Sparx – Spyro’s Life and Health

Spyro is accompanied throughout his adventure by his faithful dragonfly companion, Sparx. As well as following Spyro around, Sparx acts as a visual indicator of Spyro’s health. Each time Spyro is hit, Sparx changes colour to show how much damage he can take before Spyro loses a life. He can also help Spyro locate missing gems.

Sparx’s colour indicates Spyro’s remaining health:

• Yellow – Spyro has full health.
• Blue – Spyro can withstand two more hits.
• Green – Spyro has one hit remaining.
• No Sparx – Spyro is one hit away from losing a life.

Fortunately, Sparx can be restored by finding the small creatures wandering around the levels. These creatures are known as fodder. Breathing fire on them turns them into butterflies, which Sparx then eats to restore Spyro’s health.

It’s worth keeping an eye out for fodder as you explore. If Spyro has taken damage, finding a few of these creatures can restore Sparx before you tackle the next group of enemies or dangerous section of a level. Sometimes you can backtrack through an area to find that some of these creatures have re-spawned.

Blue Butterflies and Extra Lives

In Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!/Gateway to Glimmer and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, butterflies have an additional benefit. After Sparx has eaten ten regular butterflies, the next butterfly becomes a special blue butterfly. When Sparx eats it, his health is completely restored and Spyro receives an extra life.

This makes it worthwhile to flame fodder even when Sparx is already at full health, as working towards the next blue butterfly can provide a useful supply of extra lives.

Unlike the later games in the original trilogy, the first Spyro game does not have the special blue butterfly that awards an extra life after collecting ten butterflies. That mechanic was introduced in Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!/Gateway to Glimmer and continues in Spyro: Year of the Dragon.

How Spyro Can Lose a Life

There are plenty of hazards waiting to catch Spyro out. He can lose a life after taking too many hits from enemies, falling into dangerous areas, drowning in liquid or being caught by certain environmental hazards.

Some of Spyro’s deaths are particularly amusing, with certain traps capable of flattening him completely! Once a life is lost, Spyro returns to the most recent checkpoint and can attempt the section again.

Sparx therefore provides an important buffer against danger throughout the game. Keeping him healthy by finding fodder and feeding him butterflies can make exploring some of the more difficult areas considerably easier.