Prologue
You might happen to know that I have an intense fixation on the beloved PlayStation mascot trilogy Spyro the Dragon.
So much so that I’ve marathoned it multiple times. And that I’ve been working on a fangame since 2012. And that I listen to the music every day and… OK, you get the idea.
I used to really be into the Spyro fangame scene, too. I’ve watched dozens of videos of mediocre Unreal Engine hubworld recreations. One of my favorites was Spyro: Myths Awaken, a wonderful take on a ‘Spyro 4’ with design sensibilities that mirrored Spyro 2, my favorite game in the series.
Or… it was my favorite until Activision sent a Cease & Desist.
BUT THEN IT GOT COOLER!
The excitement I felt over this hot pink bitch named Zera was unreal. I drew fanart only two days after the announcement – I may have been one of the first to draw fanart, for all I know. The game was changed. No longer would this be a Spyro fangame held under the lens of Spyro-ness, it would be its own wonderful self. It really didn’t help my manic enthusiasm that the protagonist is a weird-looking girl. AND my own Spyro fangame project also stars a bat hybrid (I guess I’ll just have to hope that people will take my word for it that I’ve had my character for longer, and not accuse me of stealing or something mean).
Zera: Myths Awaken is now 5 years old, and I have loved it every step of the way. Even now, as Cyreides moves on to other projects and makes it clear that Zera is on a “when I feel like it” basis, I adore it. And now I’m finally playing it!
(You may wonder: wait, it’s had published demos for years, why the hell haven’t I played it yet? Well, you see, depression
babu baba baby