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Spyro Reignited Trilogy review

November 21, 2018

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Spyro Reignited Trilogy

In the age of next generation remasters so many classic characters are making big comebacks. However it has taken too long for one of PlayStation’s earliest and most memorable mascots to get his own HD makeover. Luckily the wait is finally over—the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is available now!

Spyro Reignited Trilogy Details

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Insomniac Games, Toys for Bob
Publisher: Activision
Genre: Platformer
Modes: Single player
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10+)

Back to where it all began

Developer Insomniac Games has a long history of creating epic franchises. They are the developers of fan-favourite series’ such as Ratchet and Clank and Resistance. Oh, and perhaps you’re hearing some buzz about their exclusive Spider-Man game for PlayStation 4?

Yet if you go back to the very beginnings of Insomniac, you’ll find the franchise responsible for starting it all. It was back in 1998 when PlayStation 1 gamers were first introduced to a little purple ball of fire named Spyro.

The Spyro Reignited Collection gathers his first 3 adventures. You’ll find Spyro The Dragon, Spyro 2: Rypto’s Rage!, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon all here for your gaming pleasure. But these titles aren’t just haphazardly put together. They are full remasters with some pretty impressive improvements.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Looking good

The biggest upgrade to the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is in its presentation. New HD textures make the game pop with colour. Spyro has gone from his formerly pixelated appearance to having a smooth design straight out of a Pixar film—or at least a Saturday morning spinoff of a Pixar film.

These graphical upgrades are one of the primary reasons why Spyro Reignited Trilogy is so much fun to play. Developer Toys For Bob does well in improving on the original for the current generation. The gorgeous cartoon art style suits Spyro and his environment so perfectly, it’s truly like playing these games again for the first time.

Sounds like a plan

Spyro Reignited Trilogy doesn’t just overhaul the game’s visual elements. Its soundtrack and voiceover work gets the remaster treatment as well.

Actor Tom Kenny (whom you may know as the voice of the legendary Spongebob Squarepants) re-recorded his voice dialogue across the trilogy. This includes the first entry in the series, which did not originally feature Kenny as Spyro. Spyro’s original composer also offers up a brand new main theme for the compilation.

This audio upgrades really work well to match the visual updates, as the contrast between audio and video might otherwise serve from a negative juxtaposition. Also, if players are feeling nostalgic for the original theme music, Spyro Reignited Trilogy allows them to toggle between the two.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Taking control

Of course the controls for Spyro Reignited Trilogy also benefit from a more modern treatment. In the days preceding dual analog sticks, the L2 and R2 buttons took charge of panning the camera left or right. Thankfully players can now control the camera with the right stick, as they are generally accustomed to.

One complaint from some gamers does revolve around Spyro’s flight controls. As in the original games, the camera inverts when flying—which means that “down” is “up” and vice-versa. While most games give players a choice of inverting the Y-axis these days, Spyro Reignited Trilogy does not.

Luckily for me, I always play by inverting the Y-axis. In fact I usually find myself on the short end of the stick, having to change the settings before launching into a game. Nevertheless I can understand the disappointment for players who wish they could adapt this setting to suit their needs.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Some sticky camera work

Unfortunately if I can identify one area that the remastering glosses over, it’s probably the camera. Even with the improvements to the game’s graphics and controls, there are still a few hiccups when it comes to the camera that cause Spyro Reignited Trilogy to show its age.

These are generally little problems where the camera becomes obscured in tight corners. Remember that Spyro was part of the dawn of 3D games, and these problems were inherent in so many of its early contemporaries. That said, gamers just aren’t used to seeing these sorts of glitches as often in games these days, and it’s a shame that the developer couldn’t correct a few more of them with Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Fun for all ages

One thing that’s certainly true about the Spyro Reignited Trilogy—the gameplay holds up over time. Spyro manages to accomplish something frequently present in first party Nintendo titles. It features gameplay that is simple enough that even young players can grasp it, while simultaneously being fun for older gamers as well.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is first and foremost a collectable experience. Much of the joy in these games is running around and finding all the hidden loot and secrets that its levels contain.

Sadly there isn’t much innovation between the three titles. Spyro The Dragon and Spyro: Year of the Dragon are basically the same game with a few variations between. That said, the gameplay is enjoyable enough that it’s still a great time to play through all three. They aren’t particularly lengthy games either, so essentially the three titles together make for one decently long experience.

A rewarding experience

Finally, just a quick shout-out to my fellow trophy/achievement hunters. You’ll be happy to know that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy features 3 separate trophy/achievement lists. Not only that, but they are all very reasonable to accomplish.

Most of the trophies/achievements in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy revolve around playing the game and collecting all the gems and other collectables in each level. Without much more effort than playing through these games naturally, you should be able to earn three new platinums or 3000 achievements points.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a beautiful remaster of a classic series

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy captures three classic titles form the early days of the PlayStation One. These are also among the first games by Insomniac, who has since gone on to be among the most dependable and well-liked studios in gaming. For this reason alone it’s worth going back and revisiting Spyro’s earliest adventures.

The visuals are fantastic and the audio updates are on point as well. it’s unfortunate that a few dated camera issues still plague the 2018 remaster, but overall these games are still immensely fun to play for all ages and skill levels.

+ Beautiful remastered graphics
+ Updated dialogue and main theme music
+ Fun for all ages

– Camera issues
– No option to reverse flight inversion