I absolutely adore the original Spyro trilogy developed by Insomniac and released for PS1, and the Reignited Trilogy is all three of those Spyro games put into one game. Does this remake of those beloved games live up to the spirit of the original? In many ways, it definitely succeeds in this endeavour, but in others it feels as though the game falls a little short. This review tries to balance the independence of the Toys for Bob Spyro game with a comparison to the original trilogy and what made Spyro such a gaming icon in the first place.
Gameplay – 7/10
The Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) is not a complex or difficult series of games. The gameplay consists of a standard explorable 3D platformer collectathon that was very popular by the end of the 1990s. There are routine attacks, such as charging and fire-breathing, throughout all three games whilst there is also a gradual development in Spyro’s abilities, such as hovering, swimming and climbing. There is also a gradual expansion in mini-games that the player can participate in and the third game in the trilogy has other playable characters alongside Spyro. These additional characters add a positive change of variety in gameplay for players that tire of playing through yet another game as the eponymous titular character. Having said that, the formula is very simple and very fun. Where Spyro starts to lose energy is in some of the overly-simplistic style of mini-games that lack challenge and can sometimes feel like filler for the game. Similarly, if you are a gamer that tires easily of a platformer collectathon game, you may find the premise of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) to be repetitive and boring. I personally did not find this aspect to be an issue because I found it a satisfying element of the gameplay to watch my progress improve throughout my playthrough.
Game Narrative – 6/10
Once again, the narrative of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) is not complex. All three games start with their respective villains causing some kind of problem that Spyro needs to put right by collecting various items, defeating henchman and then eventually facing off with the villain themself. The first game strictly follows this pattern and is particularly lacklustre in storytelling. In the second game we are introduced to more characters, good and evil, that help and hinder the player on their quest. It is only really at the end of the trilogy where we see any tangible character development, however limited, and does make the very basic narrative that bit more interesting. The Spyro games are not especially dependent on deep storytelling so the overall narrative structure does not have to be strong to work well, but digging only a little deeper will show the plot holes and lack of development in this area.
Art Direction – 7/10
Most of the art and design in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) is excellent in keeping with Spyro fantasy setting with dragons, magic and mayhem. The colours are far louder and vibrant than the original trilogy and the character models are far more detailed than their counterparts from the 90s. Whilst the theme is consistent and gives the trilogy a very distinctive feel that sets the art direction apart from its source material, I cannot help but feel that a significant amount of childhood nostalgia and magic is lost in the remakes. A good number of enemies, characters and settings somehow feel too different. The art direction is certainly not bad but I miss the subdued colours and polygon PS1 aesthetic of the originals and think perhaps that they were better. This, of course, could just be nostalgia and newcomers to the Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) might not share this same sentiment.
Audio Design – 6/10
My thoughts on the game’s audio design are very similar to that of the art direction. The updated audio is welcome for the new art style and cartoonish nature of Spyro – it suits the new designs very well. However I believe more value was lost in replacing the audio than the art style. Two prominent examples are the iconic chanting from the monks in ‘Colossus’ in Spyro 2 and the voice of ‘Juliet’ in the level ‘Zephyr’ which was originally a hilariously comical male voice but this has been replaced by a clear female voice in the remake. These are but two differences but it shows how the team at Toys For Bob have taken a more serious approach to the Reignited Trilogy than the original developers did. Perhaps this was deliberate audio design to keep with the new feel of Spyro or maybe it was social pressure from changing societal attitudes to such displays of comedy, but it does make Spyro feel more muted in personality compared to the original trilogy in a way that the change in Art Direction did not.
Score and Music – 10/10
Absolutely outstanding. Stewart Copeland, the original composer of the PS1 Spyro trilogy returned to add some flare to the Reignited Trilogy and it is fantastic. Some excellent changes include updating the music to resemble remixes of the original scores which also had dynamic sound depending on where the player was on the map. For example, if Spyro is in a tunnel then the music would get quieter. This works so well with the revamped modern look and sound of Spyro. On top of this, I was delighted to find that a player also has the ability to set the music back to the original tunes from the original trilogy. I was already thrilled with the new music, but the nostalgic child in me had the original music on for near enough the entirety of my playthrough and I loved and appreciated this addition to the trilogy. There is truly something great here for old and new Spyro gamers alike.
Game Design – 7/10
The level design and mechanics of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy are exactly what you would expect from a 3D platformer. That is to say that they are good and effective at achieving fun from a basic playable character with varied and layered levels that the player can explore and find joy in doing so. It would also be fair to say that some levels are definitely more interesting to play and explore than others, but exactly which levels these are will vary from player to player. Spyro’s game design has something for everyone and the mechanics come nicely together to form a satisfying game. Where Spyro could be improved is an application of love to all the levels in a way that meant each one had more to find and explore and push the player to new challenges. Of course, this is not the fault of the developers. They were dedicated to creating a faithful remake of the originals and they have done well in this endeavour. The down side to this loyalty is that there has been little room to explore more daring and risky game design that could no doubt inject more vitality into a playthrough of the trilogy.
Technical Execution – 10/10
I found my playthrough of Spyro to be near perfect. There were no game-breaking moments or glitches that caused me any problems. The game ran well and I did not come across anything technical that came close to ruining my experience for such a platformer. I cannot therefore rate this game less than a 10 for technical execution. The only comment I could give is that sometimes Spyro’s turning was a little unwieldy but that is a nitpick at best because it was never distracting or damaging to the overall gaming experience.
Character Design – 8/10
Like the audio and art updates, the update in character design is a double-edged sword. Firstly, it is right to say that the character design is definitely good and fantastic when bundled with the rest of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) package. The main characters all have very unique personalities and their new look also comes with new animations and details added to cutscenes that many old-school fans of Spyro will find satisfying. Hunter is more bumbling in the remakes than his apathetic self in the originals and Elora and Spyro’s interactions have much more nuance than could be achieved in the PS1 games and this is a welcome enhancement. In contrast, I found that some character designs were too different from the original for me to be satisfied with their appearance in the remake and it happened often enough for me to notice. A prime example was the big yellow beasts in ‘Alpine Ridge’ in Spyro 1. I found their change in appearance too jarring for me to ignore. Once again, new players to these Spyro games may understandably not share this opinion as they do not have the original character design for reference.
Overall Fun – 7/10
Game Direction – 6/10
Ultimately, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) is a very good game and I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. I have now achieved the platinum trophy in all three games twice. Spyro is a much-loved game from my, and many others’, childhood and I am probably more than a little biased towards this game. The overall fun is good and I always have a great time when I choose to play this game. Although it must also be acknowledged that the trilogy does have its limitations. Whilst the development team should be praised for rejuvenating a classic franchise, the limitations of the original games translate to the remakes. Spyro is the product of platformers of the 90s and so shares the limitations of basic gameplay and very surface-level explorations of the game’s full potential. I also find some differences between the original and the remake to be too significant to ignore and this definitely has influenced my approach to these games. Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018) is a strong comeback for Spyro as a good game and I sincerely hope the developers of this franchise continue to give Spyro the love and respect he deserves as the icon of a very entertaining series of games.
Overall Rating – 74/100
