By TJ GIBSON
Staff Writer
As a lifelong gamer born in the early 1990s, the first video game that I ever remember playing is Insomniac Games’ “Spyro the Dragon,” a 1998 PlayStation platformer. In this game the player controlled a cute little purple dragon as he journeyed through a series of colorful and imaginative vistas to rescue his crystallized dragon friends and collect a multitude of lost treasure. It was a simple game, a product of its time in look and feel, though that fact still didn’t prevent it in the slightest from making an impact on my young life that would last forever.
Indeed, just as many of my most cherished childhood memories would go on to take place in the vast plains, long corridors, and fantastical mountaintops of the worlds that I experienced with the plucky little fire-breather as they would in the real-life places that I inhabited as a similarly plucky little fella myself. So, to say that this little purple guy holds a special place in my heart would be a grievous understatement.
Therefore, when I heard the news back in April that “Skylanders” developer Toys for Bob and “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” publisher Activision would be bringing this adventure and its two even better sequels (1999’s “Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage” and 2000’s “Spyro: Year of the Dragon”) back and into the modern day with a fresh coat of graphical paint, modernized controls, and all the love and care that a fan could ever ask for, I was beyond excited.
In fact, I was practically foaming at the mouth to get my hands on this release — officially titled “Spyro Reignited Trilogy” — and not just relive the adventures of my youth, but relive them in a form that was a hundred times better than the first time around. This was a lot of hype for the release to live up to, to say the least. So, did it? My answer is a resounding yes.
First and foremost, the nostalgic joy of once again exploring these worlds and interacting with their inhabitants is alone worth the price of admission — at least for someone like me, who is not in fact discovering them for the first time. However, even for someone who is a complete newcomer, these games are beyond eye candy to behold, with every freed dragon, glimmering gem, and flowing blade of cell-shaded grass boasting unparalleled attention to detail and brimming with life (a fact which is especially apparent in the games’ beautifully cinematic, Pixar-esque cutscenes).
Plus, composer Stephan Vankov’s faithful rebuild of Stewart Copeland’s iconic original soundtrack is so much fun to listen to, setting an immersive backdrop to the adventures held within, particularly since it now interacts with every one of Spyro’s movements and locations in ways that it never could have in the days of old.
Beyond these visual and auditory overhauls, though, even the actual feel of the games is a pleasurable experience in and of itself. As I already mentioned, the classic (and, admittedly, dated) controls have definitely been improved and modernized, albeit only slightly (such as with the camera control now on the right stick rather than the triggers). This works greatly to the benefit of “Reignited,” as it helps to make the maneuvering of Spyro feel smoother and more pleasant than ever before without making him any less fun to control or taking away the inherent muscle memory of the originals for those of us who have played them. It’s a perfect microcosm of what this release does best — upgrading without detracting.
This achievement is the main reason why I would undoubtedly consider these to be the best versions of these games, ones that easily replace their originals and make a strong case for their purchase. It’s also worth mentioning that these are not only the best versions of these games, but definitely the most complete versions as well, since they have been given some welcome unification for this specific collection. For example, the first game now features some of its sequels’ improvements — such as the ever-handy guidebook or dragonfly sidekick Sparx’s time-saving gem finder — while the second and third now maintain the underrated roll maneuver that originally only the first game contained. Even more notably, veteran voice actor Tom Kenny (of “SpongeBob SquarePants” fame) — who had originally only voiced Spyro in the second and third installments — now voices the titular purple dragon in all three, creating what feels much more like a complete character arc.
“Spyro Reignited Trilogy” is a beautiful love letter to both the franchise it has revived and the fans who have made that franchise a beloved pillar of console gaming in the first place. It is a suitably fun and inviting experience that gamers of all stripes would do well to give a try, whether they are fans or newcomers, young or old, committed gamers or simply intrigued hobbyists. Plus, even if one doesn’t find as much to like from this collection as they were hoping, it’s still one of the more affordable ways to immerse oneself into a new video game in 2018, making it fairly low-risk. I mean, really: the chance to experience modern recreations of three of the greatest platformers ever made for only $39.99? What gamer could truly say no to that?
“Spyro Reignited Trilogy” is available on Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
