yro’s new Game Boy Advance cart is a weird collection of differing ideas. It breaks from the dragon’s latest handheld entries by abandoning an isometric view in favor of a side-scrolling vantage point for the platforming sections – which, for us, is a good thing. But, unfortunately, the jumping is painful as all get-out.
Another shift for the franchise is the card trading option offered in conjunction with Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage. This feature isn’t particularly compelling, mostly because the cards don’t look terribly cool and they don’t do anything besides open up characters to use in the linked games – a bonus that I could care less about.
And about those minigames, most are like a single level from a classic title – Breakout, Asteroids, and the Test Your Might sections from Mortal Kombat are each used over and over. You’ll encounter five per world and probably dread each one. I will say that the minigames in Spyro are far more fun than its sister title, though.
Spyro Orange is just a mishmash of concepts that never really gel into anything great.