Previewed: June 6, 2004
Previewed by: Cliff O'Neill

Publisher
Vivendi Universal Games

Developer
Eurocom Entertainment Software

Release Date: November 9, 2004
Genre: Platform
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone

View Screenshots (11 Images)

Hero's Tail revolves around Spyro's quest to cleanse the Dragon Realms of an evil dragon named Red, who wants to take over Spyro's world and has littered it with Dark gems. These accursed gems literally suck the life out of the land, leaving it shadowy and haggard. Armed with new abilities and gadgets, Spyro and several of his friends (Sparx the Dragonfly, Hunter the Cheetah, the militant penguin Sgt. Byrd, and newcomer Blinky the Mole) endeavor to restore tranquility to the Dragon Realms and rejuvenate the decaying surroundings.

While the game’s story and tone may be a tad darker than what Spyro fans are accustomed to, the gameplay feels instantly familiar (save for some control modifications) and refined. Furthermore, even in its unfinished state, Hero’s Tail is already significantly more polished than Spyro’s previous PS2 outing, Enter the Dragonfly, thanks to a tighter graphics engine, quicker load times, and higher quality audio. Indeed, the finished game must be in tiptop shape for Spyro to be able to compete with the likes of Sly, Jak, and Ratchet.

Fortunately, from what we’ve seen so far, Spyro and his gang appear determined to stand toe-to-toe with the PS2’s biggest platforming stars. Our preliminary build of Hero’s Tail contained two levels for Spyro and one level each for Hunter and Sgt. Byrd. Sadly, we didn’t get to play as the new character, Blinky, but we enjoyed our brief time with the others.

We began by playing through Spyro’s levels, which, for demonstrational purposes, were condensed and served mainly as training. Our first job was to collect gems hidden around a quaint village in order to purchase a lockpick from the local shop, owned by the character Moneybags. After purchasing the item, we unlocked a nearby gate (Sparx, “the master of unlocking,” picked the lock) and proceeded to an unusually gloomy area. There, we met a Dragon Elder named Tomas, who taught us the powerful horn-dive attack – used to destroy certain objects, including the vile Dark gems. Conveniently, there was just such a gem resting beside Tomas, so we quickly pulverized it using the horn dive.

Upon the destruction of the Dark gem, the dreary environment transformed into a bright, beautiful landscape right before our eyes, while the music went from morose to cheerful. The visual results were stunning: Sunshine wiped away clouds, flowers replaced weeds, trees regained life, and a broken bridge reformed, allowing us to access an area where a Light gem hovered. Unfortunately, the level ended as soon as we snagged the sparkling gem, but in the final game, Light gems will be used to power special gadgets.

The second level involving Spyro was heavier on action, thankfully. Hunter the Cheetah greeted us at the beginning of the level and ordered us to fetch a precious dragon egg. The path leading to the egg was rather perilous. We needed to make heavy use of Spyro’s glide and double-jump to reach high and distant platforms. Moreover, we had to contend with gnorcs (large, brutish creatures) armed with axes and snipers armed with crossbows. Spyro’s flame and charge attacks made quick work of the gnorcs – some of whom donned armor – while collectible projectiles took care of the snipers. The level ended shortly thereafter, leaving us hungry for more action.

Luckily, the next level we played, featuring Hunter the Cheetah, pleasantly satisfied that craving. Although Hunter controlled differently from Spyro, we had no problems readjusting to the smooth controls. Hunter’s level played out similarly to the previous Spyro level, with the venturesome cheetah tasked with retrieving important items from a tropical jungle teeming with platforms and enemies. This let us closely evaluate the combat skills and jumping prowess of Hunter, who was equipped with a bow and arrow and could target enemies via first- and third-person perspectives. Hunter also packed a wicked punch combination and could deflect enemy fire by twirling his bow. His flying kick, bow strike, jump stomp, and wall-scaling abilities came in handy, too.

The final level we checked out starred Sgt. Byrd, and it was our favorite of the bunch. A volcanic locale set the stage for a high-flying mini-game that challenged us to complete five sets of tasks in less than three minutes, all while airborne. The tasks consisted of flying through groups of rings and gates, killing assortments of enemies, and nailing targets. We disposed of the targets and enemies handily with Sgt. Byrd’s infinite supply of missiles and bombs while relying on turbo boost to zip through all the gates and rings before time expired. Overall, Sgt. Byrd’s red-hot level was reminiscent of the speedway stages in previous Spyro games.

As with Crash Twinsanity (see our hands-on report), there’s still much of Hero’s Tail we have yet to play, but our initial experience has left us curious and optimistic about the rest of the game. That being said, we don’t expect Hero’s Tail to draw an entirely new audience to the Spyro series. Rather, it will likely appease existing Spyro fans, as well as youngsters and fanatics of platformers.

Spyro: A Hero’s Tail is currently scheduled to ship this November. In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye on our site for future coverage of the game.