>>717513635
>Nope, Spyro is a platformer.
I agree, which is why I find Spyro 3 to be on the dull side.
>3's levels are way more interesting
Than what? It has nothing that hits the highs of Magma Cone, Tree Tops or anything from Dream Weavers in Spyro 1. It's at least tidier than 2, tucking away mini-games beyond sub portals within levels, but the character switch ups and banjo kazooie mini-games do it no favors. At the very least there is some form of progression in the level design unlike Banjo Kazooie.
Levels are more homogenized into simple circular loops in 3, Midnight Mountain improves this by having more loose level design but it's never hitting it out of the park. Completion often being tied to a literal first person shooter section, a side scrolling platformer section, or a whack-a-mole mini-game doesn't do it any favors and that you're not playing as Spyro creates a malaise. The mini-games are not challenging and I always want them to be over as quick as possible to get back to playing as Spyro.
Spyro 3 is not all bad. Desert Ruins and Crystal Islands are good. The tendency Spyro 3 has to let you reign over levels at the end is nice, it creates a fun sense of wrapping things up as you can explore that high up and far away glimmer you saw, or inspect that alcove once you have access to some specific overhang or ledge, or power up.
2 at least had more concise Spyro focused mini-games and did the leg work of integrating them into the levels, as opposed to tucked away in another dimension.
