Audio
Jaunty, lovely music that only occasionally annoys, and jaunty, lovely voice performances that only occasionally annoy. Both jaunty and lovely. Occasionally annoying.
Visuals
Pleasingly chunky, colourful and lovingly animated, Spyro Reignited Trilogy looks utterly glorious. This is how you do a remake.
Playability
Tricky in parts, Spyro Reignited is never anything less but good wholesome fun. Some levels can be frustrating, and you''ll sometimes encounter the odd camera issue or control quirk, but all in all, it's great fun.
Delivery
Insanely good value. Three great games, all given a significant visual overhaul. The second game might be the best one, and the third feels slightly like a case of diminishing returns, but this is a polished, excellent package.
Achievements
A varied and inventive list that features a range of unique tasks to complete across every single one of Spyro Reignited's levels. An excellent list that could have quite easily fallen back on achieving 100%, but doesn't.
November 17, 2018
Never underestimate the power of nostalgia. Even the most dated of games can be remembered with fondness through rose-tinted specs, although great gameplay always stands the test of time. I don't really remember being all that enamoured with the Spyro the Dragon games when they first released for the original PlayStation, yet 20 years on, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is an almost therapeutic retro adventure that appeals to the hopeless completist in me and a superb remake.
I'm not quite sure why it failed to hook me two decades ago, because collecting gems, gathering dragon eggs, orbs or whatever remains utterly compulsive. And the little deviations and distractions from romping through Spyro's eye-strokingly vibrant and lovely levels are never anything less than an unbridled joy. Whether you're skateboarding around and popping tricks, playing as different characters like Sgt. James Byrd or Sheila the Kangaroo in third game Spyro: Year of the Dragon, or soaring through the sky in taxing flight-based stages, Spyro is just good, plain, old-fashioned fun.
Actually, there's very little that's plain about Spyro Reignited. Taking Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (better known over here as 'Gateway to Glimmer') and third game Spyro: Year of the Dragon, developer Toys for Bob has completely overhauled each from the ground up, with wonderfully expressive, lovingly animated, almost CG movie quality visuals. Truly, Spyro has never looked better, the Reignited Trilogy lending the platforming series a new lease of life. It's gorgeous; every verdant blade of grass swaying in the breeze, temporarily scorched with a blast of Spyro's fiery breath, every character rendered in startling detail. Nice little touches like these almost make Spyro feel like a completely new game.
Some of Spyro's cast of colourful NPCs you'll see for only the briefest of moments, but the attention that's been lavished on every single one is nothing short of impressive. Clearly, Spyro Reignited is a real labour of love, and it shows in virtually every facet of all three games. Characters are full of life, as is the world itself, every hub area and level stuffed to bursting with vibrancy and colour that makes you want to spend as much time as you can exploring it all.
What's remarkable is that all three games still stand up today, having been given a generous lick of digital paint. They also play incredibly well, with only the occasional camera snafu or control-based irritation and inaccuracy rearing its head now and then. Of the three games stuffed into Spyro Reignited's great value, budget-priced package, arguably the second one is the best, but the first and third certainly aren't without their charms. Toys for Bob has gone above and beyond in delivering a pretty stellar remake, serving up hours of joyful, smile-inducing platforming entertainment. As remakes go, this is about as good as it gets.
Perhaps the stories aren't particularly strong when pitted against more contemporary offerings, and maybe Hunter the Cheetah is more annoying than I remember him being, and why is greedy, rotund, monocle-sporting Mr. Moneybags such a greedy gem-hoarding sod? But all of this pales into insignificance once you fall inexorably into Spyro's leaping, gliding, fire-breathing, and headbutting adventure, slavishly collecting everything. And should you be an obsessive collector like me, you'll persevere until you've hoovered every last little collectible up and achieved 100% across every single level. Why? Just because.
One of the finest collect-a-thons to ever grace a games console, Spyro never really registered as a series of classics in my mind upon its initial release back in 1998. Spyro Reignited Trilogy not only resurrects three remarkably robust platformers, but gives folks like me the chance to rediscover (or indeed, discover for the first time) the plucky purple dragon's exploits in a flurry of inviting colour. Slight control-based foibles aside, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is an exemplary comeback for the eponymous scaly one and fantastically good value.