A question that went through my mind several times playing this was why didn’t PlayStation market Spyro as its rival to Nintendo’s Mario. To me he would have made such a better choice over Crash and, imo, his terrible first game.

Spyro the Dragon was clearly geared towards younger kids with its difficulty but sometimes simplicity isn’t a bad thing. While I prefer challenging games to easier games, it was a nice change of pace for me and I appreciated the simple yet satisfying gameplay. The only thing lacking gameplay wise were the bosses. They all felt underwhelming and I’d hardly call them “fights.”

As far as art the game is downright beautiful. The fun colors and unique characters pop in every level. However as strong as I feel positively on the visuals I feel equally negative in the music as not a single track stood out or stuck in my head.

Overall it’s a very nice game to just sit back and relax with and still fun in 2024.


My 2024 games played rankings
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/games-i-played-in-2024-ranked-1/

I have played the original versions of each of these Spyros, too. But since I can't be sure of when I beat the first two, I'll use these rankings to talk about both versions of these games. The scores reflect the Reignited version specifically, though.

Spyro's a rare PlayStation series for which I have childhood nostalgia, but I'll cover that with a later entry. I picked up and played this first game much later in my gaming career, late into the PS3's lifecycle. At the time, I was really struck by how lonely of an experience it was.

I'm not sure if it was an issue with my disc or my PS3, or if it was the intended design of the game, but the soundtrack would fail to loop upon each track's completion. Spyro naturally features lots of wandering around open environments, and the first game is pretty bereft of all those NPCs that characterize later games - just the dragons you're freeing here with one-and-done bits of dialogue, often just a stock "thank you for releasing me". So there I was, schlepping about open rolling landscapes, with Steward Copeland's music going away after about 2-3 minutes, eventually with nothing to accompany me. The phrase "liminal space" has become popular as of late, and I suppose that's what these colorful worlds became. Add onto that how the goals of each level are to eliminate other things from these worlds, whether they're enemies, trapped dragons, or treasure, and you're left with the implicit goal of making these empty worlds even emptier.

There's a pervasive sense of isolation I get from some early PlayStation titles - Tomb Raider and Intelligence Qube come to mind - that this experience of Spyro seems to embody. I earnestly doubt this was the intention, but it was my takeaway from my first run of the original. Perhaps that primitive melancholy is to be treasured, but I definitely enjoyed the act of playing later Spyros more by consequence of their not feeling so lonely.

So with this in mind, the main things I had going into the Reignited version were: (1) Does the game still feel lonely, and (2) does it still have a leg to stand on when compared to its follow-ups? And to my way of thinking - no, and yes.

The main draw to Spyro 1, in retrospect, is its purity of form. No moveset expansions, no alternate gameplay modes besides its Flight stages, nothing like that - Spyro 1 is the only game where you do nothing but trot about as a little purple dragon, roaming and exploring rolling landscapes. This is where I felt the original's loneliness, and where the updated aesthetics really enrich the original's play experience (also, the looping background music).

Like, Stone Hill. In the original game, this was a technical marvel and showcase, with this being the first time the player sees that smooth transition of Spyro flying into a new world. Plus, the player "breaks" the expected level design by running around on the hills that form the opening area's walls, showing off the game's amazing ability to render full outdoor 3D environments. Somehow I'd completely forgotten about all this in the time between playing Spyro 1 and Reignited, and replaying Reignited was like discovering this all anew all again. Sure, perhaps this is a testament to my own memory (but it had only been like 5 years between games...), but I think it's as much a commentary on Reignited's creative direction that it doesn't detract from the intended tonality of the original.

Plus, I love that all the dragons have unique designs now. You can sort of tell that the majority of Reignited's focus went towards sprucing up Spyro 1 in particular - though more of that under a later game. Here, though, you really get a sense of the worldbuilding implied in Spyro 1's level named and theming, with each of the dragons serving different roles in the construction of this fantasy world.

I think a fair conclusion is that Spyro 1 is a game of subtlety, one you have to vibe with in order to get a sense for what the team was going for. A bit like Banjo-Kazooie in that respect, where what makes it so good is something nebulous and hard to define on its own. One might also reason that since Reignited Spyro 1 spells out a lot of the original's subtleties, that it's a less confident product, inferior by consequence. I don't know that I'd contest someone who holds that opinion. For me, Reignited Spyro 1 is less "the game is good now" and more "oh, THAT'S what they were going for. Nice!" I'd have to revisit the original to reorient my feelings around that, but I can at least call Spyro 1 a game I really like now, at least through the prism of its remake.

...bosses still kinda suck, though. It's at least the joke with some bosses (Toasty, Dr. Shemp), so I'll let it slide for some of them. Gnasty Gnorc is kind of a limp payoff to the full game's adventure, like, how'd he even pwn all the adult dragons when he's a big dumb two-hit wonder? Ah well, the trade-off at least is Gnasty's Loot being a GREAT victory lap, maybe even the best in the series. Good stuff all around.

Divertidinho se pá, mas alguns mapas são terríveis e o estilo de jogo é extremamente repetitivo. Sem contar que a luta final é uma das coisas mais desanimadoras que ja vi na minha vida. O jogo constrói aquele ar de ameaça que é o Gnasty Gnorc pra no final tu ter uma das boss fights mais horríveis dos jogos (aliás, um ponto negativo muito forte desse jogo é a falta de boss fights que sejam minimamente boss fights). E o final em si é extremamente patético, te forçando a fazer 100% desse jogo água de salsicha. Não vou fazer 100%, quero que se foda esse jogo, vou me contentar com o final ruim mesmo

This is THE way to play the original Spyro. Obviously the graphics and art style are a beautiful, modernized take on the World of Dragons that still capture the spirit of the original, but even beyond that, there are quite a few improvements.

For one, you can have Sparx point you in the direction of missing gems with a simple push of the analog stick. This does WONDERS for making 100% completion more appealing to newcomers (like myself). Some might say that ruins the sense of discovery, but I think it’s pretty similar to the Shrine Meter in Breath of the Wild: it tells where to go, but not how to get there, meaning that you’ll still have to figure out the path for yourself.

The controls are a huge step up from the PS1 version. Fun fact: all modern consoles have analog sticks. That means this game uses analog control, as opposed to the janky D-pad buttons from the PS1, the latter of which is definitely not ideal for a 3D platformer. On top of that, I feel like the Supercharge works far better in this remake and is easier to control, which led to me actually completing the dreaded Tree Tops level for the first time.

One final praise: the story additions. The game still has the same excuse plot (go rescue the dragons and kick some Gnorc ass), but there’s a lot more detail this time around. Every single dragon has a unique design, which is super impressive and is one of those things that’s unnecessary, yet goes to show how much love Toys for Bob put into this project. We actually see Gnasty Gnorc watching the dragons’ interview on TV at the beginning, which explains how he knew they were shit-talking him. Gnasty Gnorc himself gets a moment of sympathy; when the dragons call him “ugly”, he gets puppy dog eyes and looks genuinely hurt by the insult, thus providing a slight bit of depth to his character that wasn’t there before. Also, his lair is filled with funny Gnorc-themed inspirational posters and love letters that he writes to himself in an effort to boost his self-esteem. Poor Gnasty Gnorc; bro just needs a hug.

I’ve got a lot more to say, but I’ll leave it at that until I review the whole trilogy. Needless to say, this is the definitive version of Spyro 1, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy 3D platformers or simply want a chill game to play on a rainy night. Going for 100% was absolutely a fun and worthwhile endeavor.

The games I wish I grew up with.

"Oh, so you didn't have a PS1?" Oh no, I did, just didn't have any games for it. I've always loved the mascot of Spyro (Crash too) and I can't really think of anybody else who thinks otherwise, whether it's the game or just appreciation for the character in some form or another and Enter the Dragonfly was my first (not even kidding) and it is considered one of the worst, I only played it that once then returned it because it felt stupid to me.

I didn't fall out of it with Spyro though, I always intended to give it another chance but it just got farther and farther. Then Skylanders came out and would you believe it? I was into it. It's not a whole lot of Spyro (but the game itself and voice of Spyro were good) I just consider it a different game. Since then, I've tried A New Beginning, and it was fun at times but still not the experience I wanted and I do plan on continuing the Legend of Spyro but in the mean time...

I have a soft spot for platformers so when Reignited was announced, it was right up my alley...so what stopped me? Well, I heard the complaint that it's a collect-a-thon and that it might not have aged well for fans that haven't played and enjoyed the originals. That shot my expectations in the water then I saw some speed-running and it made me want to give it a try so here I am, finally trying this game out for size. I'll split it up game by game though and look at them on a modern level since it's technically a modern game now.

I love the little pitter-patter of his feet while he's dashing and the little prance he does when you jump and dash at the same time. Make sure you use the D-Pad while you dash though because for some reason, the control stick just doesn't cut tight turns, like at all.

This game adds cool little flips and flaps to the loading screens and I get that it's a redone PS1 game but there's a lot of them, luckily they aren't too long (I imagine having a PS5 may help a lot in that department). I appreciate the transitions from zone to zone as well with that little flip he does before landing. And I don't know who's idea it was to have an installation after the Artisanal area but it's really stupid because apparently there was a demo from preordering it that was just that area and you could upgrade to the full game after that point but I don't see why they didn't just make it a separate file for the people who aren't upgrading from a demo. Now if you're thinking that I played this right after downloading, the answer is no, I didn't. I downloaded it days prior and it was well past finished when I arrived, not to mention I got it digitally, I doubt it's like that on Switch but unfortunately it is for PS4.

I like how the barriers are stone pillars with gems in them which activate a forcefield to keep you from going out of bounds. I love little gameplay explanations like that. I also like the level design, including the hub worlds. There are a lot of things that I miss about older games but a lot of things that I don't. I believe I've seen some people bring this up but the dialogues for the rescued dragons are pretty bland at times, I love seeing just how different each one looks versus just the cookie cutter ones of the original but they'll often just say "I'd like to chat but I have to go." or just a small throwaway line. I know that there are too many to really do much with and how the original game had that dialogue but just a little thing I feel they could've changed if they wanted.

Now that I have more of a grasp on the game, I can say that I enjoy more than I thought I would. I don't get bored just walking around, all the landscapes are different, I love the atmosphere, I like collecting and actually feel compelled to 100% every level, the "aging" problem I originally had before I bought it is gone, I feel like just watching gameplay doesn't cut it, you have to give it your own shot.

Now there are normal stages, boss stages, and flight stages. Flight stages are easily my least favorite, good luck trying to get me to "All-in-One" those because they have a time limit. I expected a simple little game out of it but I got a lot more meat than I expected. I feel like you can just dash through it if you want (which makes for good speedrunning) but I felt compelled to collect, felt compelled to save the dragons, you only need a certain minimum but I almost don't care, I searched every nook and cranny. Boss stages are barely even recognizable as that, they're a breeze for the most part but I like them and I don't feel like it subtracts from the experience not having bosses the way other games would because it's not necessarily combat focused like the latter-day Spyro games.

Now the one boss that I hate is Gnorc and it's for that same reason, he's not a boss, you chase him around. It's not even that I dislike that though, what bugs me is the level because first you have to chase one of those egg thieves because it has a key, you use that key to unlock another door to another egg thief with another key, chase them then use the key to unlock Gnorc. Why is this so terrible? Because if you die on the Gnorc level, you have to start all over and chase those egg thieves again and you do get used to it but it's annoying as heck, give me a checkpoint! There's challenging and then there's annoying, that's annoying, just leave Gnorc on his own because you basically have to memorize the course so you know every which way to go or else you die and when you die, you lose a life and you only have so many in this game. I went the whole thing easily having around 10 lives on hand but this level made me break out the 99 lives cheat because this was the last level! I'm not going back to farm for lives when I'm in Gnorc's realm doing the same level over and over again, trial and error. I felt that for some of the jumps you have to make with the boost pad like in Tree Tops.

Overall it's a nice precursor for Insomniac, I didn't know Spyro did those news sessions like Ratchet and Clank, it's a nice game overall but it left me wanting just a bit more out of it which is why there are 3 in the trilogy that I suppose would build on that as well as a new Spyro probably on the way that should deliver on that even further.

The best way I could describe this game is "a more relaxed Crash Bandicoot" in a sense. Instead of linear corridors trying to hunt for all the boxes and gems, getting shamed for missing even a single box, Spyro instead allows you to take things at your leisure. You get big open sandbox levels to hunt for collectables such as treasure, hidden dragons and eggs, and you can beat a level without getting everything, have what you DID collect saved and you can come back and get the rest of the collectables whenever you want. It's certainly a more relaxing change of pace compared to Crash.

Unfortunately like Crash the level design and platforming in general is incredibly basic and one note. The general movement Spyro has is still a lot better than Crash. Charging, gliding, and the supercharge can have some really cool secrets you can uncover in specific levels if you use it right, but for the most part it's very run of the mill for a lack of a better term. The flying minigames however don't really control all that well and the hitboxes for specific items like the chests are too wonky and imprecise leading to these stages to be more annoying than they really should be. The bosses are terrible and don't put up any sort of challenge. The music was largely really forgettable. Interesting look but I don't think I'll come back to 100% this any time soon.

Edit: I 100% the game lol

Spyro’s remaster was another breezy library rental for me, and a nice trip down memory lane. As an adult it didn’t offer me as much as, say, the Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy due to the simplicity of the levels and general ease (alongside the dragons/objectives who sometimes give you hints). It all gave me the impression that this game was for smaller kids than I thought, and that’s fine, I suppose.

But even for the now-crusty Condad the Spyro controls and gameplay loop are money and make up for a lot of the shortcomings.

Unfortunately, this carries the distinct third-party Nintendo Switch smell of playing a PC game on the lowest settings. Blurry, choppy, not easy on the eyes. The original was a stunner on the PlayStation, this was simply playable. I assume you’d be better off with any of the other consoles’ versions.

it is essentially a time-killer, you just do it not because it's particularly fun or entertaining but because the asmr feeling you get everytime you collect gems is enough of a dopamine boost to keep you going. the visuals are pretty cute, even though i fucking hate spyro and want him dead... umm some of the platforming was pretty fun too but who the hell greenlit that one stage where you have to charge forward on all those platforms and do those weird twists and turns? you know the one. everyone knows the one. it's not particularly difficult. there's not much of an incentive to 100% the game. i just did it because i hate myself ... umm 6/10 ? maybe ? it's ok

The unspoken, beautifully crafted world-building present in all the dragons' and enemies' character designs and the levels' environmental designs gives you a rich sense of lore and storytelling that ends up making me prefer this game in the Reignited trilogy over the other two. Spyro 1 is not my favorite Spyro game, but Spyro 1 in the Reignited Trilogy is definitely my favorite part of the Reignited experience.

As some earlier reviewers said, this game isn't exactly "fun" - and the other Spyro games end up fleshing out the game mechanics a lot more - but I like booting this game up from time to time and treating it like a relaxing art piece. It's very soothing, just going around and "cleaning up" the worlds by hunting for all the shiny things until you've hoovered up all the points and got 100% complete in your guidebook. I love it. This is, as the kids say, "peak aesthetic".

([played via Spyro Reignited Trilogy)

A charming game that sticks to the basics. Good one-sentence summary, I think.

Spyro the Dragon is bright, colorful, expressive, lively, and fun. Spyro himself has just enough personality to have a presence when he's interacting in the (very excuse-plot) story, while not stealing the show, as it were, during regular gameplay. A few other mascot franchise characters could benefit from this sort of treatment (though, it would have been nice to get to know Spyro a little more).

Having played a small amount of the PS1 version (which I'd like to play eventually), I believe it captures exactly what people who grew up with the original game would have imagined (though I am a fan of how PlayStation 1 games look lol). The art direction is absolutely gorgeous, full of color, whimsy, and enough detail to look grounded, while not so much it's distracting.

Level design, especially later on, is very good. While the gameplay loop of bashing or flaming enemies and collecting treasure is simple, the levels themselves are often very intelligently (though sometimes bordering on obfuscated) designed, that they can really make you think about how to traverse them. There could have been some clearer signposting in some sections, like in Haunted Tower, it wasn't exactly clear how to get to the other side. Though it was satisfying to find out (I think I really liked the supercharge ramps, they felt a bit like shinespark puzzles from the Metroid series lol).

I also admire the amount of variety in each of the levels. From what I could tell, there was at least one new enemy per level, except for the very last level. Very little asset flipping in that regard, something I would have been fine with, but this game really went the extra mile.

The game doesn't do much beyond what is presented, and I would have liked a bit more complexity, but it was a pleasant experience all around, and I enjoyed myself.

Agradezco que le hayan puesto el radar de gemas, que en la saga original el 1 era el único que no lo tenía. Pero man, ¿por qué la UI la cambiaron tanto? es que unreal engine no soporta textos u objetos 3D como interfaz?

De paso, me sucede lo mismo que los remakes de crash, le cambiaron las fisicas a tal punto que algunos niveles son más dificiles o más fáciles que antes. Esto podrían haberlo arreglado si le añadian el minisalto al planear de sus secuelas pero... nope, no lo pusieron. Tampoco añadieron el transfondo que había en el manual original, que de hecho era importante para que Gnasty Gnorc fuese minimamente interesante como jefe.