- Release Year: 2005
- Platforms: Windows
- Publisher: Blue & White
- Developer: Blue & White
- Genre: Action
- Perspective: Top-down
- Game Mode: Single-player
- Gameplay: Shooter
Description
Dragonfly is a 2005 Windows top-down shooter developed and published by Blue & White, placing players in control of an attack helicopter battling enemies across stages. With independent movement and aiming mechanics, the objective is to destroy all foes on the map while protecting allied forces from annihilation, avoiding friendly fire during enemy-allied skirmishes, and surviving damage to prevent mission failure.
Gameplay Videos
Where to Buy Dragonfly
PC
Dragonfly Reviews & Reception
reddit.com : Despite its numerous flaws and game-breaking bugs, there’s a good game hiding underneath it. Once you get past that, it’s kind of a blast to play.
Dragonfly Cheats & Codes
PlayStation 2
Pause the game and enter the button sequences using the D-Pad, analog stick directions, shoulder buttons, and face buttons.
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| Left, Right, Right, Left, X | Purple Sparx – Turns Sparx a dark blue/purple colour, stays the same colour when hit but you still die in the same number of hits |
| Left, Right, Right, Right, X | Slow Motion – Everything moves extra slow, enter again to turn it off |
| Left, Left, Right, Left, X | Flying Cow – A cow flies around in the air above the starting area of Dragon Realms, dropping baby riptocs |
| Circle, Up, Circle, Circle, Up | Secret Credits – Input on the first page of the Atlas |
| Left, Right, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Down, Square | 99 Lives |
| L1, L2, R1, R1, Up, Up, Down, Left, R2 | Jump high and walk on air |
| L3 + R3 | Gem Finder – Hold after defeating Ripto and Sparks points to the nearest gem |
| L3 + X | Free Camera – Press with second controller to activate, use second controller’s Left Analog for forward/backward and Right Analog for Yaw/Pitch/Roll (Roll with L2 + left/right), cancel with L3 + Circle |
GameCube
Pause the game and enter the button sequences using the Control Stick directions, C-Stick, shoulder buttons, and A/B buttons. Some codes are entered at the Press Start screen.
| Code | Effect |
|---|---|
| Left, Right, Right, Left, A | Purple Sparx – Turns Sparx a dark blue/purple colour |
| Left, Right, Right, Right, A | Slow Motion – Everything moves extra slow, enter again to turn it off |
| Left, Left, Right, Left, A | Flying Cow – A cow flies around in the air above the starting area of Dragon Realms |
| Left, Right, Left, Right, Right, Right, Up, Down, B | Unlimited Lives – Enter at the Press Start screen |
| L + R + Up | Gem Finder – Available after beating Ripto, Sparks points to the nearest gem |
Dragonfly: Review
Introduction
In the annals of gaming history, few titles embody the perils of rushed development and publisher meddling quite like Dragonfly—or more precisely, Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, the 2002 platformer that dared to take the reins from Insomniac Games’ masterful Spyro trilogy. Imagine a vibrant purple dragon, beloved mascot of PlayStation’s golden age, handed off to inexperienced studios amid the dawn of sixth-generation consoles, only to emerge as a glitch-riddled cautionary tale. Released on PS2 and GameCube by Universal Interactive, Dragonfly promised a fresh take on collectathon platforming with elemental breaths and sprawling realms, but delivered long loads, frame drops, and a sense of unfulfilled potential. As a game historian, I see it as the “abused stepchild” of the series (per Insomniac’s Ted Price), a pivot point where Spyro’s whimsy collided with corporate haste. My thesis: Dragonfly is a flawed love letter to its predecessors, buried under technical woes, yet harboring glimmers of charm that make it a must-play artifact for series diehards—if only for the unintentional comedy of its bugs.
Development History & Context
Dragonfly‘s origins trace back to Insomniac Games’ departure from the Spyro franchise after Year of the Dragon (2000), the trilogy’s pinnacle with multiple playable characters and innovative minigames. Universal Interactive, owning the IP post their Sony deal, scrambled to capitalize on next-gen hype. Enter Equinoxe Digital Entertainment (art) and Check Six Studios (design/programming), two California outfits merging into a Venice office for this debut console effort. Lead designer Joel Goodsell pitched a “tone update”—initially darker steampunk vibes, then a Zelda-esque RPG-lite with hubs and seasons—only for Universal producer Ricci Rukavina to impose revisions, fostering toxicity. The game was “cancelled” one day, with staff sent home, before Warren Davis locked managers in a room to salvage it.
Promised 25+ levels, 120+ dragonflies, 60fps, and fast loads at E3 2002, reality hit hard: cut content galore (e.g., Haunted House, Enchanted Forest, four hubs: Sunshine/Rain/Snow/Windy), Ember as playable, Gnasty Gnorc mentions axed. Five composers (Stewart Copeland overseeing Peter Neff et al.) yielded 42 tracks, 14 unused. Xbox/PC ports scrapped over unpaid funds; Check Six pivoted to a doomed Aliens: Colonial Marines. Amid PS2/GameCube cross-dev wars, crunch ensued—low pay, frame woes, directorial clashes. Originally a 2001 PS2 exclusive, it shipped November 2002, buggy and incomplete, studios shuttering soon after. In 2002’s landscape—Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Metroid Prime—Dragonfly epitomized transitional growing pains, prefiguring reboot woes like Sonic ’06.
Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive
Dragonfly picks up immediately post-Year of the Dragon: baby dragons (from stolen eggs) celebrate rite-of-passage dragonfly guardians at Dragon Realms. Ripto—surviving Ripto’s Rage!‘s lava plunge (epilogue nod)—portals in with Crush/Gulp, scatters 90 dragonflies (down from 100+) to weaken dragons. Bianca gifts Bubble Breath; Spyro hunts via rune-powered breaths (Ice, Electric, Wing Shield). Mid-game, Riptocs (dino-themed Rhynoc replacements) infest realms; 70% completion unlocks abbreviated Ripto lair boss (fire/ice/lightning phases, One-Winged Angel finale). 100% yields full ending: festival resumes, Spyro winks fourth-wall-style.
Thematically, it’s revenge porn lite—Ripto’s dino inferiority fuels dragon hatred—clashing canon (no evil dragons per lead designer). Characters demoted: Bianca vanishes post-intro (high-pitched “chickification”); Moneybags one-shots gems; Hunter nicer (rescue quests); Sparx health meter/translator. Cut Sparx levels, Zoe reduced. Dialogue cliched (“videogame cliché” self-callout), plot ignores handhelds/Avalar. Strengths: lore expansion (dragonflies as lifelong protectors, Dragonfly Dojo training). Flaws: filler (Ripto offers alliance?), unresolved (Crush/Gulp unfought, knocked out). It’s Spyro comfort food—festivals, taunts—but rushed, echoing dev chaos: misfires mirror spell backfire.
| Key Characters | Role & Arc |
|---|---|
| Spyro | Hero; gains breaths, taunts Ripto on dino-magic fail. |
| Sparx | Health/UI; kazoo-voiced, shy species rep. |
| Ripto | Bumbling returnee; grows giant, curses retreat. |
| Bianca | One-off rune-giver; ending cameo. |
| Hunter | Quest-giver; manta/UFO returns. |
Gameplay Mechanics & Systems
Core loop: explore nine realms (one hub: Dragon Realms) for 90 dragonflies (10/level, Bubble Breath chases), gems (pointless post-Moneybags gate), runes (Ice/ Electric via Dojo/Cloud 9). Familiar: Fire/Charge/Glide/Headbash/Hover/Swim; new breaths puzzle/freeze/enemy-type. Vehicles: tank, Spitfire, manta/UFO speedways (portals, no Hunter challenges). Minigames abound—kite rescues (ice baby dragons as platforms), bee farms, thief chases.
Strengths: Breath variety innovates (Wing Shield deflects wizards); speedways fun(ish). Flaws: Stiff/floaty controls (air “swimming” glitches), collision jank (clip off cliffs). UI: Sparx hints; warp whistle guidebook. Innovative? Chest monsters (gem-runners), frozen foes. Broken: 30fps chugs (sheep overloads), loads (nested screens, freezes), bugs (air swim, boss clip in <3min). Progression gated smartly (lightning gate early), but 100% boss phases reward replay. Short (10hrs), repetitive gem spam (900/level, static/upside-down).
| Mechanic | Innovation | Flaw |
|---|---|---|
| Breaths | Multi-types permanent. | Bubble useless combat. |
| Speedways | Realm-integrated. | Framerate-unruly. |
| Quests | Varied NPCs. | Repetitive (kite spam). |
| Boss | 3-phase elements. | Early access glitches. |
World-Building, Art & Sound
Dragon Realms hub sprawls: whirlwinds (Cloud 9), carpets (Thieves Den), saucers (Crop Circle). Realms vivid tropes: Dojo (Wutai ninjas, dragon masters); Crop Circle (UFO cattle rustle); Luau (tiki); Cloud 9 (castle clouds, cupid Riptocs); Monkey Monastery (yeti/ice monks); Honey Marsh (bee gators); Thieves Den (crystal thieves); Jurassic Jungle (Park parody, robo-dinos/lava); Ripto’s Lair (lava platform).
Art: Bright primaries, Scenery Porn backdrops (rippling water, glows)—PS1-esque textures pop-in. Low-poly Spyro “clay-like.” Sound: Copeland’s 28 tracks (e.g., Neff’s Dragon Realms) orchestral whimsy; unused 14 gems. SFX glitchy (missing clips); voices solid (Tom Kenny Spyro, Gregg Berger Ripto/Crush/Gulp—first voiced henchmen). Atmosphere: Festive peril, but loads kill flow—hub sheep lagfest.
Reception & Legacy
Launch: Metacritic 56/48 (PS2/GC)—”mixed/average” to “unfavorable.” IGN 6/10 (“replica”); GameSpot 2.8/3.2 (“trainwreck”); fans decry bugs/loads (seizure lawsuit). Platinum UK sales (300k+ PS2). Evolved: Cult “so bad it’s good” (Reddit: “great time with bong/friends”); docs reveal cuts. Influence: Killed Check Six/Equinoxe; Spyro to Hero’s Tail/Legend/Skylanders. Prefigures rushed sequels; contrasts Reignited Trilogy (2018). No ports/remasters—black sheep, but inspires “what if Insomniac continued?”
Conclusion
Dragonfly is video game history’s unfinished symphony: Spyro’s spirit flickers amid glitches, cuts, and Universal hubris, a far cry from Insomniac’s polish. Yet, its elemental innovations, trope-y realms, and Copeland score shine through the 30fps fog, offering ironic laughs (Tashistation dragonfly?) and nostalgia for trilogy fans. Not recommendable casually—play Reignited first—but as artifact, it’s definitive: a 5/10 nadir cementing Spyro’s resilience. In history’s canon, it’s the glitchy bridge to reinvention, reminding us development hell births legends… or infamy.