Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!


 * "Spyro 2" redirects here. For the handheld installment, see Spyro 2: Season of Flame.

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! is a video game for the PlayStation video game console. It was released in the United States under this title on November 2, 1999, in Europe and Australia as Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer on November 5, 1999, and in Japan as Spyro x Sparx: Tondemo Tours on March 16, 2000.

Ripto's Rage is the second game in the Spyro the Dragon series, which started with Spyro the Dragon in 1998. The protagonist of the series, Spyro, is placed in the land of Avalar, rather than the Dragon Worlds, where the previous installment was set. A dinosaur-riding sorcerer, known as Ripto, has invaded the world of Avalar, and is wreaking havoc on its citizens with his magic. Idols come to life and attack their creators, Eskimos are encased in ice cubes, and a civilization of seahorses has had its water confiscated. The player, as Spyro, must travel through the world of Avalar and undo the damage done by Ripto.

The game became available for download on the PlayStation Network on July 26, 2007, before even its predecessor was released to the same market. Less than a week later, however, it was removed because Colossus and Idol Springs levels failed to load.

Gameplay
Gameplay flows in a similar manner to the original Spyro, with few variations in control and Spyro's main abilities intact. Spyro can attack enemies with his typical dragon-breath, or charge through them in a charge attack, though different varieties of enemies may require a specific attack to defeat; metal-armored enemies are impervious to Spyro's flame, and enemies much larger than Spyro himself are immune to his charge attack. He can also swim now. By using his wings to glide, Spyro can extend his jumping distance to a considerable reach, depending on the elevation the player begins gliding from. Levels are designed to take advantage of this, featuring large gaps that require Spyro to glide across them, and thermal updrafts which launch Spyro into the air and can allow him access to areas otherwise unreachable. In addition to Spyro's returning and new abilities, many levels in the game feature powerup "gates" which temporarily give Spyro enhanced abilities that allow him to defeat certain enemies, reach new areas, or complete certain missions. Powerup gates are at first inactive, but become available once the player has defeated a certain number of enemies within the level.

Setting
The dragons of the previous installment have been replaced with an entirely new cast of characters, including fauns, anthropomorphic animals, satyrs, robotic businessmen, and more. The world of Avalar is split up into three realms, all of them named after a season of the year; the Summer Forest, the Autumn Plains, and the Winter Tundra. All three realms feature a certain number of different worlds, a speedway world, and a dungeon in which Ripto or his minions are hiding in. Avalar's name may have been derived from the legendary island Avalon.

Plot
In the fantasy realm of Avalar, local residents Elora, Hunter, and The Professor have been working on their latest and largest portal. During a test of it, Hunter enters his birth date (22475, which could mean February 24, 1975 or April 22, 1975) as the portal's target coordinates, inadvertently activating it and allowing a small wizard named Ripto into the realm along with two large and dimwitted dinosaurs, Crush and Gulp. Identifying that the land has no dragons, Ripto declares that he is going to "move in" and take it over; however, Elora is able to de-activate the portal by instructing fairies to remove the orbs powering the portal. As Ripto begins to terrorize Avalar, Elora and the Professor plan to 'catch' a dragon in order to drive Ripto off.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Realms have been under rainy weather for some time; Spyro, declaring he needs a vacation, locates a portal to the realm of Dragon Shores. However, after travelling through the portal, he finds himself instead landing in the realm of Avalar by means of a smaller portal, built by Avalar's Professor. Ripto enters the scene and destroys the portal, objecting to how the Professor succeeded in bringing a dragon to the world of Avalar. Ripto is, however, forced to retreat when Gulp accidentally swallows Ripto's magical scepter, and Spyro is asked to help save the realm of Avalar by defeating Ripto.

Each of Avalar's homeworlds is captured by Ripto after Spyro enters them. In a dungeon area, Ripto and one of his minions (or, on the final overworld, resurrected versions of them) wait for Spyro. The only way to access these dungeons is to collect all of the Talismans in the overworld, or in the final confrontation, to collect 40 orbs. The talismans are being held by the leaders of each homeworld. Somehow, perhaps using his magic, Ripto has convinced the citizens of the realm to turn against each other, causing outbreaks of war between worlds and races. Also, Ripto has sent his minions to terrorize citizens and stop Spyro from saving the worlds of Avalar.

Reception
The game received generally favorable reviews, and some consider it to be even greater than the widely praised first game. Many enjoyed the fact that the game was emphasized on humor, but was considerably deep; although its relatively short length and occasionally easy gameplay were criticized. Stewart Copeland's refurnished, atmospheric music is also well received. The game has sold nearly two million copies.