If you grew up with a PlayStation 1, that purple dragon probably defined your childhood. But there’s something specific about Spyro Year of the Dragon that hits differently than the first two games. It wasn’t just a sequel. It was Insomniac Games throwing everything they had at the wall before moving on to Ratchet & Clank. Honestly, it’s kinda wild how much they crammed into a 32-bit disc without the whole thing exploding.
The game launched in 2000, right as the PS2 was starting to overshadow everything. Yet, people still talk about it. They talk about the egg hunt. They talk about that weirdly stressful skateboarding minigame. Most of all, they talk about the fact that you weren't just playing as Spyro anymore.
The Risky Pivot to Multiple Characters
By the third game, a lot of series start to feel stale. Insomniac knew this. Their solution for Spyro Year of the Dragon was to introduce a roster of "Critters" that fundamentally changed how the game played.
You had Sheila the Kangaroo. She had this insane double jump and a kick that felt surprisingly weighty for a platformer. Then there was Sgt. Byrd, a penguin with rocket launchers. A penguin. With rockets. It was absurd. It also shifted the genre from a collectathon platformer into a flight-based shooter for those specific levels.
Bentley the Yeti brought the "tank" gameplay, while Agent 9 turned the game into a primitive first-person shooter. It was a gamble. Usually, when a game forces you out of the main character's shoes, it’s annoying. Here, it felt like a break from the routine. Each character was locked behind a gem fee paid to Moneybag—that suit-wearing bear we all collectively love to hate.
Why the Level Design Actually Works
The "Forgotten Worlds" aren't just hubs. They are layered.
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Take a level like Sunny Villa. You start with the basic "get to the end" goal, but then the world opens up. You’ve got the skateboarding park, which used a modified version of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater engine logic. It felt fluid. It wasn't just a gimmick; it was a physics-based challenge that rewarded actual skill.
The game uses a "Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment" system. It’s subtle. If you’re breezing through, the enemies get a bit more aggressive. If you’re dying repeatedly to a boss like Spike or Scorch, the game quietly tweaks things to help you out. It’s why the game feels accessible to a seven-year-old but still holds up for a speedrunner today.
The OST is a Masterclass
Stewart Copeland. The guy from The Police.
The soundtrack is arguably the best in the trilogy. It’s percussive, experimental, and weirdly atmospheric. Each level has a distinct sonic identity. When you’re in Midday Gardens, the music is bouncy and light. By the time you hit Midnight Mountain, it gets moody and reflective.
The Technical Wizardry of 2000
Insomniac Games used a level-of-detail (LOD) rendering technique that was way ahead of its time.
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Basically, the game only renders high-quality assets for what’s right in front of you. Objects in the distance are low-polygon blobs. This allowed them to create massive, open vistas that didn't suffer from the "fog" you saw in games like Silent Hill or Turok. Spyro Year of the Dragon pushed the PS1 hardware to its absolute limit.
There’s also the "anti-crack" protection. Insomniac famously built a complex DRM system for this game. If the game detected it was a pirated copy, it wouldn't just stop working. It would slowly break. Gems would disappear. The language would change to German. The final boss would warp you back to the start of the game. It’s legendary in the coding community for how creative—and petty—it was.
Collecting 150 Eggs is a Grind (But the Good Kind)
The plot is simple: a Sorceress has stolen the dragon eggs to use their wings for a spell that grants immortality.
This gives you 150 reasons to explore every corner. Some eggs are just sitting there. Others require you to beat a boss or win a race against those annoying speedway planes.
The feeling of "100% completion" (which is actually 117% in this game) is addictive. You get the Super Bonus Round at the end, which is basically a giant playground of gems and mini-bosses. It’s the ultimate payoff. It makes the previous hours of hunting through Bamboo Terrace and Charmed Ridge feel worth it.
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Dealing with the "Greatest Hits" Bugs
If you’re playing the original disc version, you might encounter some weirdness. The "Greatest Hits" version of the game actually fixed a lot of music bugs. In the initial black-label release, some levels actually played the wrong music tracks or repeated songs from Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage. It’s a small detail, but for purists, the version you play matters.
The Reignited Trilogy Comparison
In 2018, Toys for Bob remade the game. It looks gorgeous. The lighting is incredible, and Spyro’s animations are full of personality.
But for some, the original PS1 version has a "crunchiness" that’s lost in the remake. The original controls were digital, meaning you had to be precise with your glides. The remake is a bit more forgiving with its physics. Both are great, but the 2000 original has a specific aesthetic—a sort of low-poly charm—that defined the era.
How to Play It Today
You have a few options if you want to dive back in.
- The Reignited Trilogy: Available on everything (PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch). It’s the most accessible way.
- PS3/Vita Store: You can still buy the PS1 Classic version on the legacy PlayStation Store.
- Original Hardware: If you have a CRT television and an old PlayStation, this is the only way to experience the zero-latency controls.
If you’re going for a full completion run, remember that the "Leap of Faith" isn't just a saying. The gliding mechanics in Spyro Year of the Dragon require you to hit the peak of your jump before pressing the button. If you press it too early, you lose height. If you press it too late, you’re already falling. Master that, and the rest of the game falls into place.
Actionable Steps for New and Returning Players
If you’re jumping into the game this weekend, keep these specific strategies in mind to avoid frustration:
- Don't skip the Speedways: They are the hardest part of the 117% run. Tackle them early so you aren't stuck with four of them at the end of the game.
- Abuse the Hover: At the end of every glide, press the drop button (usually Triangle) to "hover." This gives you a tiny vertical boost that can save you from falling into the abyss.
- Check the Sparx Levels: You can actually play as Sparx the dragonfly in top-down shooter levels. Beating these gives Sparx new abilities, like the power to point toward missing gems. This is a lifesaver in the later, more complex worlds.
- Save your Gems for Sheila first: She’s the most versatile of the extra characters and her levels provide some of the easiest early-game eggs.
The game isn't just a nostalgia trip. It’s a masterclass in how to build a sequel that respects the player's time while constantly offering something new. Whether you’re chasing a thief through a portal or trying to beat a shark in a submarine race, it remains one of the most imaginative titles ever released on Sony's first console.