History VideoGame / SpyroYearOfTheDragon

* BorrowedWithoutPermission: plot of Seashell Shore is kicked off by three seals borrowing the submarine of the Rhynocs without asking, taking it for a joyride, and totaling the sub on a rock pile. They explain it to the Rhynocs, thinking that they'll take the story in stride, but unfortunately for the seals, the Rhynocs proceed to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome throw them in a jail cell]].

* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the two previous games, this one comes off as slightly darker: aside from exploring the [[MeaningfulName aptly-named]] "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Forgotten Worlds]]" having a relatively unnerving feeling, there's the fact that [[SecretCharacter other playable characters]] are [[UnlockableContent unlocked]] with what [[DeconstructedTrope boils down to a ransom]], TheDragon threatening you whenever you access a new world, a DerelictGraveyard made of SaharanShipwreck-ed ships surrounded by HollywoodAcid, giant {{snowlems}} sporting a SlasherSmile, cowboy dinosaurs (not making this up) throwing dynamite sticks -- and shooting -- at you, Spyro getting EatenAlive by a whale, and so on. Then there's [[VileVillainSaccharineShow the Sorceress]], who alone turns the dark-and-edgy-ness up to eleven.

* WhipItGood: The larger Rhynocs of Molten Crater wield whips.

In the Year of the Dragon, a rare event that happens [[EasternZodiac every 12 years]], mass numbers of new dragon eggs are brought to the Dragon Realms. But they're stolen en route by a [[Literature/AliceInWonderland white rabbit thief who disappears into a strange hole]]. Spyro follows her and ends up in the Forgotten Worlds, where an evil sorceress rules. Now Spyro, with the help of his new friends [[KangaroosRepresentAustralia Sheila]], [[FlyingFlightlessBird Sgt. Byrd]], [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bentley]], and [[MischiefMakingMonkey Agent 9]], has to recover all the dragon eggs and make sure the baby dragons get home safely.

[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Spyro3_ntscboxart_9731.png]]
[[caption-width-right:256:Can you take the heat?]]
->'''Argus:''' Find the eggs and bring them back, Spyro. You're our only chance!\\

* ObviousBeta: The initial release of the game was rushed out for a Christmas release, and as a result suffered from numerous glitches, not to mention missing eight audio-tracks. Particularly noticeable during the final boss battle, where due to a glitch the music playing is the ''[[SoundtrackDissonance Sunrise Springs Homeworld]]'' theme. The Greatest Hits re-release fixed a lot of glitches and re-inserted the missing music, though unfortunately when the game was put up on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork, the version uploaded was the first print version.

->'''Argus:''' Find the eggs and bring them back, Spyro. You're our only chance!
->'''Spyro the Dragon:''' You got it!

!!This game contains examples of:

*** In the same level, one of the riddles is "I am a vessel without hinges, lock or lid | yet, within my walls, a golden treasure is hid." Readers of [[Literature/TheHobbit The Hobbit]] might recognize this riddle as one of the riddles that Bilbo asked Gollum.

* YodelLand: Sheila's Alp features stereotypical Alp huts, big mushrooms and goats.

This game, along with the [[VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon1998 first game]] and ''[[VideoGame/Spyro2 Ripto's Rage!]]'', were remastered on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, PC and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch with updated graphics as a part of the ''VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy'', with the latter two ports coinciding with the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]].

* PalmtreePanic: Seashell Shore.

* SegmentedSerpent: The Fire Dragons in the Fireworks Factory resemble dragon dance puppets made out of a long series of round, scaly body segmented, narrowing towards the tail, and tipped at the forward end with a whiskered dragon head.

* SecretRelationship: Hunter and Bianca wind-up together in the end. When Spyro is off looking for them, literally everyone is trying to keep him from finding out.

In the Year of the Dragon, a rare event that happens [[EasternZodiac every 12 years]], mass numbers of new dragon eggs are brought to the Dragon Realms. But they're stolen en route by a [[Literature/AliceInWonderland white rabbit thief who disappears into a strange hole]]. Spyro follows her and ends up in the Forgotten Worlds, where an evil sorceress rules. Now Spyro, with the help of his new friends [[KangaroosRepresentAustralia Sheila]], [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins Sgt. Byrd]], [[BigfootSasquatchAndYeti Bentley]], and [[MischiefMakingMonkey Agent 9]], has to recover all the dragon eggs and make sure the baby dragons get home safely.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Some implausible combinations of concepts can be found in this game. Just among your playable companions alone, there's "a [[KangaroosRepresentAustralia kangaroo]] who lives in YodelLand", "a monkey with a laser gun", "a GeniusBruiser yeti" and "a TuxedoAndMartini jetpack-wearing [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguin]]". Then there's things like "Wild West gunslinger dinosaurs", "A cat wizard who rides a flying motorcycle", and "Hover tanks in AncientEgypt."

* BigBoosHaunt: Lost Fleet.

* GottaCollectThemAll: Gems and dragon eggs.

** Dino Mines = the [[WildWest American Old West]]; inhabited by... [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs gun-slinging dinosaurs]] and law enforcer rabbits.

* KingOfTheDinosaurs: Cowboy ''Tyrannosaurus'' appear in Dino Mines. They'll either shoot you with deadly aim or throw dynamite sticks at you.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to the two previous games, this one comes off as slightly darker: aside from exploring the [[MeaningfulName aptly-named]] "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Forgotten Worlds]]" having a relatively unnerving feeling, there's the fact that [[SecretCharacter other playable characters]] are [[UnlockableContent unlocked]] with what [[DeconstructedTrope boils down to a ransom]], TheDragon threatening you whenever you access a new world, a DerelictGraveyard made of SaharanShipwreck-ed ships surrounded by HollywoodAcid, giant {{snowlems}} sporting a SlasherSmile, cowboy dinosaurs (not making this up) throwing dynamite sticks -- and shooting -- at you, Spyro getting EatenAlive by a whale, and so on. Then there's [[VileVillainSaccharineShow the Sorceress]], who alone turns the dark-and-edgy-ness UpToEleven.

** Played straight in the level "Charmed Ridge" as the main enemies are 'Cat Wizards' who team up with the Rhynoc Army to capture a Princess Ami and force them to marry their prince, Azrael (a possible reference to the cat from ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs''). [[spoiler:Though it turns out in the end that Princess Ami ''does'' want to marry the prince after all, suggesting that Azrael himself might subvert the trope as well.]]

* DummiedOut: Multiple unfinished or abandoned levels can be accessed via glitching, as their respective portals were simply moved out of bounds.

CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys: The French-accented garrison of the Base ''tried'' to fight its invaders, but they needed the leadership and firepower of Sgt. Byrd (who is, incidentally, British) to succeed. All but one got captured within fifteen minutes.

** Played straight in the level "Charmed Ridge" as the main enemies are 'Cat Wizards' who team up with the Rhynoc Army to capture a Princess Ami and force them to marry their prince, Azrael (a possible reference to the cat from ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs''). [[spoiler:Though it turns out in the end that Princess Ami ''does'' want to marry the prince after all, suggesting that Azrael himself might subvert the trope as well.)
* CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys: The French-accented garrison of the Base ''tried'' to fight its invaders, but they needed the leadership and firepower of Sgt. Byrd (who is, incidentally, British) to succeed. All but one got captured within fifteen minutes.

** Played straight in the level "Charmed Ridge" as the main enemies are 'Cat Wizards' who team up with the Rhynoc Army to capture a Princess Ami and force them to marry their prince, Azrael (a possible reference to the cat from ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs''). Though it turns out in the end that Princess Ami ''does'' want to marry the prince after all.

* OutsideContextProblem: Zoe didn't expect there to be a "giant sting ray" in Starfish Reef(given it doesn't have a stinger, it was probably a manta ray).

* AdultFear: Everyone is asleep during Bianca and the Rhynocs' infiltration of the Dragon Realms and theft of the eggs. By the time Bianca accidentally wakes Hunter up, there's only one left remaining and the dragon who launches after Bianca just misses grabbing it as she dives through a hole. The eggs are scattered across numerous perilous environments, nearly accidentally harmed by several [=NPCs=] and [[spoiler:then the Sorceress drops the bombshell on Bianca that she wants to slaughter all of them out of convenience when she was previously advised that they would just be raised in the Forgotten Worlds]].

-->'''Bianca:''' Buuuuuut... [[ComicallyMissingThePoint won't that kill them?]]