal.
Build 3
Footage shown by 'Templo dos Jogos' - and possibly others - shows a number of ways in which Stone Hill (and the game as a whole) changed.
- 0:00 The video starts with Spyro in an unidentified room. The room seems to be around where he'd normally spawn into the level, so perhaps this is where the player starts.
- 0:00 Sparx seems to start off green and doesn't change colour at all throughout the video, even after getting hit. His glow does change though, so Sparx was likely green all the time in this version, similar to the Japanese version of the game.
- 0:01, 0:06, 0:11 Spyro is seen turning around in a manner that's not seen in the final.
- 0:14 Unfinished knockback animation.
- 0:16 There's a weird particle effect when Spyro flames. This is seen again in one of the shorter clips at the end.
- 0:20 The more primitive design for the HUD that's been seen in a few early screenshots. The font is clearly different here and the green gem can be seen.
- 0:25 You get a nice view of the entrance to the room Spyro started in.
- 0:27 Dragons used their early silver model in this version.
- 0:28 When the dragon is collected, it instantly disappears, like some of the dragons do in a few of the released prototypes. This dragon's dialogue would later use dialogue ID 0, perhaps suggesting this build was before any dragon dialogue was in the game.
- 0:28 The dragon counter in the HUD is in the top right instead of the middle, and it has no icon. Screenshots from 'Build 1' suggest that a third counter - possibly lives or dragon eggs - would have gone in the bottom left of the screen, but we don't get to see its use here.
- 0:29 The locked chest using a much earlier (and more chest-like) design is seen clearly here.
- 0:39 An exit portal is very clearly seen instead of an exit vortex.
(Source: Playstation Magazine UK issue 34)
Gold Dragon Official Screenshots
Similar to some of the 'silver dragon' screenshots above, multiple magazines use screenshots from a slightly later build of the game featuring a gold dragon design instead, along with a later (but still unfinished) version of the HUD. These include PSM June 1998, GamePro 119, ConsoleDomain's online review, Game Buyer Issue 3 and NextGen Issue 48.
Dragon Statue
This screenshot of Town Square presents a dragon statue in the form of a gold statue of Spyro. The other dragon statue (the one where Thor is imprisoned) which is normally present on the higher platform appears to be missing, but this may just due to the dragon not having a low-poly model yet, since videos of the statue show that it only appeared when Spyro was very close to it.
Town Square
The row of red gems on the platform on the right seems closer to the ledge than in the final game.
The Gnorc's clothes are different, his pants being red instead of black and his jacket having more golden embroidery.
Cliff Town
In this screenshot of the beginning area of Cliff Town, in the distance is what appears to be a white rectangle where the home vortex normally would be - in this version of the game, home vortexes instead took the form of portals similar in style to the ones used to enter the level.
(Source: Next Generation issue 48)
Earliest Trailer
A trailer that appeared on multiple demo discs shows us a build similar to the gold dragon build above. Here we can clearly (if not briefly) see the aforementioned gold dragons (as well as the lack of a low-poly model for said dragons). The placement of the statue itself (where Argus would be in the final game) was also changed, being inside the dragon head instead of in front of it. Thus, either the level was accessible from the start, or the dragon is only revealed after completing a level. Once again we also see that the HUD features the final font but uses a green gem icon instead of a treasure chest.
At around 0:13 a dragon pad can be seen in Cliff Town in a location where a dragon is not found in the final game, as seen in an earlier build. While this may have been the original location of Halvor - a dragon found at the bottom of the cliffs - it's also possible that this dragon would have been 'Gale', an unused dragon name listed amongst the Cliff Town dragons in the final game.
Other Early Magazine Screenshots
A couple magazines from mid-1998 featured images of versions of the game similar to the other builds featuring gold dragon statues.
Next Generation Issue 42
The 42nd edition of the magazine Next Generation which came out in June 1998 (initially released in a limited format at E3 1998 in May) shows some screenshots from one of the earliest known builds of the game (the magazine claims it to be an alpha version). Regardless of the exact date, we can see that the screenshots present quite a number of differences.
Wizard Peak
Near the end part of Wizard Peak, where the home vortex would normally be, there appears to have been a portal / gate not unlike the ones found in the Magic Crafters home (see #Miscellaneous Screenshots).
Note also that in the final game, Spyro has to jump up a few steps on the way up this section of the level - no steps are present here. The top of the peaks also seem to lack snow.
This next screenshot depicts Spyro flaming an Ice Gnorc at the end of Wizard Peak. The aforementioned portal / gate is shown and Lucas is missing (it's possible that he may have once been on one of the platforms you can only access via Supercharge).
Dry Canyon
This screenshot of Spyro flaming a vulture in Dry Canyon shows that there used to be only two gems instead of three.
Cliff Town
This screenshot of Spyro approaching the second Fat Lady in Cliff Town shows some interesting differencesː this enemy and her cauldron seem to be closer to the 'river', and there doesn't appear to be any cacti behind her.
Peace Keepers home
A screenshot of the beginning area of the Peace Keepers home. The texture on the wall is different, as it appears to it and the pillar texture were swapped early in development. The lighting also seems to be brighter.
This screenshot of the scared Gnorc Guards in the Peace Keepers home shows the earlier version of the tents with their large 'shadow'.
Ice Cavern
The three red gems normally leading to the Gem Container are missing.
Toasty
This screenshot of the fight against Toasty shows that the HUD icon next to your gem count used to be a green gem and not a treasure chest like in the final game.
Artisans home
The Boatman, a Viking-like character who would have transported you to the Peace Keepers, but was ultimately replaced by the balloonist. The magazine mentions that in order to board the ship you would have to collect a certain amount of treasure, while in the final game you need to rescue a certain amount of Dragons in order to progress to the Peace Keepers. Unused text in the Tabloid demo still references the Boatman.
PS Extreme Volume 3 Issue 7
Volume 3, Issue 7 of PS Extreme, from June 1998. It Seems to depict a similar version of the game to the Next Generation build.
Artisans home
A screenshot depicting a gate that was later removed from the Artisans castle. Curiously enough, Spyro Reignited Trilogy would end up adding a door to the Artisans home in this exact location.
Several screenshots used in the magazine confirm that the dragon statues used the early gold-coloured model in this version of the game. The statue for Argus is once again placed inside the dragon mouth instead of outside.
(Source: PSExtreme Volume 3 Issue 7 June 1998 (Credits: Reddit user Kapivali))
Red Gem Trailer
A video from an unknown source shows a slightly later version of the game than the gold dragon builds, including a third unfinished version of the HUD. Not only has the green gem now been changed to a red gem, but an early graphic is used for the life icon which is still present in the final game, albeit unused.
Wizard Peak's level design is slightly different, once again showing an exit portal similar in design to the portals found in the Magic Crafters home, instead of the home vortex. There is also an Ice wizard in the corner where the Dragon statue should be (the statue in question being closer to the edge in this version).
Later Demo Trailer
This trailer which appeared on multiple demo discs (e.g. Demo One V6, Euro Demo 37) shows an even later version of the game, including an early version of the home vortex (now replacing the exit portals, seen at around 1ː24) which used the same model as the Artisans dragon platforms, with the addition of the usual vortex particle effect. This design was also seen in the game's earliest demo as well as the June 15th prototype. A single blue gem is seen floating inside the Town Square home vortex, a level that wasn't accessible in the aforementioned demo. It's likely that this vortex model was just a placeholder.
Around 49 seconds in, a section of Night Flight which usually contains a fairy is shown to have nothing at all. That puts it even earlier than the June 15th Prototype.
The HUD now takes its final design.
E3 Demo
A few small clips of the E3 demo have surfaced, showing a similar version of the game to the above trailer.
E3 1998 Freak's Shop VHS Messevideo
Starts at 26:07.
- The HUD is mostly identical in appearance to its design in the final game, aside from the lives and dragons counters switching places.
- The tents in the Peace Keepers home have a different, more pronounced 'shadow' on their surface, which may be the result of a glitch, seeing how it disappears once the tent is flamed.
- There is a locked chest on the platform in the central area of the Artisans overworld.
- Gildas is missing his release animation, and his dialogue is presented in text form.
- At around 27ː39 you can see the Dragon counter going from zero to one after releasing Magnus in the Peace Keeper home, implying that this level was accessed via cheats in order to show different levels beside the ones from the Artisans home during the presentation.
PlayStation Underground Coolest Games
Starts at 1:08.
- The aforementioned early version of the HUD can be seen more clearly (at 1ː27).
- Said extract of the footage shows that the Magic Crafters home was also accessed via cheats, as the HUD informs us that the player hasn't collected a single Gems nor rescued a single dragons.
E3 1998 Gamers Point VHS Video
Starts at 20:31.
- A short clip of Spyro in the Artisan home, indirectly focusing on the locked chest which would ultimately be removed in the final game.
Stargame Multishow
This video shows multiple clips from what may all be different sources.
- A small clip of the E3 demo is seen 13 seconds into the video, showing the Artisans home.
- At 1:27 a very short clip of a monitor at the event seems to show a clip of the game's earliest trailer, complete with a green gem in the HUD.
- At 2:40, there's a little more footage of the event, showing Stone Hill
- At 2:49, direct feed footage begins. It is unknown from which build this footage is from, but one particularly noticeable difference is the presence of a flat-topped fountain in Town Square matching the June 15th Prototype.
Tabloid Demo and Trailer
The earliest demo of the game - the Tabloid Demo - seems to represent a similar version of the game to the 'Later Demo Trailer' and the E3 Demo. The Tabloid Demo Disc also features a trailer of the game which seems to represent yet another similar version of the game.
There's also a later demo which falls in the development timeline after the aforementioned Tabloid-like builds.
EGM Issues 111 and 112
EGM featured review builds of the game in two of their issues. It's not known if they're the same build or just very similar builds. They appear to be relatively late development, but it's hard to be sure.
EGM 111
High Caves
A screenshot of the open area of High Caves, on the right side the Magic Crafters flag can be seen hanging off the wall.
Crystal Flight
A screenshot of the beginning of Crystal Flight. The time shown on the timer helps us determine that this screenshot is indeed from around the July build of the game, seeing how in that build the player starts with a 20 seconds countdown instead of a 25 seconds one.
Gnasty's Loot
A screenshot of Spyro chasing a Thief in Gnasty's Loot, showing the level's earlier, more blueish textures.
EGM 112
Early Balloonists requests
This issue of the magazine also discusses the requirements needed to progress from one world to the next, differing from the final game. Peace Keepers is unlocked after freeing 5 dragons (instead of 10), Magic Crafters after obtaining 1000 gems (as opposed to 1200), Magic Crafters after obtaining 2000 gems (as opposed to having to rescue 5 dragon eggs), and Gnasty's World after obtaining 10000 gems (as opposed to 6000).
However, dialogue strings in the demo builds from even earlier builds of the game do not coincide with these figures. Hence, it's possible that the magazine published entirely incorrect information, for unknown reasons. Even the earliest builds of the game (ones featuring the Boatman!) have a 10 dragon requirement to access the Peace Keepers, for example.
Gnasty's Loot
Two screenshots of Spyro in Gnasty's Loot, showing the level's earlier, more blueish textures, once again, as well as the more green-yellow lava.
Artisans home
A screenshot of Spyro walking toward Marco the Balloonist. Here Marco's clothes are white instead of yellow, though this may be purely down to the poor quality of the screenshot.
Miscellaneous Screenshots
Cliff Town
A screenshot of Spyro flying through Cliff Town which could be found in the 'Science & Technology News' section of the Dragon News Network website. In the top-left corner, we can once again see what appears to be an exit portal, instead of a vortex. This screenshot also featured in some adverts for the game.
Dark Hollow
A screenshot of Dark Hollow which could be found in the 'Game' section of the official Spyro 1 website. Here the skybox has a pink/purple color as opposed to the final's deep blue tone. This image may be of a render of the level using the incorrect skybox as opposed to an in-game screenshot, though.
Gnasty Gnorc
Two screenshots of Spyro fighting Gnasty Gnorc found in an unknown gaming magazine. It's possible that these images are from the August 27th build of the game, where Gnasty is inexplicably seen using much older assets than in the final version.
The Spyro series | |
---|---|
PlayStation | Spyro the Dragon (Prototypes) • Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (Demos) • Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Demos) |
Game Boy Advance | Spyro: Season of Ice • Spyro 2: Season of Flame • Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs • Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy • Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage • The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning • The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night |
PlayStation 2 | Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (Demo) • Spyro: A Hero's Tail • The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning • The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night |
GameCube | Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly • Spyro: A Hero's Tail • The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning |
Xbox | Spyro: A Hero's Tail • The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning |
Nintendo DS | Spyro: Shadow Legacy (Prototype) • The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night • The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon |
Wii | The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night |
Adobe Flash | Sparks' Pond |
Windows | Spyro Reignited Trilogy |
Skylanders | |
Nintendo 3DS | Skylanders Spyro's Adventure |
Adobe Flash | Skylanders Universe |
Xbox 360 | Skylanders Giants • Skylanders Swap Force • Skylanders Trap Team • Skylanders SuperChargers |
HTML5 | Skylanders Panel Panic |
Retrieved from 'https://tcrf.net/index.php?title=Prerelease:Spyro_the_Dragon_(PlayStation)&oldid=752039'
Contents.Developer MessageA rather cryptic compendium of text, repeated multiple times to fill up leftover space on the disc, can be found in the 'DRAGON' file, containing extracts from Shakespeare, Dickens, Melville, Edgar Allen Poe, and other esteemed authors. It reads:Now is the winter of our discontent.It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.Call me Ishmael.Stately, plump Buck Mulligan.Call me Jonah. My parents did.Gaily bedight a gallant knight.Beware the ides of March.Tyger tyger burning bright.I always get the Shemp.Insomniac also managed to sneak this into the files of the and game. The term 'Shemp' is an internal joke among the developers, as if something didn't go as planned, or if someone messed up, they 'got the Shemp'.
It is itself found in the name of the boss Dr. Shemp.Unused Text Unused Dragon NamesThe name listings for all of the dragons and balloonists (as well as Toasty and Jacques) contain a few names which go unused by any of the characters found in the final game.RASHIDIJETHROFINLAYGALESILVUSNotably, Silvus was used in demo builds of the game as the name of the cowardly dragon in the Artisans home, which was renamed to Tomas in the final release.
The internal order in which the names are listed implies that they would have been used in Jacques (Rashidi), Cliff Town (Gale), and one of the Magic Crafters worlds (Finlay and Jethro).Miscellaneous Text Strings DRAGON XGrouped with the world names, this odd string has no obvious purpose, although it may have served as an error handler for when a world name didn't display correctly to prevent the game from crashing. Initial analysis has shown that this string is loaded directly after the game starts, but is summarily overwritten in memory. It's possible that this string could have been verified by the game for copy-protection/piracy purposes, but there doesn't appear to be any code that does this comparison.THIGH MASTERSThis. Unusual piece of text occurs immediately after the above string, also grouped in with the other world names. This was clearly intended as a joke on Insomniac's part.
Although could you imagine if there actually was a Thigh Masters world?Unused Graphics. Grouped in with the graphics displayed on the title screen, 2 unused life icons can be found. The first of these depicts a Spyro's severed head in typical platformer fashion, more closely resembling the counters used in the and games than the 3D modelled head used for the life counter in the final game.The second graphic is the same as the previous, except stretched out and superimposed onto a metal texture resembling a coin with several cavities around its edge. This graphic is briefly seen in. The cavities seem to hold the same life orbs which orbit the life counter in a similar fashion in the final game. A secondary 'death' sound for the Armoured Spider enemy in High Caves, which sounds like it's getting squished or getting hit with considerable force.
It may correspond to a scrapped event featured in the June 15th 1998 prototype of the game, where instead of a fairy granting Spyro a 'superflame' powerup to dispose of these enemies, the same fairy would shrink the spiders down to half their size, allowing Spyro to defeat them with a normal charge. This feature being changed may have necessitated this sound effect's removal, with the same sound being used regardless of whether you defeated the enemy with the temporary 'superflame' power-up or with the supercharge.' Unused' MusicMultiple themes are present in the game which play under unknown and seemingly random circumstances. The only reason they play is due to a glitch in the game's audio looping and streaming.
Although these themes aren't actually 'unused', it's slightly unlikely that most players would hear them, as they only seem to play after most players will have left the level. Sounds like a mix between Alpine Ridge (the actual composition) and Gnasty Gnorc (the instruments used).Low-poly Model OdditiesThere are a few notable differences between some of the level models and their respective low-poly variant that suggest the low-poly level models may reflect an earlier version of the level that they derive from.Blowhard Exit PortalPrior to the introduction of exit vortices, Spyro would exit the level using a portal similar to the one used to enter the level. These can be seen in some of the game's. By the looks of it, Blowhard's exit portal stuck around in its low-poly model.Low-Poly ModelHigh-Poly ModelUnseen level geometry. In the Beast Makers home is a giant tree whose upper trunk and branches are normally never seen in-game due to this level's short draw distance.Unused Fly-inThe Artisan home has an unused 'fly-in' similar to the one used when going through a level portal, with the exception that here Spyro stops flying close to the ground and just awkwardly flops down, showing that this fly-in wasn't perfectly adjusted to the stage's geometry.In the final game Spyro simply spawns directly on the the ground.
However one can't help but notice how this fly-in would actually tie the 'The Adventure begins.' Loading screen (in which Spyro flies across the screen) with the actual entrance into the hub.However, it should be noted that the rest of the homeworld realms also have an unused fly-in. As such, one has to consider the possibility that the fly-ins aren't a uniquely programmed and unused feature, but rather simply how the game handles being forced to perform the fly-in animation whilst using the entrance coordinates that the balloons use. (Source: ) Audiovisual Differences.
Spyro is slightly more expressive in Japanese versions, making a small high-pitched grunt every time he jumps, charges, loses a life, when left idle or collecting all gems in a level. Sparx always appears as green, regardless of how many hits Spyro has sustained. The shade of green dulls each time Spyro gets hit. The reason for why Sparx is always green in the Japanese version is because in the Japanese version you can obtain other dragonflies that have different colors by finding dragonfly eggs scattered throughout the game.
The typical 'Spyro' font is altered slightly to accommodate Japanese text, losing the accompanying metallic sheen and sliding animation, consequently appearing far plainer relative to English text and numbers. However, this change does not only apply for gem totals and Portal names, which appear as they do in English versions. Level names are marked with numerical signs in addition to names in a world-level format (for example Stone Hill would be labelled as 1-1, and High Caves as 3-2). Bosses are marked as the fourth level in a world, and flights are marked as the fifth, with the normal levels taking up slots 1 through 3. Also, as expected, level & world names are different (with examples like 'Artisan Homeworld' being renamed 'Green Garden' and so on.). Some dragon names have been changed or shortened.
Certain enemies with swords have been censored to remove the red, blood like tips present in the US release. However, the far LOD model of swords can still include red tips.Gameplay Differences. The demo isn't present. Spyro is overall far slower, his walking speed receiving a notable decrease, and his charge velocity being roughly on par with his walking speed in international releases. This change was also present in the sequel's Japanese version. Strangely, a Director's Cut of the Japanese release included a bonus feature if one completed the game at 120%, which would restore Spyro's speed to its international variation after holding down L1 & R1 on the file select screen.
A little notice informing the player about this feature also exists. The camera is zoomed out considerably when compared to the US and European versions of the game, keeping a fixed perspective as opposed to following Spyro directly.
In addition to this, the camera fades in and out when Spyro walks into a whirlwind, when he falls down a hole the camera isn't directed towards, and when he enters a level, replacing the 'U-turn' animation which pertains to the last action. However, the camera in the 'Flight' levels remains identical to the other versions. The triangle button is used to re-center the camera, when it's done you can use it to have a closer point of view (just like the international versions). Also, there's no 'Active' nor 'Passive' camera option. Multicolored signposts are scattered very liberally throughout the game, providing textual 'hints' if flamed, something which is actually used as a placeholder for unfinished dragon cutscenes in early versions of the game (minus the signposts).
However, their frequency, combined with how easily they can be inadvertently activated, renders them as more of an annoyance than anything else. You can't jump while charging (the jump was really small in other releases so it's not much of a loss.). In the US version, Spyro can charge the Shepherds in Toasty without being knocked back (while this isn't the case with the Shepherds in Stone Hill). This inconsistency / glitch has been fixed in the Japanese & PAL versions (though in Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, there's no knock-back whatsoever). There's the possibility to rewatch a dragon cutscene just after saving your progress without exiting the 'fairy menu' (or you can re-saving if you really want to.). If you connect the PocketStation device to a PlayStation, a total of thirty dragonfly eggs will appear throughout the game. Each level and each homeworld contains a dragonfly egg hidden within it, with the exception of the flight challenges and the Gnorc Nexus hub world (as it is too small to hide one properly, as a result Terrace Village is the only level with two eggs in it).
Successfully hatching a dragonfly egg through the PocketStation device will let you have various types of dragonflies, and some of them even let Spyro take more damage from enemies. The dragonfly eggs are also present in the Japanese version of the. The track for Terrace Village is louder in PAL and NTSC/J in comparison to NTSC/U. Unusually, the game contains six extra 'unused' tracks compared to the US version, allegedly replacing duplicates within the game's audio. Just like the obscure themes documented above, the circumstances in which they play are incredibly difficult to decipher, and they seem to occur almost at random, although many report hearing them more frequently upon completing a level and staying there until the music repeats multiple times..
A completely original theme, which sounds like a mix of several Spyro 1 themes (such as the title theme, Metalhead, Dark Passage, Blowhard and Town Square) and some original elements.Gameplay Differences. Five gems were moved in Metalhead, from a hard-to-glide-to ledge to easier-to-access places.NTSCPAL. In the NTSC version, Spyro can walk on a small pool of goo in Dark Passage without drowning. This oversight has been fixed in the PAL version. Curiously, this pool of goo has been replaced with a regular surface that can be walked on in the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy.
In the US version, Spyro can charge the Shepherds in Toasty without being knocked back (while this isn't the case with the Shepherds in Stone Hill). This inconsistency / glitch has been fixed in the Japanese & PAL versions (though in Spyro: Reignited Trilogy, there's no knock-back whatsoever).
The frame-rate difference between the PAL and NTSC version seems to make the moving targets in the flight stages go faster, most noticeably the trains in the level Sunny Flight. Inexplicably, the green gnorc found next to the last dragon in the PAL version of Ice Cavern only needs one charge in order to get knocked off of the surface, while in the in the NTSC version the enemy requires two charges. This change may be the result of the enemy being placed differently in the PAL version. Spyro appears to charge, glide and fly faster in the PAL version. This is likely due to the difference in frame-rate, though. Similarly, the Gnorcs in the Beast Makers home that electrify the floor seem to have a shorter time period between attacks.The seriesPlayStation. Game Boy Advance.PlayStation 2.GameCube.Xbox.Nintendo DS.WiiAdobe FlashWindowsSkylandersNintendo 3DSAdobe FlashXbox 360.HTML5.
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