Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

Spyro Reignited – Most gamers have this one franchise that they remember fondly, I kinda grew up with Spyro so I was so incredibly happy that Toys for Bob was making a remaster, not a quick cash grab either but a remaster with lots of invested time and love. I ain’t kidding when I say that, every little corner from Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage and Spyro: Year of the Dragon has been dubble turned and made into a beautiful piece of art. While the gameplay feels a little dated, this nostalgic package is simply fantastic to play as you can read it in Spyro Reignited review!

What is good?

  • Throwback to original gameplay! It is pretty amazing that Toys for Bob delivered such a nostalgic experience, besides the huge improvement with visuals the games are an almost exact copy. Fun to play for newcomers but even more ecstatic for gamers who played and remember the Playstation Spyro’s. They just don’t make any games like this anymore, just like Crash Bandicoot N Sane it shows the dire need for platformers like this. 
  • Gorgeous: Seeing the difference is hard to believe, it is still like you remembered it but it looks magical. Colorful and diverse worlds with fantastic enemy design and attention to detail in every little spot. Spyro never looked better and I’m pretty sure that this is the most beautiful platform game on the market. 
  • Achievements design:  The developer did something really smart with the Achievements system, every level has a unique challenge that rewards you with gamerscore. Burning gears, completing a race, killing four enemies in a specific way. Most of the times these tasks aren’t really something you would do if you were just playing the game, giving some extra replay value. The game has 3000 Gamerscore too, so Achievement hunters be sure to check this out! 
  • Incredible remastered sound: Bringing some of the old voice actors back and recreating the soundtrack to modern standards has worked tremendously for this remaster. I normally only play a game with a headset if I’m in an Xbox party or if the game has Atmos but for Spyro I made the rare exception because the sound and music is that good. 

Mixed feelings

  • Switch to old visuals? Okay, I’m not a game designer so I don’t know how hard it is to make this feature but a game like this would really benefit from a switch to old visuals button. (Like the Master Chief Collection)

What is bad?

  • Underwater: Hot damn! How freaking annoying are these underwater levels. I always have a distinct dislike for most underwater controls but this is really pushing it with difficult controls and a camera angle that never wants to be at the right spot. 
  • Some occasional stutter: While playing on Xbox One X I still experience some drops in framerate. While running and quickly turning the game engine seems to have some difficulties to keep up. 
  • Spyro the Dragon: The first Spyro’s gameplay really feels old and a little too basic for nowadays. Luckily the sequels are a day and night difference, with better player interaction, platforming parts and structure. It is actually a fine example on how Insomniac, the makers from the original Spyro games learned a lot about designing a game. You really see a big improvement in each following Spyro game, especially Year of the Dragon is simply marvellous! 

Spyro Reignited Trilogy   –  Score: 87%

What a great feeling to see such a great Spyro collection! I was in love with the Playstation games and now I’m in love again with the remastered Xbox One version. You get around 40 hours of platforming fun for a reduced retail price (€40), if your thinking about buying a game as a Christmas present, want to experience some nostalgic moments or just want to enjoy a magnificent created videogame than this Spyro trilogy is just your thing!