But for the most part he runs, horns down, with streaks of light emphasising his speed, his pattering feet throwing up puffs of smoke. He uses his wings to glide from platform to platform, only capable of proper flight in special time attack levels. Spyro: Year of the Dragon introduced other playable characters with unique abilities and their own levels to navigate, such as Sheila with her double jump, or Sgt James Byrd, the penguin armed with rocket launchers.īut one consistent factor is how Spyro moves through these wonderfully varied worlds. Where Spyro the Dragon was all about reviving dragons from statues, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! added non-player characters who offered an imaginative variety of tasks such as spitting rocks at lizards or leading baby turtles to safety. But it also highlights the differences, from the small – such as Spyro’s inability to swim or hover in the first game – to the big. This collection makes the trilogy feel more unified than it originally was, allowing some moves to be used across all three games where they weren’t before, such as the ability to direct Spyro’s dragonfly companion Sparx towards the nearest gem. There are plenty of secrets for players to discover (or rediscover), and the expansion of skill points to all three games rewards the kind of playfulness that has one idly flaming the potted plants dotted about the level only to realise the developers knew you might try that.Īll the original Spyro characters have been updated with added detail, arguably retaining the old charm. And yet, Spyro the Dragon was one of the first games that sent me to the internet for a walkthrough to find and defeat that last pesky dragon.
Cartoonish baddies disappear in a puff of smoke, the writing and humour are aimed squarely at kids and the basic tasks of getting through the levels and defeating the occasional boss are never too challenging. Spyro the Dragon is unashamedly family friendly. Rumblings on Reddit suggest that some fans are already unhappy with these aesthetic additions and they won’t match up with every nostalgic player’s imagination, but the overall visual style is coherent and consistent with the original playful tone. Other characters have also been fleshed out Sheila the Kangaroo, for example, has gained red hair in bunches, a jacket, and mascara. The worlds are still bright and colourful, but far richer.īest of all are the dragons that Spyro rescues from statues in the first game, redesigned and infused with far more personality than they ever had before. Blocky ideas of buildings have become fully realised, and objects throw shadows. Where once Spyro ran over flat green ground, now the gems he must collect are nestled in shifting blades of grass. Of course, the original PlayStation was not capable of such beauty. Spyro Reignited brings new detail to the classic Sunny Villa location.