This weekend I took some time to interview my sister about her favorite game. Granted, she is a hyperactive teenager still in her band shirt phase, so of course I apologize in advance.
Me: So talk to me sis. You’re born of my own heart so you’ve blown your fair share of allowance on games. What’s your favorite? Of course I already know it, but please feel free to tell all of these good people here on Gameskinny!
Shayla: Well my favorite game series is Spryo. But my favorite out of the series was Dawn Of Dragon, because of the happy ending. You know, the ‘awww Spyro and Cinder are going to have kids!’
Me: Oh so you ship Spyro and Cinder? I can’t even- What in the world is even their couple name? Spyder?
Shayla: No- just- no. I would think it was Spyrinder.
Me: But-
Shayla: No.
Me: Riiight. So what is it about the Legend Of Spyro series that has made it your favorite? You’ve played through alot of different genres and stories by this point, so what has made LOS stand out?
Shayla: Well I played the first one that came out on PS2, The Legend Of Spyro: A New Beginning. And since it was my first game playing as a dragon saving the world- after that I was like Ok, I like Spyro, I liked Sparks the sidekick and Cinder the black dragon (even though she was evil.) After I played through and had to beat Cinder like 900 times I really started liking it. Then came Legend Of Spyro: Eternal Night- and I was thinking ‘Oh I wonder if Cinder finally got her ish together’-plus Spyo was looking for her so I was like ‘oooookkk I see a love connection here!’
Me:So wait a minute…you mean to tell me you just like Spryo because you ship Spyder?
S: No I just really like dragons. I’m 15, so the fact that I could play a dragon in a game? I had to spend my money on it. I mean- the main character is a PURPLE DRAGON! I don’t think you understand, there’s not a game out there like Spyro! It was different! Plus I like everybody in the game, even though some of the enemies were getting on my last nerves- the game was still awesome.
Me: Well you’ve played the series for awhile, from the first Spyro on Playstation to the latest game on the Xbox 360. What about the game encouraged you to stick with the series for so long? Especially considering allowance isn’t what it used to be these days, and games sure aren’t cheap!
S: Well the more they continued with the series, the better the game has gotten. In the first game Spyro was still a little punk dragon, still a baby figuring out his powers. By the second he was struggling to fly (he was in his teenage phase) and then in the third he was a adult that point. He knew what was happening, he knew what was going down, he mastered all of his elements, and he grew up. He had his mind set, and he was ready for stuff to happen. I liked that you were playing him and you could see him change through all of the games.
Me: So the appeal for you was the character progression–you felt like you grew up with Spyro. You helped him go from a struggling young dragon, to helping him gain his wings and his confidence.
S: Yeah. And the enemies kept getting bigger and the threat kept growing. There was a war going on.You started on the ground fighting punks, but by the time you got to the fourth game you were flying in the air fighting this oversized dragon with like 4 health bars! The man who taught you everything you knew dies,and from that moment on you’re determined. You’re thinking now we have to win, because we have something to fight for.
Me: By the end he really has become the savior of this world–and you believe it because you have been with him through his journey.
S: Yeah, because he lost so much to get there. His home was burned down. He lost friends. And he had to deal with a lot of struggle, and fight a lot of really strong opponents. But I really believed him because he was so determined. After his mentor died Spyro was like ‘No we’re going to do this guys.’ He became a leader. And I was like ‘Ok Spyro– we are going to do it!’ I was determined with him, and I was confident with him. At the time I was thinking even if I died on the last battle like 200 times I did not stop, I did not quit. Because that was how I felt. I was Spyro then. I had to do it for all that I had lost. So when I finally won- it was like ‘oooohhh party over here!’
Me: After all of the time and energy you had invested into the series by that point I am not too surprised. The appeal for you was how Spyro overcame adversity, his own insecurities and accepted his weakness before he could become stronger. There is nothing like #thestruggle to turn a punk into a dragon as they say.
S: Well you know I like games where you have to struggle.
Me: Well sis, thanks for your time and your equally interesting analogies. Anything else you would like to share to our Gameskinny readers?
S: POWER TO THE DRAGONS!
Me: Sounds to me like you’re hyper a little too late before bed time. Thanks for sharing sis, now get your hips to sleep.
Published: Aug 25, 2013 10:52 pm