What would the series be like without the side-quests?

Attackfrog277 · Jun 22, 2014 6:58 PM

The original Spyro the Dragon game was mostly about finding gems, killing enemies, defeating bosses, and beating speedways. The later games in the classic series put more emphasis in mini-games and side-quests to the point that they defined the series. I never grew up Spyro the Dragon(only spyro 2), but when I first played it last year, I was blown away. The mini-games in the sequels were fun, but I was surprised at how "complete" this game still felt even without them and was fun in it's own right, sort of like an entirely different series(think new super mario bros.). Just as a thought experiment, imagine if the series stuck to the first games formula of NPC cutscenes and no side-quests. Would you guys think it would better, worse of the same?

Last edited by Attackfrog277 (Jun 22, 2014 7:07 PM)

Paranoia · Jun 22, 2014 7:21 PM

Going back and playing all three games recently, I found that I really enjoy the first one the best, despite the upgrades each sequel got. Each level in Spyro 1 was consistent with the overall homeworld theme, rather than feeling very split up by the various minigames and playable characters in YotD. Half the fun of the original game came from just exploring--because the worlds were so darn interesting. The challenge portals and minigames are a lot of fun, and they brought a lot of gameplay variety to the table, but I think that from an aesthetic and pure fun standpoint Spyro 1 put most of their effort into the core of the game--the level design and clever puzzles built around exploration.

So yeah, I think it would be really cool to see another Spyro game (or any game really) in that type of 3D platformer focused on exploration. Still having fun with games like this today kind of illustrate that a game doesn't have to be super complex to be enjoyable. I think that's something that a lot of current games can't quite seem to grasp.

Stormy · Jun 22, 2014 7:25 PM

Spyro the Dragon does prove that the formula can work without the minigames, but I don't think the later games would really be the same without them. They would have had to redesign a lot of the levels, for one thing, to make them longer and more challenging with platforming alone.

Could have turned out better in some ways with the more tedious minigames removed, but I do think they were a valuable addition to the gameplay. And the frustrating ones just make it that much more satisfying when you finally complete the game.

36IStillLikeSpyro36 · Jun 23, 2014 3:42 AM

it depends on my mood. sometimes i feel like playing a game like Spyro 3 where there are separate things - sections completely set aside just for skateboarding etc. and sometimes i just want to run/glide/fly around and explore stuff.

i don't feel like the games would have been overall better or worse because then they would have been different games entirely.

right now, i'd be more inclined to say minigames are more fun, but probably by tomorrow already, that opinion will change.

#1 Jun 22, 2014 6:58 PM

What would the series be like without the side-quests?

#2 Jun 22, 2014 7:21 PM

Re: What would the series be like without the side-quests?

#3 Jun 22, 2014 7:25 PM

Re: What would the series be like without the side-quests?

#4 Jun 23, 2014 3:42 AM

Re: What would the series be like without the side-quests?

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