The third and final installment in the Legend of Spyro trilogy is Dawn of the Dragon. It begins with the release of Spyro and Cynder from their crystalline prison. They were once enemies, but the Dark Master has bound them with green energy chains. They are shown what the Dark Master did after escaping from the Well of Souls during the Night of Eternal Darkness after fleeing their incarceration with Sparx and Hunter. They go to Malefor’s lair via Dragon City, the Burned Lands, and the Floating Islands.
Dawn of the Dragon, like the previous game, is a third-person action game focusing on fighting and exploration, albeit advancement is essentially linear. The ability to fly at any time is new to the franchise. This edition also includes a cooperative mode with Spyro and Cynder, and with only one player, you can swap between them at any moment. Spyro uses fire, lightning, earth, and ice to attack, whereas Cynder uses poison, fear, wind, and shadow. Collected gems grant power-ups, and both characters can wear dragon armor. Blue gems increase moves, red rocks restore life, and green gems enable elemental assaults via dragon magic. A melee combo mechanism determines the number of blue ones delivered.
Fury gems are no longer available. They are replaced by black crystals, which must be destroyed since they drain magic. Fury is now measured by a meter that fills up throughout attacks. In addition to the ordinary foes, there are now elite enemies, represented by a mask of a specific color. A particular attack is required to remove the cover, after which standard strikes become effective.
