Spyro: Shadow Legacy DS
  • Publisher: VU Games
  • Release Date: Oct 18, 2005
Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 18
  3. Negative: 5 out of 18
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  1. Cheat Code Central
    54
    Overall the gameplay is simple and repetitive. So much more could have been done with it - but fix the damn thing first.
  2. Console Gameworld
    51
    On a pass or fail review system, this fails horribly. If this was a child’s homework assignment, you could easily tell they put this together right before class started.
  3. DailyGame
    40
    A huge yawn-fest, even kids won't enjoy it for long.
  4. Eurogamer
    40
    Spyro would score a 5 were it to work properly - smack bang in the middle of middlyness, doing nothing well, and utterly without imagination (for goodness sakes, travelling back and forth between two versions of reality - where did they get that idea from?!).
  5. G4 TV
    40
    Spyro Shadow Legacy isn’t a terrible game, but it’s painfully repetitive and just plain dull.
  6. Game Chronicles
    51
    Spyro: Shadow Legacy is surely a dark day for the Spyro franchise, but I suppose the good news is that it probably couldn’t get any worse. So if and when our beloved purple hero returns to the DS it can only be a better game.
  7. Game Over Online
    65
    What do you get when you have a story that's pretty by-the-book, lackluster gameplay, and a gimmick that's really just a smokescreen? I'll give you three guesses, and if the first one isn't "Spyro: Shadow Legacy" you're dead wrong.
  8. Gamer's Hell
    70
    It is entertaining, it is appealing, it is addictive, and it is worthy of your time. In short, it’s solid and accessible fun, and in today’s often-dreary marketplace, that’s no bad thing.
  9. GameSpot
    53
    Spryo: Shadow Legacy is a watered-down action role-playing game that isn't challenging or engaging enough to sustain its brief campaign.
  10. GameZone
    65
    A wholly average game that young kids will enjoy for a short time, but there’s really nothing much here for anyone else.
  11. Gaming Age
    16
    Nearly every aspect of the game is flawed in some way, rendering the final product essentially unplayable.
  12. IGN
    40
    The horrible production values are Spyro: Shadow Legacy's real killer.
  13. Next Level Gaming
    72
    The biggest problem with this game is, once again, that it really doesn’t offer anything to set it apart.
  14. Nintendo Power
    65
    It does mark a departure, adding light RPG elements to the isometric-adventure style seen on the GBA. [Dec 2005, p.112]
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  15. Nintendojo
    52
    Shadow Legacy has some potential, but it's unfulfilled by repetitive gameplay and objectives (i.e. fetching items for the people you've just rescued from another dimension).
  16. NintendoWorldReport
    55
    A half-finished game designed so poorly that it probably shouldn't have been started in the first place. Only the most stubborn Spyro fan should even consider picking this up and even then, I implore you to wait until it's on clearance.
  17. PALGN
    60
    Whilst we appreciate that the developers have taken some risks with the game, they have ultimately failed.
  18. Worth Playing
    50
    If you're going to do a bit of genre mixing, reward the player's investment of time and patience by remembering to include the good parts.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.4 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 4 out of 5
  1. Zeph
    4
    I love Spyro games.... well, I *used* to love them when Insomniac made them. This version was my first DS game that I played... and with a mix of confusing controls, confusing environments, confusing sense of depth, and a mediocre story, I just couldn't give support for this game... it left me very much confused in the end.… Full Review »
  2. Anonymous
    8
    It's a fun game, adding RPG elements to Spyro. However, the graphics are not quite up to the DS' capabilities except during boss battles. The controls are a bit annoying because Spyro was designed for joysticks, not directional pads. The lack of voices is a disappointment, as voices have been possible since the GBA. Otherwise, it's a fun and challenging game. They just could've done better on the graphics, added voices instead of using text, and made the controls easier. The touchpen capabilities are nice. You have the whole options menu on the touchscreen while you move around on the topscreen.… Full Review »
  3. LaurenW.
    2
    Awful. Don't buy it, even hardcore Spyro fans such as myself will find it unbelievably boring and uninspiring.
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