In June 2004, the first crossover took place between Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot, who appeared together in a pair of titles released on the Game Boy Advance. While its time on the market was relatively short compared to many other Nintendo systems, the Game Boy Advance made a big impact during that span. The system played host to a lot of beloved games, featuring some of the biggest icons in gaming. In addition to Nintendo’s key franchises, series like Castlevania, Mega Man, and Sonic the Hedgehog were well-represented on the system.
Spyro and Crash started out as PlayStation mascots, but the two characters quickly found a new audience on the Game Boy Advance. Spyro appeared in three different games on the handheld between 2001 and 2003, reuniting the fire-breathing dragon with some of his friends and enemies from the PlayStation trilogy. Crash Bandicoot similarly appeared in two games on the handheld during that same period, pitting the character against familiar foes like Doctor Neo Cortex and Doctor Nefarious Tropy.
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Putting Spyro and Crash Together for the First Time
After Spyro and Crash appeared in multiple solo games on the Game Boy Advance, 2004 marked a major shift. Developer Vicarious Visions and publisher Vivendi Universal Games made the decision to cross the characters over for the very first time. In a move similar to Pokemon, the developers released two different cartridges: Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto’s Rampage and Spyro the Dragon Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy. The two games see the characters start out as opponents, before teaming up to take down their respective rivals.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
While the two GBA games received mixed reviews from critics, they had a profound impact on Spyro and Crash. Notably, the characters became intertwined in a way they weren’t during the PlayStation era. The characters both appeared in the Skylanders games, and Spyro has shown up as a playable character in games like Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled and Crash Team Rumble. Crash Bandicoot 5 nearly featured a playable Spyro, but the game was unfortunately canceled before that crossover could happen.
Following Activision’s acquisition by Microsoft, Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot are now officially Xbox mascots. It remains to be seen what the future may hold for the characters, but it seems like a strong possibility they could meet again. Spyro and Crash fans haven’t had a lot to celebrate over the last few years, but that could change. Crash Bandicoot 4 developer Toys for Bob is working on a new game that will be published by Xbox. Rumors suggest it could be a new Spyro game, but the developer has remained quiet.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
At the very least, there is a chance that the original crossover between Spyro and Crash could come to modern platforms. Several GBA games are available through Nintendo Switch Online, including favorites from Nintendo and other publishers. While Xbox has not brought over any of the GBA games it owns, the company has licensed several N64 titles to the service, including Jet Force Gemini and Banjo-Kazooie. For now, anyone hoping to play the earliest encounters between these two characters will have to track down a copy of those original games on the Game Boy Advance.
