Early Spyro: Year of the Dragon Build Reveals Interesting Differences

Spyro fans have long been fascinated by the early development stages of their beloved games. Recently, an early build of Spyro: Year of the Dragon has surfaced, offering a unique glimpse into the game's evolution. This version differs dramatically from the final release and is filled with debug features, glitches, and missing sound effects.

One of the most notable differences between this build and the final release is the presence of various cheats. However, these cheats exhibit more debug-like features than their counterparts in the final game. Additionally, a number of sound effects are still missing throughout the game, giving it an unfinished feel.

Two levels in particular have slightly stricter egg requirements, which may make them more challenging for players who are used to the easier conditions found in the final release. The Atlas also contains some errors, listing Super Bonus Round as having six eggs instead of one.

The final egg is named 'Zan Jayna' rather than 'Yin Yang,' and Bianca is absent from the final Sorceress battle. Furthermore, defeating the Sorceress does not play the credits in this build. The game's cutscenes also exhibit minor audiovisual differences when compared to their final counterparts.

The build string claims that this version is a PAL release, but it is actually an NTSC-U version, which may indicate that it is left over from an earlier development stage. The save file information reveals a build date of September 4th, 2000, which conflicts with the file dates in the final game.

Overall, this early build of Spyro: Year of the Dragon provides an interesting look at the game's development process and highlights the differences that were eventually ironed out before its release.

Spyro 2000