What needs to be said in a Spyro Reignited Trilogy review really? It doesn’t matter what reviewers say, fans are going to love it. Those who somehow missed out on playing these games 20-years ago won’t find much love. But then, why would they even bother to play it. It’s not for them and fans don’t care what they have to say.
However, there’s a third group of gamers who will also get loads of fun from Spyro Reignited Trilogy; young gamers. Those kids who are now starting to get into games with controllers, graduating from iPads and iPhones, they’re the ones who will get the most from Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
If you have children and want to share a gaming experience from your childhood, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is the perfect collection. Not only is it easy enough for young gamers to grasp, it’s gorgeous to look at and so much fun that kids and parents alike will have a ball.
The three games included in Spyro Reignited Trilogy have withstood the test of time and are just as good, if not better than they were all those years ago. They’re not the greatest games ever made, but they’re pretty damn awesome.
Their playability and overall quality is a testament to both Insomniac and Toys for Bob.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy Review
Spyro is a product of another time. Platforming games had only just taken their tentative steps into 3D and Mario 64 was the undisputed king. Crash Bandicoot was content to dip its toes into the shallow end of the 3D pool, but it was Spyro that truly brought 3D platforming to PlayStation.
Sure, there had been a few games prior to this, but they’re really not worth talking about. Seriously, who remembers Croc? Shudder.
Released the same year as Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon had stiff competition, but the small purple dragon made a name for himself amongst PlayStation fans and went on to star in two more titles on the old grey PS1.
After Spyro: Year of the Dragon, Insomniac stopped work on the franchise and the quality nosedived. Aside from appearances in Skylanders, Spyro was long dormant since his glory days, but finally, with Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the best of Spyro is back.
Jewel Heist
At their core, the Spyro titles are 3D platforming collect-em-ups. Spyro is tasked with collecting gems, dragons, butterflies, keys and more on his quest through each of the games’ many worlds. Oftentimes, it becomes a chore to collect everything in platformers like Spyro, thankfully that’s not the case here.
The reason is three-fold.
First, as the levels are 1:1 recreations of the originals, they are rather small. Not tiny, but nothing of the size we’re used to these days. That means that tracking down those last few gems isn’t an absolute nightmare. There are only so many places they can be, so hunting them down is actually fun and rewarding.
Second, the level design is absolutely spectacular. Insomniac’s levels are so well put together that you won’t believe they come from games that are 20 years old. The way the levels wrap around onto themselves, the hidden areas and the natural forward progression are all elements that would come to be a staple of the developer’s future titles.
Finally, the handy new addition of the journal lets you know exactly what you need to find in each level and how close you are to being finished. Sometimes it was a little disheartening to finish a level within 15-minutes, but on the other hand, some of the flying levels took me at least an hour. They can be really damn tricky.
Worth It?
What Toys for Bob has done with these three games is incredible. The visuals are amazing and really look like a Saturday morning cartoon come to life. The level of detail in these levels is mind-blowing and it’s an absolute delight to take it all in.
The same goes for the remastered and recreated score. The music in Spyro was always catchy, but with the benefit of updated sound design, instrumental quality and storage space, the audio is better than ever. I found myself bopping along to each and every track as I played.
One minor complaint I have though comes from my colourblindness. The red coloured gems in the game are often hidden in the grass and being colourblind, I found myself missing these more often than not.
It’s not a huge problem, I just had to more carefully explore, though it did lead to a few occasions where I had only one gem left to find and I simply couldn’t see it.
Another issue some players may have is the 67GB game size. Even if you purchase Spyro Reignited Trilogy on a disc, you’re going to have to download some content.
As for how it plays, well Spyro Reignited Trilogy feels exactly as I remember. Which is a great thing. Spyro moves fluidly and his glide and charge abilities are exactly as they should be. Honestly, I can’t really fault Spryo Reignited Trilogy.
The gameplay may be from another time, but it’s so damn good that it doesn’t even matter. However, if you were living under a rock when these games were first released, you might find little to enjoy. If that’s the case, maybe go play something different.
Everyone else is going to have a blast with Spyro.
Spryo Reignited Trilogy was reviewed on PS4 Pro using a digital code provided by Activision.
PowerUp! Reviews
Game Title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy
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Looks, sounds and plays incredibly well - 8.8/108.8/10
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Huge download - 5/105/10
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Holds up really well for 20 year old games - 9.2/109.2/10
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Everything fans hoped for and more - 9/109/10
