Gnorc

Gnorc
Concept art of a Gnorc for Spyro Reignited Trilogy
First appearance	Spyro the Dragon (game) (1998)
Latest appearance	Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2019)
Notable member(s) Gnasty Gnorc
Variant(s) Showman Gnorc

“Something complex that those brainless Gnorcs would never figure out.”

– Phil, Spyro: A Hero's Tail

Gnorcs are a recurring species in the Spyro franchise. They were created by Gnasty Gnorc and commonly serve as his foot soldiers.

Concept and creation

Early in the development process of Spyro the Dragon, Insomniac Games was in an argument on what to call the basic enemies. Some of them liked "Orc", others liked "Gnome". Someone got their tongue tired and said, "Gnorc", and instantly the team agreed on the name.

Characteristics

Gnorcs are bipedal, orc-like creatures with pointy ears, crooked teeth, four fingers, three toes and dark tone spots. They vary in appearance—some resemble and sound like frogs and toads, while others look more like trolls and goblins. The most common Gnorc skin color is green, but they can also come in yellow, blue, pink, brown, purple and orange colors. Like their master, Gnasty Gnorc, most Gnorcs have personalities that are combined the short temper of a gnome and the bad attitude of an orc.

There are some types of Gnorcs who wear metal armor, which protects them from Spyro's flame attack, but they can still be defeated by his charge attack. Conversely, the larger Gnorcs cannot be defeated by Spyro's charge attack but only his flame attack. Large Gnorcs who wear metal armor cannot be defeated by either attack. Usually, when a Gnorc is defeated, they release gems unless Spyro has already collected them.

Story

In the first installment of the series, the only real Gnorc seen was Gnasty Gnorc, who created all the other Gnorcs from gems using his magic and used them as his military soldiers in his conquest of the Dragon Realms.

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!

In the sequel game, Gnorcs made a cameo as friendly characters in Dragon Shores, where they are the attendants of each of the rides/games, apparently now reformed after the defeat of Gnasty. One is named Gniles.

Spyro: A Hero's Tail

Gnorcs appeared again as enemies in Spyro: A Hero's Tail when Gnasty Gnorc returned under the command of the disgraced Dragon Elder, Red. Gnorcs are featured in almost every homeworld and area. After their leader was defeated by Spyro again, they continued to serve under Red under the threat of being killed or enslaved. It was revealed in Red's Laboratory that Red had converted most of the Gnorcs into improved robot forms with the help of the captured Professor. They have not reappeared since.

List of Gnorcs

Spyro the Dragon

Name	Description
Goon	Harmless Gnorcs that wander the Artisans home world. They flee at the sight of Spyro.
Gem Thief	Gnorcs that carry a handful of gems and need to be chased down.
Soldier	Gnorcs armed with a sword and shield.
Gnorc Warrior	Large Gnorcs that carry oversized chicken legs and use them as clubs.
Gnorc Sentry	Large Gnorcs that patrol the halls of Dark Hollow. Their fronts are armored but their backs are not.
Toreador	Gnorcs that are found running from bulls.
Train Gnorc	Gnorcs that pilot the trains in Sunny Flight.
Plane Gnorc	Gnorcs that pilot the planes in Sunny Flight.
Foot Soldier	Gnorcs that are found in the Peace Keepers home world.
Cannon Patrol	Gnorcs that man cannons and use them to fire at Spyro.
Bird Wrangler	Gnorcs that swing around their tamed vultures and slam them on Spyro.
Gnorc Musketeer	Gnorcs that are found sleeping around Dry Canyon, but wake up and fire their blunderbuss at Spyro when he is nearby.
Fat Lady	Female Gnorcs that stand around pots. When Spyro is close, they slap their Pueblos/Kamikaze Tribesmen into action to attack the dragon.
Pueblo	Gnorcs found in Cliff Town that wear armored cloaks.
Snowball Trooper	Green gnorcs that throw snowballs at Spyro.
Snow Gnorc	Large gnorcs that are found in Ice Cavern.
Armored Gnorc	Large gnorcs that can only be defeated by charging them off the edge of chasms.
Ski Patrol	Gnorcs on skis that throw snowballs at Spyro.
Ice Gnorc	Gnorcs created from the magic of Elder Wizards.
Kamikaze Tribesman	Amored Gnorcs that are coaxed by Fat Ladies into charging blindly at Spyro.
Doctor Shemp	A large Gnorc that was put in charge of the Peace Keepers world. He is found in the realm named after him.
Electro Gnorc	Gnorcs that electrify the panels they stand on.
Gunner	Gnorcs that wear turrets that fire electrical bullets.
Laser Gnorc	Purple Gnorcs that wield electrical batons.
Gnorc Dude	Gnorcs that are armed with knives.
Boat Gnorc	Gnorcs that ride boats in Wild Flight.
Gnorc Balloonist	Gnorc Warriors that stay afloat by the balloons they carry.
Gnorc-Adier	Gnorcs that throw grenades/bombs at Spyro.
Copter Gnorc	Gnorcs that fly on gadgets resembling helicopters.
Gnorc Commando	Gnorcs that fire ammunition at Spyro.
Machine Gunner	Short Gnorcs that carry weapons that launch rapid fire ammunition.
Gnorc Survivalist	Yellow Gnorcs in survival gear that throw grenads/explosive barrels.

Spyro: A Hero's Tail

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Image	Name	Description
	Armored Gnorc	Similar to Unarmored Gnorcs except they wear a metal armor for protection. After breaking the armor from a charge attack, Spyro can use his fire breath to defeat the Armored Gnorc.
	Balloon-a-rang	A variant of Unarmored Gnorc that hangs from a balloon.
	Gnorc Archer	These are small, light green Gnorcs that carry a crossbow, which they use to shoot at Spyro. Gnorc Archers can be defeated from any attack.
	Mer-gnorc	These are a hybrid between a Gnorc and a fish, and serve as aquatic enemies.
	Middle Gnorc	These are muscular blue Gnorcs who wield a knife.
	Robo-gnorc	These are Gnorcs that have been converted into robots by Red to serve in his personal army.
	Unarmored Gnorc	Large, pink Gnorc that serve as basic grunts and common enemies. They can be quickly defeated from Spyro's flame attack.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gnorc/Gallery.

• 
  Spyro the Dragon concept art, dated January 1997
• 
  Spyro the Dragon concept art, dated January 1997
• 
  Spyro the Dragon concept art, dated January 1997
• 
  Spyro Reignited Trilogy concept art of various Gnorcs

Trivia

• All the Gnorcs shown with names, have an N sound at the beginning of their names, but their names actually start with a silent G.
• Insomniac in-house artist Craig Stitt wanted the Gnorcs to have one eye and sketched them as such, but said that Mark Cerny didn't like that since he had another game in the works were all the enemies had a single eye.
• In an early story draft for Spyro the Dragon (which by then was going by the codename Pete), there were to be several more Gnorc characters that weren't just enemies.
  • Eatie, Meatie and Mighti would be Gnasty's trio of bumbling Gnorc generals and would be recurring mini-bosses, making cameo appearances throughout the game to build character and suspense. They were thought of as the Three Stooges or the Three Little Pigs, with "Pete" being the Wolf.
  • Gruph would be a renegade Gnorc who's on "Pete's" side and would give helpful hints and clues, such as what realm to go to and how to get there, give out keys or passwords, and suggestions on how to beat Gnorcs. This idea of a supporting Gnorc character would predate the Showman Gnorcs.

References

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