I’ve got some damn fond memories of that little dragon called Spyro. I remember watching my Dad play the flying levels in the original Spyro the Dragon on the OG PlayStation – and he slayed it. I never could. It wasn’t until I was ten years old that I was really into the games, and so for Christmas 2000 I received a copy of Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon. To this day it is one of my favourite games of all time. I’ve played through it countless times – at least once a year thanks to it being available on PSP, PS3 and more recently, the PS Vita – all with backwards compatibility.
Those were cherished memories, and now Toys for Bob and Activision are daring to play with my treasured memories. Thankfully, it’s all good – mostly.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy – simply Spyro from here on in – is the complete collection of the original trilogy that released on Sony’s first PlayStation console. You’ve got the original game, Ripto’s Rage, and Year of the Dragon. They’re all in tact, though if you’ve bought the disc-based version you’ll need to download a hefty update to play the second and third games. Such is the times we live in…
That gripe aside (I’ve got the digital edition, so it’s fine) I can’t complain too much about what has been done. Each game has been faithfully recreated in a modern game engine that really shows off Insomniac’s original vision in the best possible light. The game’s worlds are bright and colourful, and packed to the brim with character. Objects in the far distance are more than a murky block, and Spyro himself has had a face life, tummy-tuck, nose-job – the full Kardashian, if you will.
For those who never played the games back in the day, they’re basic platforming games with collectibles and light puzzles. It’s very, very simple in terms of gameplay. That’s not a criticism, it’s all part of the game’s charm; easy enough for kids to pick up and play, with devilish challenges for those who want to go for the 100%.
The remastering effort is top-notch and it’s obvious that a great deal of care and attention has gone into making the games feel and play just as they did on the original hardware, for better and for worse. What I mean by that is that while the games look great and are a blast to play, the performance is lacking. It’s not such an issue that the games become unplayable, but the frame rate can be a bit wonky and it can lead to button presses not being registered in time, leading to unfortunate deaths or mistakes that hinder progress. In a way, then, it’s pretty close to the original games…
For the asking price of $40/£34.99/40€, you can’t really go wrong. You’re getting at least 30 hours of gameplay across all three games, and even more if you’re going for the Platinum trophy which, thankfully, isn’t too difficult to attain – just time-consuming. Perfect for the Christmas holidays!
Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a worthy contender for your money. The charm, humour, and iconic music is all intact, and so are my precious childhood memories.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy PS4 Review
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Overall - Fantastic - 8.0/108/10
Summary
Spyro Reignited Trilogy offers great value for money with three fantastically presented remakes of classic games. The quality-of-life additions are a nice touch, too, as is the option for dynamic music.
The performance could have been a little better, but if you played these games on the original PlayStation then you’ll no doubt be able to look past the very few shortcomings this collection has.
Review Disclaimer: This review was carried out using a copy of the game bought at the expense of the reviewer. For more information, please read our Review Policy.
Reviewed using PS4 Pro.
