Spyro: A Hero's Tail

 PlayStation 2
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 83 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 83
  3. Negative: 4 out of 83
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. KatherineH.
    Jul 6, 2005
    9
    I love the game but I do not like not being able to complete some of the challenges. Having to go to another level to get a skill and then back track is boring.
  2. Inesdg
    Nov 27, 2006
    7
    I used to play this game, it was one of my first platformer.... there is a lot to do, and the game is very long(30 hrs) but the storyline is not very funny I wanted to finish the game but was a bit boring, the bosses are so easy the a little kid could fight them and win at the first try, instead the sergent Byrd 's minigames are very diffciult to pass on.... buy it only if you are a I used to play this game, it was one of my first platformer.... there is a lot to do, and the game is very long(30 hrs) but the storyline is not very funny I wanted to finish the game but was a bit boring, the bosses are so easy the a little kid could fight them and win at the first try, instead the sergent Byrd 's minigames are very diffciult to pass on.... buy it only if you are a fan of spyro!… Expand
  3. KendylKlownfish
    Apr 13, 2011
    4
    Though it's a bit of an improvement upon Enter the Dragonfly, A Hero's Tail suffers the same fate of feeling generic and overly cliched. Pros: Enchanting graphics, visuals, and colorful level design. Cons: Though varied, the characters and gameplay ultimately feel uninspiring, doesn't stray far from its predecessor in depth, and refuses to push any kind of boundaries in platforming.
  4. RCmaster27
    Dec 19, 2013
    8
    One of my favourite spyro games of all time.
    Spyro: a hero's tail is a fantastic adventure game for all sizes and ages that brings spyro back to its roots and most importantly it mixes the style of adventure and platform wich makes an incredible combination.
    You play as Spyro, a small purple dragon that has this puny look, but when he breathes fire and other elements he looks more badass    One of my favourite spyro games of all time.
    Spyro: a hero's tail is a fantastic adventure game for all sizes and ages that brings spyro back to its roots and most importantly it mixes the style of adventure and platform wich makes an incredible combination.
    You play as Spyro, a small purple dragon that has this puny look, but when he breathes fire and other elements he looks more badass than ever.
    The story is a bit weak, however it becomes progressively more relevant during the gameplay.
    In my opinion you don't need to play the other spyro games and that is a positive point about the weak story.
    It can not be a solid platformer, but it is a fantastic adventure game that will be truly significant to players that are beginners in the series.    … Expand
  5. crashedragon
    Aug 30, 2013
    9
    Amazing game. It's shocking that this got mixed reviews, as it is smooth, pretty and tons of fun. The worlds are magical and the game is fun. This game stole a lot of ideas from other games, and spyro acts like he did in spyro 1, too and arrogant.
  6. Ryleemuffin
    Jul 1, 2013
    8
    I love this game even though I got stuck at the part where you get thr lightning. The characters are recognizable and lovable. I wouldnt recommend it for ragers.
  7. Ch33syCh1ck3n
    Jul 24, 2015
    10
    A childhood favourite of mine, Spyro a Hero's Tail is vibrant, colourful and simply amazing. It has beautiful level design, great music, nice models and characters. I found the story to be quite good; the game-play was also amazing along with the fun but tough mini-games. There are many collectables in this game, some being harder to find than others, making it fun to achieve 100%. ThisA childhood favourite of mine, Spyro a Hero's Tail is vibrant, colourful and simply amazing. It has beautiful level design, great music, nice models and characters. I found the story to be quite good; the game-play was also amazing along with the fun but tough mini-games. There are many collectables in this game, some being harder to find than others, making it fun to achieve 100%. This game is definitely worth playing if you love plat-formers and collect-a-thons, as it is very memorable!!… Expand
  8. SuperAquaLuigi
    Mar 4, 2017
    7
    (Note: I consider a 7 to be a positive score, unlike Metacritic.) This game, while not without issues, was fun overall. It had some nice music, good controls, good humor, good level design, and good graphics. I also liked the other characters. Hunter is great, Blink is fun, if a little slow, and I actually prefer Sgt. Byrd in this game over Year of the Dragon. If I had some complaints, the(Note: I consider a 7 to be a positive score, unlike Metacritic.) This game, while not without issues, was fun overall. It had some nice music, good controls, good humor, good level design, and good graphics. I also liked the other characters. Hunter is great, Blink is fun, if a little slow, and I actually prefer Sgt. Byrd in this game over Year of the Dragon. If I had some complaints, the bosses are nothing to write home about, the shop isn't helpful in telling you which upgrades are permanent or temporary (the gem x2 power-up is a rip-off!), and the last stretch of the game drags on too long, sacrificing open level design for a linear path.… Expand
  9. Harry210
    Nov 23, 2010
    7
    It's pretty obvious when you fight simple bosses, the enemies barely move and the gameplay is simple, if smooth, that Spyro: A Hero's Tail is a game designed at the younger market of gamers. The graphics are nice and colourful but the voice acting is above average and character dialog is so basic. The game play will feel familiar to anyone who's played a Spyro game: You play as Spyro theIt's pretty obvious when you fight simple bosses, the enemies barely move and the gameplay is simple, if smooth, that Spyro: A Hero's Tail is a game designed at the younger market of gamers. The graphics are nice and colourful but the voice acting is above average and character dialog is so basic. The game play will feel familiar to anyone who's played a Spyro game: You play as Spyro the dragon and have a selection of abilites like the Horn dash or Fire/Electric/Water/Ice breath to defeat your enemies who most of the time just stand in one spot waiting to die. Along the levels, you collect gems which can be used to buy things in Moneybags shop like lockpicks to open locked chests or a butterfly jar which restores your guardian, Sparx's health. To progress though the game, Spyro must collect light gems to power up the professor's gadgets so he can gain access to a new area or smash dark gems located throughout the non-linear landscape to bring down the dark barrier and fight a boss. Traditional platformer obstacles in this game apply which include switches to horn dive to activate machinery or open doors and jumping over deadly pitfalls to reach the end of the level. The game progresses in an non-linear way so your not limited to one path and you don't have to get all the light gems or dragon eggs to complete the game but you do need to smash all of the dark gems. Spyro can power the Professor's gadgets that give Spyro temporarily invicibility or a more stronger horn dash, with power gems to transverse through areas that arent reachable. In some sections, Spyro can even use the ball gadget to roll through the environment. Despite the voice acting sounding quite poor, the composed soundtrack is great especially the boss battles. Spyro can gain abilities along the way like the horn dive and pole spin. Spyro's breath abilites add a touch of puzzle solving to the game in which he has 4 breath elements to choose from. Fire which can be used normally to defeat unarmored and organic enemies or light up furnaces, Electric which can be used to power some machinery and defeat robotic enemies, Water which can stun enemies and use it to turn water wheels and operate platforms and Ice, which can freeze spouting water jets and then used as poles to swing over pits or freeze enemies. In certain parts of the game, you can control one of Spyro's friends in a specific challenge to compete for a light gem or dragon egg. These playable characters are Hunter, Blink the Mole, Sgt Byrd and Sparx and each character has a few levels to beat which have different game play styles like Blinks levels resemble a Third Person Shooter platformer while Sgt Byrd's and Sparx's levels resemble a flying game. What is annoying is that you have to do these levels twice to get the dragon egg first, then the light gem: The level only changes in difficulty. There are some annoying things in this game in which the games camera sometimes goes where you don't want it to go, restricting your view and sometimes even if you undershoot a jump just a little bit, Spyro doesn't grab on to the ledge and just falls to his death. Also, the bosses are quite easy to beat. However, Spyro: A Hero's Tail is a decent platformer that will definatly appeal to young gamers but not hardcore platfomer gamers.… Expand
  10. DeathMtnDew
    Nov 10, 2011
    9
    Probably the only non-Insomniac Spyro game that is good. Granted, there are a few faults. However, this is the only game in the series outside of the original three worth playing.
  11. angeljs
    Jul 2, 2020
    10
    After the disastrous 'Enter The Dragonfly', we were a bit dubious about buying this. However, we have such fond memories of Spyro that we couldn't resist. We are so pleased we did! So much time and thought has obviously gone into it. The graphics are great and the gameplay is so much better Some of the levels and minigames are challenging, so I just hand over the controller to the kidsAfter the disastrous 'Enter The Dragonfly', we were a bit dubious about buying this. However, we have such fond memories of Spyro that we couldn't resist. We are so pleased we did! So much time and thought has obviously gone into it. The graphics are great and the gameplay is so much better Some of the levels and minigames are challenging, so I just hand over the controller to the kids when it comes to something I have trouble with!

    All in all, this is a great game and a welcome addition to the franchise.    … Expand
  12. fijiboy
    May 5, 2014
    6
    this is not what spyro used to be, and I thought I would hate this game, but I actually enjoyed surprisingly enough. the first three were much better, but this one kind of does its own thing in a fairly pleasant way. its a bit messy but it has a great charm to it. the bosses are fun and the main villain is actually pretty good. I'm surprised that this game was as good as it was and wasthis is not what spyro used to be, and I thought I would hate this game, but I actually enjoyed surprisingly enough. the first three were much better, but this one kind of does its own thing in a fairly pleasant way. its a bit messy but it has a great charm to it. the bosses are fun and the main villain is actually pretty good. I'm surprised that this game was as good as it was and was pleasantly surprised after thinking this game would be complete dog crap.… Expand
  13. KluddennReview
    Apr 25, 2014
    8
    This game is probably the best non-Insomniac game. With good graphics, awesome soundack and voice acting. The problems I find in this game was the very easy difficulty, and so many glitches!
  14. Basquilly
    Mar 14, 2016
    8
    Though none of the sequels in the Spyro franchise lived up to the original, this game was one of the best attempts at capturing the magic of Year of the Dragon. This game introduces many new characters and mechanics, but suffers on occasion from dull gameplay and environments. For the most parts, an excellent game.
  15. ashketchum
    Jun 22, 2017
    6
    As many others have already stated, A Hero's Tail isn't a bad game. But it isn't really a good game either. It's a game that, whilst entertaining, offers very little to surpass just enough. This is in terms of literally everything: the controls, sound, visuals, gameplay and so on. The gameplay itself is quite simplistic, but perhaps to a fault. I personally have not played many SpyroAs many others have already stated, A Hero's Tail isn't a bad game. But it isn't really a good game either. It's a game that, whilst entertaining, offers very little to surpass just enough. This is in terms of literally everything: the controls, sound, visuals, gameplay and so on. The gameplay itself is quite simplistic, but perhaps to a fault. I personally have not played many Spyro games, but even I feel like I've played this all before elsewhere.… Expand
  16. AceOfCraft
    Apr 19, 2018
    9
    This game is good. It's really good. It's long, many bosses, many puzzles and worlds.
  17. Simonbochini
    Jun 3, 2019
    8
    Amigos no se q flashean este juega era de la re puta. Era una paja el mundo de la playa pero bueno, no me acuerdo si tenía muchos bugs pero q carajo me importa si ustedes son unos discapacitados que los buscan a toda costa
  18. MrTaylor99
    Aug 21, 2019
    8
    Very entertaining Spyro game! Bits of frustration here and there, and not exactly a lot of difficulty (considering this is a more kid oriented game) but still very nostalgic and fun! Also, WAAAY better than Enter the Dragonfly!
  19. Alvid
    Apr 14, 2020
    10
    This is probably the only Non-Insomniac Spyro game worth to play except the new remakes.
    This game has so many good ideas but it falls short due to bad story telling but in all honesty it really isn't bad. The gameplay switching from Spyro to hunter and others is amazing keeping you in the action.
    I love the collecting aspect of the game, its so fun going around, exploring and finding    This is probably the only Non-Insomniac Spyro game worth to play except the new remakes.
    This game has so many good ideas but it falls short due to bad story telling but in all honesty it really isn't bad. The gameplay switching from Spyro to hunter and others is amazing keeping you in the action.
    I love the collecting aspect of the game, its so fun going around, exploring and finding secrets getting items.
    The graphics are really good for the time it was released, the water levels aren't even all that bad, there's still exploration in the water.
    The bosses although easy are pretty fun and they are at a difference pacing than the whole game making it more interesting throughout.
    The powers are amazing with awesome puzzle aspects, much better than enter the dragonfly.
    The levels are so interesting and I love how different each world is, The main level being simple and calming, the beach getting more relaxing but still having action making the game fun, the snowy area filled with these nice areas fun to explore around.
    The soundtrack is definitely the best part about the game, it is so nice listening to the soundtrack while enjoying the game.
    All in all a very enjoyable game and I may be biased since it was one of the first games i have ever played but it truly is a game worth playing.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2004
91
#91 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 16
  3. Negative: 4 out of 16
  1. GMR Magazine
    50
    The bottom line is that if you're going to have an easy-to-play game that doesn't even attempt to push the genre in any meaningful manner, at least feature characters that 8-year-olds won't be too embarrassed to be caught playing as. [Dec 2004, p.126]
  2. IGN
    70
    A definite improvement over "Enter the Dragonfly." It’s a solid, albeit simple and slightly unimaginative platformer.
    Read full review
  3. Game Informer
    65
    Essentially the video game equivalent of sleeping with your eyes open. [Nov 2004, p.149]
See all critic reviews »