

The game was released under the Sierra Entertainment brand.The poor reception of Spyro: Shadow Legacy, combined with the sales from the previous titles after the original Spyro trilogy, was what prompted the producers of the Spyro franchise to reboot the series to avoid retiring the Spyro character entirely.

Gamespot remarked that while Shadow Legacy was a solid presentation, it had a few technical problems, unimpressive gameplay, and lacked any sort of depth or challenge. IGN noted problems including the game's scripting, button mapping, the 2D background programming, and severe overlapping issues. The game received mixed reviews, averaging a 50/100 on Metacritic. Spyro: Shadow Legacy utilizes many of the Nintendo DS functions, The player can draw symbols on the touchpad with the stylus to cast spells.

There are side quests which the player can complete to gain additional experience points.

It contains many RPG elements: when players defeat an enemy or complete a quest they will gain experience points, when they gain enough experience points they will level up, allowing them to return to the Dragon Temple and learn two new skills. Unlike the previous titles, Shadow Legacy is a hybrid action/roleplaying game. After initial guidance and being granted the Shadowstone from Elder Tomas, Spyro embarks on an adventure to master the martial art of dragon-kata and the use of magic, rescue everyone and unravel the mystery of the Shadow Realm. Not long after he falls asleep on the beach prior to going there, a dark storm appears and traps everyone within the Dragon Realms, Avalar and the Forgotten Realms in a strange dimension known as the Shadow Realm. The game starts after the defeat of Red and at the end of a vacation at Dragon Shores, with Spyro's friends departing back to their homelands before wishing him the best of luck with some magic training at the Dragon Temple.
