Huge fan of the original trilogy. I had always given up on Enter the Dragonfly after a single level or two, but I finally decided to go all the way. After beating the game today, I was struck with a very strong feeling of, "That's it?" against a final boss that only seemed to have one attack, one phase, and one hit point after you break his shield before unceremoniously playing the credits. It was seriously one of the most underwhelming conclusions I have ever witnessed in a game. Granted, this was only one "version" of the final boss. As you continue to put up with Enter the Dragonfly's awful framerate and other technical issues, you will inch ever closer to that 100% tally.

I saw Spyro's head twist 180° and stare back at me. I have clipped through the floor while walking normally. I have seen entire sections of levels fail to load, or characters/objects fail to spawn during some challenges. All of this, while the engine clearly chugged and the music would sometimes de-sync between the left and right channels. I fought and suffered while looping through some levels over and over, always missing one final gem somewhere, either amidst clutter or in areas that were much too large. All in the name of seeing this train wreck through to the end.

There is a single opening cutscene, and then one more about halfway through the game, both of which offer very little context or incentive for you to care when compared to the earlier Spyro games. You truly feel like you are just going through the motions in EtD. At some point, and with absolutely no indication, a portal in the floor of the singular hub area will open, and you can challenge the final boss. And once you hit 100%, again with no indication, the final boss will be complete with three whole phases. Phase 1 and 2 are identical, and phase 3 is completely random in terms of how long it takes for the game to arbitrarily "decide" when it's finally your turn to deal damage. It's spectacularly awful.

Once you deliver the final blow, you are treated to one final cutscene where Spyro essentially says, "Glad that's over!" and winks at the camera. The end.

I am so glad that this game is complete now, so I can move on with my life and never wonder why Spyro faded into relative obscurity. Enter the Dragonfly was a hot mess, and from the gameplay alone you can tell that it had a troubled and/or rushed development. It's deeply saddening that this game was the dragon's downfall, and I recommend that no fan of the series actually bothers with it.

Reviewed on Mar 28, 2024


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