In Spyro: A Hero’s Tale the Dragon Realms are under siege by the evil Red Dragon. He has planted Dark Gems all over the Dragon Realms in order to steal the light and life out of the realms. If Spyro and his friends can’t locate and destroy all of the gems, then the Red Dragon will capture the world.

To capture the effect that the Dark Gems are having on Spyro’s world, the game employs real-time morphing environments. As Spyro recaptures a realm the land will slowly turn from good to evil and this will be reflected in the animals, plants, lighting, objects, sky, and even the music. When Spyro destroys one of the gems the effect is dramatic, with light returning to the skies, grass returning, and plants and flowers growing and blooming. And you can watch it all happen in real-time.

A Hero’s Tale will give you the chance to control five characters during the course of the game. The first of course is Spyro himself, who picks up some new moves and attacks this time out. In addition to his fire, ice, and electric breath attacks he now will have a water breath attack as well. New power-ups have been added to the game, including a Horn Drive, Brimstone Bombs, and Ice Shards. Add to these new abilities such as a wall kick, tail swing, and ledge grab and Spryo is one tough dragon. Oh, and Spyro will also have his gadgets and some new ones including the Dragonball and the Aqualung for breathing underwater.

Giving Spyro some much needed help will be four additional playable characters. The first is Hunter the Cheetah whose primary weapon is a bow and arrow. Hunter is also very athletic and make flying leaps and jumps. Sgt. Byrd, the dive-bombing penguin, returns in A Hero’s Tale as does Sparx the Dragonfly. The final character is Blinky the Mole, a burrower and climber with a love of explosives. With all of this help, Spyro should be able to take on the Red Dragon and his minions, which run the gamut from underwater mermen to pygmy cannibals.

Spyro: A Hero’s Tale is due to be released near the end of 2004.