Powerups are special abilities in the Spyro the Dragon series that allow Spyro to defeat certain enemies, reach new areas, or complete certain missions. They often appear as Powerup Gates: two pyramid-shaped poles with magical sparkles in between and a small sign on top indicating the Powerup type. Powerup Gates first appeared in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!.
Powerup Types[]
- Superflame: a powerful, projectile fireball in place of normal flame breath.
- Fairy Kiss: a Fairy-powered flame breath that breaks metal items.
- Superfly: Continuously fly for a limited period of time.
- Invincibility: Makes Spyro invincible to enemies and hazards for a limited amount of time.
- Spring Jump: A sudden launch upwards to reach new areas.
- Supercharge: A stronger, more effective version of Spyro's charge ability. Used to break otherwise impenetrable objects.
- Superfreeze: In Ripto's Rage!, Spyro shoots iceballs that encase burning trolls in ice to help the player reach new areas. In Year of the Dragon, Spyro is granted Ice Breath by a fairy in Frozen Altars that can be used to freeze enemies and kill them.
- Superflame-Superfly Combo: A combination powerup that mixes both Superfly and Superflame at the same time. Metropolis in Ripto's Rage! and Fireworks Factory in Year of the Dragon, each have the combo powerup. It was also used in the final phase against Ripto in Ripto's Rage!.
- Plasma Bomb: This powerup is only available in Ripto's Arena. It grants Spyro the ability to shoot green plasma bombs that explode on impact.
- Crystal-Charged Flame: This powerup is only available during the second half of Spike's Arena. If Spyro is able to collect a red crystal, he will be granted the ability to breathe a continuous stream of fire, capable of dealing direct damage to Spike. The powerup goes away the moment damage is dealt to Spike, and as such it cannot be used continuously.
Superflame, superfly, invincibility and superfreeze are limited to a specific amount of time, displayed in a time meter. Supercharge can only be attained if Spyro charges through the powerup gate or along a supercharge track, and will be maintained for as long as Spyro can sustain the charge without hitting anything substantial. The spring jump launches Spyro up into the air straight from the powerup gate, and leaves him with no enduring abilities. Plasma bomb while also lasting a limited amount of time, is not granted by going through a powerup gate, instead being a powerup exclusive to the Ripto's Boss Fight after collecting 3 green orbs.
Depiction in Games[]
Spyro the Dragon[]
Only the Supercharge powerup officially appears in Spyro the Dragon, available on supercharge tracks.
A type of "superflame" is granted by a fairy's kiss in High Caves and Haunted Towers, which is actually just a more powerful, pink version of Spyro's typical flame breath, capable of killing the metal enemies and obstacles in those realms. There is also an unlimited superflame from a special fairy in Haunted Towers, which remains active until Spyro leaves the level. Also, Spyro is given an unlimited superfly ability in Gnasty's Loot.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage![]
Powerup gates are introduced in Ripto's Rage!, and the full range of powerups became available throughout the game. Powerup gates are at first inactive in a realm, but activate once Spyro has defeated a certain number of enemies within that realm. There are powerup gates in each level excluding boss arenas, speedways, and home worlds. A majority of the levels contain one powerup gate, while a handful contain two gates, which helps Spyro complete more challenging tasks. The level Mystic Marsh contains three. The gates also come in a few different colors and patterns.
If Spyro gains all 10,000 gems and 64 orbs, a magic door opens in Dragon Shores, which contains a permanent Superflame Powerup Gate. Once acquired, the ability will be active in every realm, and will even be active if the player begins a new game.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon[]
The powerups in Year of the Dragon are similar to those in Ripto's Rage!. The Spring Jump has been removed. The Supercharge is only available when chasing thieves on a supercharge track, as in Icy Peak and Molten Crater. Ice Breath is granted only by the Ice Fairy's kiss in Frozen Altars, and remains with Spyro for as long as he is in the realm. Unlike the previous game, the powerup gates are already active upon entering a level, and they only appear in a handful of levels throughout the game. There is also one type of powerup in every home world, excluding the final home world, and acts as a tutorial so the player knows how to use the powerup properly. When the player uses a cheat code that lets them use the permanent Invincibility powerup, the powerup never wears off.
Spyro: A Hero's Tail[]
The powerups during Red's invasion are in the form of mechanical "gadgets" which were invented by the Professor. Spyro needs to collect a certain number of Light Gems to activate them, depending on the type of gadget.
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