Spyro Reignited
Game Title: Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Released: September 3, 2019
Game Length: 17 Hours
Grade: A+
Expectations: The year was 1998 when Insomniac Games released Spyro on the Playstation. I never got a chance to play it, but several of my friends recommended it to me at the time. Nearly 20 years later and I heard a rumor regarding revivals of certain Playstation games. That's when I was surprised to find out on November 13, 2018 that Toys For Bob - creators of Star Control and Skylanders - remastered the original trilogy for modern consoles. It took another year - on September 3, 2019 - before it was released for PC. That's when I was surprised to see it on the November 2019 Humble Bundle just a couple months later. Nowadays, the $40 price tag seems a bit steep for bringing back three already existing games, but obviously something must be worth the price tag if the entire file size is 40GB. Those original discs could only carry 700MB.
Reality: I was astounded to see how big of an improvement the game had compared to the original release. I don't even know if it's possible to go back after watching some comparison videos. All the character models look fantastic and each of the worlds are so gorgeous to explore. You can choose to revert the music back to the original or disable its new "dynamic music" feature. I don't see a problem with music in either version, though there were some unusual sound effects in the background that proved to be a little more distracting than I bargained for. I guess your experience will vary. Unlike before, they made sure to have the same voice actors consistent in all three games. They had Tom Kenny actually come back and reprise his role in all three games, even covering over the original first game's voice actor. They added cheat codes that mainly modified the dragon's appearance. Not much was added to the game after its release, except for the addition of subtitles and a motion blur toggle.
The story of the game really doesn't make sense when you think about it. It is mostly there to push out the setting of the game's mechanics. Being able to switch between all three games and visit any of the levels with a click of a button was a very nice feature. However, each game still maintains its own individual uniqueness by how you unlock features and play the mini-games. You never need to collect every single gem in the worlds, but the gem radar and mini map is available, even in the first game, for those 100% fanatics (both of which I never used). There are plenty of small tutorials from fairies and the woodland creatures that usually only benefit you if you haven't figured out what to do on the way there. However, I will add here that there were a few times that they were extremely helpful in explaining even some of the more basic controls of the game. The rest of the fairies will appear only to save your progress in case you die. Your dragonfly friend not only shows you how many more hits you can take by its color but also helps pick-up gems that are close-by. Letting your friend eat the little butterflies that pop out in the world or when you roast a little critter will help build up his life meter. Collecting gems and other necessary items simply progressed the narrative while you visited different worlds and their respective residents. Therefore backtracking through a level for a mystery bag of gems, finding a hidden key for a locked chest, and destroying hard-shelled cases with explosives were all completely optional. There are a few worlds that would ultimately test your skills as you fly around the map shooting down targets in a limited time span, but they aren't overly required to complete the game. In my playthroughs, I made sure to make at least 75% overall completion.
Spyro the Dragon - The first of the three games was merely an exploration game. There was barely any power-ups or special abilities you could unlock. Progression of the game was based on the number of dragons you broke free and the number of eggs you rescued. What I especially liked about this game was how unique the models were for every single dragon. You are practically thrown into the game with the simpliest introduction a game could ever have. You can't swim. Though killing enemies dropped gems the first time around, the second time built up a spirit meter that eventually led to earning another life point. The only trouble I ran into was a certain running segment during the Tree Tops world when the game suddenly wanted me to use advanced calculus to get across. I was also thrown for a loop when the final boss boiled down to chasing him and his minions around the map. Otherwise, the game was very short for its 35 levels (6 hubs, 6 bosses, 5 flight realms, 17 worlds, and the 100% bonus level) when only 50 dragons is required to access the final zone. 8600/12000 gems; 75 dragons; 8 eggs; 78% done; Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage - The second game of the series proved to be the most difficult and most interesting of the three. It too had a simple introduction. They added plenty of supporting characters that help you along with your travels, including Moneybags that requires you to "purchase" certain particulars with a set number of gems. Some of these purchases help you unlock special abilities like climbing, swimming, and headbashing that can be used to access areas you couldn't before. Because of the story, you won't be seeing many dragons this time around. Enemies were removed from the central hubs and defeating bosses were mandatory before reaching the next world. These bosses can be quite difficult since their projectiles "predict" where you are moving to. You can't mindlessly run in a circle around them like before. Unlike the original, you are now required to earn talismans by completing a run through each world. The number of collected orbs, available orbs, and the talisman is displayed over the world's gateway. Gated power-ups for obtaining more orbs only became active after killing a set number of enemies in the level. I think the biggest thing I enjoyed was the added cutscenes before and after visiting a world. There are 29 levels (3 hubs, 3 bosses, 4 flight realms, 18 levels and the 100% bonus realm). Last of all, you only need to obtain 40 orbs to fight the final boss. 8500/10000 gems; 49 orbs; 80% done; Time: 6 hours.
Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon - Although the game didn't have the items displayed over the gateways or cutscenes that played in each realm like the second game, I will admit that I did like the inclusion of the item titles that hint on what you needed to do in the realm. There wasn't a variety of intricate models for the dragon hatchlings like in the first game. I guess that is to be expected when you are working with almost three times the unlocks and how the little guys just popped out of their shell. There isn't a requirement to kill enemies to unlock power-ups and you are given the abilities in the second game at the start of this one. There is one major difference: You are able to play as your supporting characters in the game. It isn't apparent at first, but there are these sub-sections with a black portal that initiate play sessions with a new set of rules. Just to name a few things, Spyro will be able to skateboard, skate on ice, and take control of tanks. You will also be able to utilize a hopping kangeroo Sheila, a flying penguin with homing missiles Sgt. Byrd, an intelligent yeti Bentley, a gun-happy monkey Agent 9, and your dragonfly friend Sparx. You must free them from their cage by bribing Moneybags to look the other way and complete their tutorial level in their homeworld. Then you can play some of the mini-games with them at the ready. The only exception is Sparx in which you must defeat the boss in that hub first (as well as his first level) before accessing all his levels and unlocking some helpful upgrades in the process. There is a total of 37 levels (4 hubs, 4 bosses, 4 flight realms, 8 exclusive character realms, 16 levels, and the 100% realm). 13000/15000 gems; 131 eggs; 86% done; Time: 7 hours and 30 minutes.
Opinion: I thoroughly enjoyed all 17 hours of my time playing the remastered versions of the original Spyro trilogy. Although the gameplay can be described as "very simple" or "childlike" by some, the whimsical adventures through a collage of individual worlds is a delight for those who can only afford to play in short sessions. Some platforming and boss fights (especially in the second game) can be quite challenging even for a skilled player. There is just a large number of things packed into this series that will continue to surprise you up to the very end. There are plenty of tools available for those who wish 100% completion. My only regret is the fact that the camera angles, especially while swimming underwater, can be quite unsettling at times to follow. Otherwise, all progress is easily tracked and all gems collected aren't lost upon death. I'd definitely recommend this game to everyone I know.
11-9-2020