#fans would lose their minds if we got a whole dark spyro boss fight i can feel it

[rubylarkspur22]

I'm gonna say it, and I'm gonna elaborate.

Dark Spyro and Dark Cynder should've been mini bosses, if not full on bosses, in Dawn of the Dragon.

The idea has been poking at my brain since I first saw this video. Specifically a comment thread about the idea of Dark Spyro being a boss fight in Dawn of the Dragon. And I love it.

The main counter to this, however, is the co-op gameplay.

Obviously, Cynder needs to win this boss fight for the game to continue. So in 2 Player Mode, what about the player in control of Spyro? Cynder's player automatically has the win condition, so it would be unfair.

This is where Dark Cynder comes in! Basically switch the roles, then it doesn't feel as unfair. You could probably replace the first phase of the Malefor fight with a Dark Cynder boss fight?

So, here's basically my(very rough) ideas for these respective fights!

Both fights have one or two phases. So not as long as Malefor, but longer than elite enemies.

Spyro

Ignitus sacrifices himself, Spyro goes Dark in his grief despite Cynder's attempts to calm him down. Cynder steps back, and the cutscene ends with a wide shot of the two dragons about the face off. Or a focus on a very worried/scared Cynder.

There's a few parts to this fight.

One is, obviously, actually hitting Spyro. In single player, it's similar to the elemental dragon in the Eternal Night, in that Spyro will indicate certain elements. Both to warn you what he's using, as well as indicate which of Cynder's elements will be most effective against him(i.e Fire vs Wind, Poison vs Electricity, as ideas). In multiplayer, you have Spyro's indicator.

The second objective is dodging any attacks that get launched Cynder's way by Spyro. Hence the element indication in single player.

And third? Similar to keeping the gates closed on the Warfang level, Cynder has to keep Spyro from flying into the flames. So there's the occasional QTE between attacks to pull him away. In multiplayer, there would be a cooldown for Spyro's player to try and fly off if they want.

Amidst the battling, Cynder and Spyro both have various dialogues triggered by reaching certain points on the health bar. Cynder, pleading with Spyro to snap out of it, maybe even screaming at him to get a grip and not make Ignitus' sacrifice in vain.

Once the boss battle health bar is depleted(won't impact the normal health bar, because that would suck), we go to the cutscenes again. This time, Cynder successfully talks Spyro down, and immediately goes to comfort him and offer comfort.

Cynder

We then proceed with the rest of the game until the cutscene with Malefor, where he recorrupts Cynder and has her attack Spyro. Malefor ascends into the sky, remaining close. For whatever reason. I dunno, I'm writing this at midnight and my brain is not braining. The end of the cutscene is Spyro getting to his feet and dropping into a fighting stance.

Cynder's fight only has the two objectives, don't lose all your health, and deplete Cynder's(again, won't impact her regular health).

This time, Cynder is silent. Meanwhile, Spyro is calling out to her, telling her to fight it. That she's stronger than this, and that he's not sure he can beat Malefor without her. And he adds that she's been his biggest anchor this whole time, especially after Ignitus died, and he feels horrible for letting Malefor take control over her again.

Once Cynder's health bar is depleted, she collapses to the ground, and we jump to the cutscene. Spyro, once again, pleads with Cynder to come back to herself. She closes her eyes and shakes her head, seeming to switch between trying to attack and trying to step back from Spyro. But he keeps approaching, still reaching out to her, and willing to put himself at risk to save her again. Cynder lunges, seemingly to attack, and Spyro braces for it, knowing he left himself open. Instead, Cynder is revealed to have gone back to normal, and hugging/nuzzling Spyro. With a voice that's clearly bordering on crying, she thanks Spyro for not giving up on her. The two turn to Malefor, and take to the sky, where he brings the snake charms back, and we continue with the Malefor boss fight. The end of the cutscene is Spyro looking at Cynder, and asks her if she's ready to end this. Cynder smiled, and tells him she's looking forward to some payback, then they chase after Malefor.