Get fired up this Year of the Dragon with these mythical game characters

Dragons are practically synonymous with video games, whether they are the big bad final boss you need to take down to save the world, or played as the mythical beast itself soaring through the air - there are so many titles in which dragons feature as both good guys and bad guys.

To usher in the Year of the Dragon, we've shortlisted our favourite video games featuring our fiery, scaly friends:

Spyro the Dragon

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Millennial gamers would remember the Spyro platformer series that first started on the PS1.

With his fiery breath and ability to glide (he can't fly), Spyro dashed through levels with his trusty sidekick, Sparx the dragonfly, because every dragon needs a wingman, right?

Although the last true Spyro adventure dropped back in 2008, we got a sweet remaster in 2018 with the Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

Bahamut from Final Fantasy

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There are more than 100 games under the Final Fantasy umbrella, and even though many of these games are unrelated, they share a few similar elements and characters - especially the legendary Bahamut.

Summoned to aid your party, Bahamut unleashes the devastating Megaflare to wipe out foes.

Rathalos from Monster Hunter

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In this series, you team up with up to three other friends to hunt giant monsters, which you can craft weapons and armour from.

The poster boy of the Monster Hunter series is Rathalos - a red fire-breathing wyvern.

If you manage to beat it, congratulations - but now you must face all the other awesome looking dragons in the game, like Fatalis, Kushala Daora, Alatreon, Shagaru Magala, Valstrax… the list goes on.

Dragonite from Pokemon

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You know you gotta catch 'em all, including those fierce Dragon-types!

Dragonite was the first true dragon to appear in the original Red and Blue games (sorry Charizard), but of course, so many more Dragon-type Pokemon have appeared since: Salamence, Hydreigon, Garchomp, and the coolest of them all, Rayquaza, just to name a few.

Angelus from Drakengard

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In this classic title, you'll play as both Caim and Angelus, an unlikely human-dragon duo battling to save the world from chaos.

Playing as Caim, you wield your sword and use magic to battle enemies, but as Angelus, you can soar through the air and breathe fire to defeat aerial targets.

The game has two sequels with unrelated storylines that still follow the premise of being able to play as both human and dragon.

Grigori from Dragon's Dogma

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In a game with dragon in its title, it's no surprise that a fire-breathing beast takes centre stage here. 

Grigori the dragon is the driving force behind the main storyline, as it steals your character's heart at the beginning of the game, kickstarting your quest to take it back.

As the final boss, Grigori is the fiery pinnacle of this epic game.

Deathwing from Warcraft

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Warcraft lore (including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone and more) boasts plenty of iconic dragons, the most fearsome being Deathwing, who brought chaos into the world of Azeroth.

There are other fearsome dragons in the series' history too, such as Nozdormu, Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Malygos, each with their own magical powers.

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This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.