The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night - A Mixed Bag on the GBA

The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night, developed by Amaze, is a mixed bag of a game that attempts to bring back the classic 3D platforming feel of the original Spyro games to the Nintendo DS. While it's great to see a full 3D experience on a handheld console, the game ultimately falls short due to various limitations and design choices.

Firstly, the free-floating camera can be repositioned anywhere, which is an improvement over Crash's 'on rails' style of gameplay. However, the developers had to work with more limitations, resulting in a less impressive product compared to other games like Crash of the Titans. The 3D engine also feels a bit weak, especially when compared to Amaze's own Crash of the Titans.

The game does attempt to mimic the style of the PlayStation games, but it misses the mark in many areas. On the positive side, the game breaks out of its top-down design from previous Spyro titles and features fully 3D gameplay with a platforming focus, similar to the classic Spyro the Dragon created by Insomniac.

The game's story is also worth mentioning, as it follows the same plotline as the console game, picking up after the events of A New Beginning. The narrative is told through voiceover and scrolling artwork, but the talking head dialogue can be confusing and hard to follow at times.

Overall, while The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night has its moments, it's ultimately a mess compared to other games like Crash of the Titans. It's clear that the studio needed separate teams for both projects to deliver a complete and coherent game. As a result, players will notice a striking contrast between this game and other titles released around the same time.

Despite being handled by the same development studio as Crash of the Titans, Spyro on the Nintendo DS has taken a step back in terms of design and execution. However, it's great to see that the team went back to its roots with full 3D action platforming instead of compromising the console design for a 2D presentation.

In conclusion, The Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night is a mixed bag of a game that shows promise but ultimately falls short due to various limitations and design choices. Fans of the series may still enjoy it, but others might find it lacking compared to other titles in the same genre.

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