The eighth Spyro the Dragon game, released in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance alongside Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage. This game is a crossover with the Crash Bandicoot franchise, and is the series' first foray into 2D platforming. Also known as Spyro Fusion in European languages.
Ripto and Cortex agree to destroy Spyro and Crash together using genetically altered Riptocs to trick them into fighting each other. This plan works for a while, but during their fight, Spyro and Crash realize what's really going on and team up to save their worlds from Ripto and Cortex.
Followed on handheld consoles by the Nintendo DS RPG Spyro: Shadow Legacy in 2005, and then by two more GBA games in 2006 and 2007 via the rebooted Legend Of Spyro series.
This video game provides examples of:
- 100% Completion: Achieving this in either this or its sister game requires not only both games, but a second copy of the corresponding game as well, making the single-cartridge release of both games actually useful to those who wish to achieve this, including those who initially bought the games individually.
- Crossover: Spyro and Crash, of course!
- Early-Bird Cameo: Blink the Mole made his debut in this game and its sister game, before his own series debut in Spyro: A Hero's Tail. The same also applies to Nina Cortex before her proper debut in Crash Twinsanity.
- One Game for the Price of Two. This game has a companion game where you get to play as Crash called Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage. One has to get both to see the full story, though later releases placed them in a single cartridge, somewhat averting this. That said, see Socialization Bonus.
- Promoted to Playable: Several NPCs such as Bianca, Moneybags, Ripto, Crush, Gulp and even one of the series' sheep fodder, are available in the game's multiplayer mode. Curiously Sparx and Shiela, despite having their own cards, are not.
- Socialization Bonus: By default, you can obtain many of the Spyro cards and some of the more common Crash cards by playing the game normally, but you're required to trade or play multiplayer games with a player with Crash Purple if you want the rarer, higher-tier Crash cards.
