Three years after his last adventure, Spyro is finally back. Emerging from a long slumber, he discovers that his world is threatened by the nefarious Malefor, but also realizes that he is attached to a small strap called Cynder through a magical chain. Not that our friend would be against having to stay close to a pretty miss, but in this case, it's his old nemesis! The two fire-eaters will therefore have to collaborate if they want to free themselves from each other and derail the sinister project of Malefor. During the game, you will be able to control one or the other character, a button allowing you to swap characters at any time. However, the bond that unites them (which is not marriage even if it looks like a rope around the neck), prevents them from going their separate ways. It will sometimes be necessary to learn how to play it, as when one climbs a wall. The second can then swing thanks to the magic chain to reach a higher part and continue the path. For his part, Spyro has four powers related to the elements: fire, electricity, earth and ice while Cynder masters fear, wind, poison and shadow. A simple press on the corresponding direction of the directional cross allows you to change power at any time. Likewise, thanks to the mana collected in the game, via green crystals, our two friends can use their powers to defend themselves, but also sometimes to advance. Fire allows you to burn brambles for example, using the wind will activate certain mechanisms, etc. Thanks to the blue crystals recovered by fighting each other and by breaking elements of the scenery, our two friends gain experience allowing them to upgrade each of their powers. And given the amount of XP required at each level, you will necessarily have to make choices. Finally, now dragons can fly, but not really go where they want. Not only are there plenty of invisible barriers making the levels less open than they look, but it's more about long distance gliding than actual flight. However, this allows you to cross large canyons or to move faster in places.
The Dragon's fury
Right off the bat, the game starts off strong with a boss fight, a massive creature that chases you through the first level and repeatedly comes to try to stop you. We then obviously think of a certain God of War, but the comparison stops there, because not only are we far from it in terms of quality, but also because the sequel is more like a more classic platform game. The Spyro Legend: The Birth of a Dragon turns out to be quite nice, controlling the duo of little dragons is quite fun, especially since a second player can come and lend you a hand at any time by seizing a second joypad. The option does not necessarily make the game better, but it allows an adult to come and play with their child if they are having a little trouble progressing. Besides, Spyro's target is clearly not the hardcore gamer, the game is aimed at a younger and more forgiving audience. This explains some problems, if not excuses them. We thus think of the management of the powers of our heroes. They could have been much better used for adventure progression, for example. And even if the upgrade system gives a bit of a feeling of evolution, perhaps it would have been even wiser not to give them all from the start to unlock the elements as you go along. On the other hand, the gameplay, although nice, lacks a bit of flamboyance and depth. Indeed, the levels sometimes give the impression of being quite large, but poorly filled. We're having fun all the same and it's far from being missed, but let's say that faced with behemoths like Ratchet & Clank and Super Mario Galaxy, also capable of seducing a large target without abandoning video game regulars, that does not weigh. Technically, however, we must salute the work of the French studio Etranges Libellules, because The Legend Spyro: The Birth of a Dragon is rather pretty to watch. Certainly, the console is not pushed to its limits, but the 3D engine is very clean and artistically, it's quite successful. Some passages even allow themselves to be frankly beautiful, like these rather bucolic and refreshing countryside landscapes. Nothing to complain about visually, we would just have liked the gameplay to have benefited from the same care...
