Probably the best game in the trilogy, because of how Spyro Controls. but the atmosphere is absolutely heart synching as well. Sorry but Re-ignited does not capture the feeling of smooth controls that gateway to glimmer / ripto's rage provided. I unlocked every skillpoint, I played this game to death, I don't know if it's the best one but no game has ever come close to the way it FEELS. it's gotta be a 5 star for that alone. As for Ripto? Yeah he's a great boss the storyline is good, and the levels are well thought out, the only thing really to complain about in Spyro 1 and 2 is that there isn't enough Spyro 1 and 2.
The level design in this game is rough. 1 and 3 clear this.
A fucking goated game
fixed most issues of the first game good sequel
GooeyScale: 75/100
GooeyScale: 75/100
spyro's peak
Playing this game after the first one, it's quickly apparent how small departures in design go on to radically affect the pace and tone of everything. The original Spyro the Dragon was developed by a small team of 14, while Ripto's Rage was made with a (nearly double!) team of 23. This increase in budget and talent is primarily felt in the new varieties of gameplay, but is also felt in the animation, cut-scenes, and voice acting. While the limits placed on the original Spyro game necessitated the experience be tight and focused, Spyro 2 lets loose and stews in excess.
For starters, the structure of each level is now centered on collecting Artifacts, Orbs, and Gems; as opposed to the original game's Dragons, Dragon Eggs, and (again) Gems. The difference being that Artifacts and Orbs are obtained via a mission structure. Here, an NPC will give you a quest to fulfill before you can acquire the macguffin. Forcing Spyro to stop, break the pacing, and more often than not, engage in some inane task or mini-game.
Which, for as negatively as I've framed all this, is still exceptionally fun. In fact, if you're a sucker for PS1 aesthetics, Spyro 2 lives in those tropes. If you love hearing the music fade out, just for a character to explain "Pressing the circle button will let you fire your glup move!", then this game is your fucking shit.
I only bring this up to demonstrate the notable shift in experience. Spyro the Dragon is fucking lean, all prime cut, all the time. Sure, it also had NPC's that explained stuff, but they kept it to quick tutorials and gags. The levels also emphasized speedy traversal and exploration, aspects that get diluted in Spyro 2 because of the "stop and do something else" quest design.
With pressure to innovate under a short development cycle, I don't necessarily blame Insomniac for structuring a game to facilitate gimmicks. But as time will tell, this is a trick you can only pull for so long. At some point, you have to return to the well of your core gameplay and make sure it's polished.
Speaking of polish, Spyro 2 enjoys enhanced graphics over the original. Water, in particular, looks MUCH better now that you can swim in it. So I hesitate to say that this also affected level structure, because the mission NPC's are right. there. However, I can't ignore that Spyro 2 levels avoid the "floating world with a pretty skybox" thing from Spyro 1. It feels deliberate. Spyro 2 levels all do a great job at selling the scenery past the play area, but they feel boxed in, sectioned off. This would imply to me that, maybe, design was increasingly informed by the frame-rate. Of course, that's entirely speculation. The core gameplay feeling different could have nothing to do with performance. Perhaps the answers lie in an interview I haven't seen. Alas, it is what it is.
Now, this increase in graphical power didn't just manifest in Spyro 2's worlds, No no! it also juiced up it's story! It's basic kids fare, of course, but it happens to go as such: The hero (Spyro) is called upon to defeat an evil wizard (Ripto). Spyro must first bring peace across the land, all while collecting AT LEAST 14 macguffins and 40 mcgriddles. it is then, and only then, that he may have his final showdown with Ripto. Once defeated, Spyro can finally fuck off and go to the beach.
As for how this story is told, we have cutscenes! The first game only had about 3 proper cut-scenes, whereas Ripto's Rage has them beginning to end, all throughout. Levels themselves are even given wacky intros and outros, genuinely padding out the game a considerable amount. Otherwise, narrative content in levels themselves have been placed into the aforementioned quest giving NPC's. They do their best to be funny and engaging, boasting a wonderfully 90's voice cast. Unfortunately, it has problems...
Particularly, their need to explain tasks often makes them blend together. These can bring a chuckle or two, when an NPC explains how an orb was inexplicably up their ass. Honestly, since most of the dialogue is so consistently dry, dumb shit like that would catch me off guard. A notable example is the innocent sounding toddler, explaining how they're "pwaying secwet agent" and need Spyro's help to, actually, sincerely "bwow up the castle". It feels like a deliberate tee up for some inane bullshit and wham "Hi, I'm a child terrorist~ TEEHEE". It's dumb. I'm projecting. BUT AM I? NPC's ask you to do all sorts of shit, I was fully convinced this child was sent behind enemy lines as a demolitions expert!
erm...
Curiously, prototype builds of the game included voice over dialogue from Elora (Faun lady who recruited Spyro to fight Ripto) talking over the level intro/outro cut-scenes. In the scrapped lines, she explains context, lore, and how Ripto is antagonizing the level. My gut tells me this was a band-aid fix to explain what the main bad guy is doing. In the final game, None of the level NPC's mention him and he seems to just... sit in a castle basement, waiting for Spyro to kick his ass. Certainly an intriguing find for fans, in fact, I read many comments from Spyro fans wishing the cut voice-over had remained.
However, please, if you'll indulge me.
I need to get on my hater shit.
Moneybags needs to be tried in the Hague.
Also, Elora is fucking RACING through her lines, implying to me that they were recorded AFTER the animation was done. THEN, she spends most of the cut-scene describing what you are literally seeing. Due to the aforementioned time crunch, she will often miss the comedic timing of the animation.
To make matters worse for older players, Elora is in full "goo goo gaga, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE CLUE IS, BLUE?" baby talk mode. Which, don't get me wrong, would probably kick ass if you were a baby. But no! I'M A MAN, a man playing a game for children! I'm GLAD those little shits got nothin. I'D KICK A BABY'S FUCKING A-
Sans the seeming production issues, the voice over was probably excluded so older kids didn't feel bad for playing a "baby game". In fact, Spyro appears to have gotten the "American Kirby" treatment, and now sports a scowl. GONE is his bright wholesome smile. It has been replaced with a, weird, sort of... concerned face. Funnily enough, this is only true for "in-game" Spyro. In cut-scenes, he's seemingly his normal, cheery self.
In an ideal world, you could fix the voice over, return Spyro's smile, and slap it on a Spider-Man (2000) style kid mode. But for general audiences? I see what they were going for. After all, those level cut-scenes are great on their own. Something about cartoon characters murdering each other in cold blood, always pleases the whole family.
Now that I'm off my hater shit, I need to wrap this up by talking about the ultimate hater... Ripto...
Ahem, and his crew!
The Boss fights in this game are a significant step up from the bosses of Spyro 1. Good thing too, because there's only three of em this time. All of them are good ol' red blooded, patterned attack freaks. The bottom bitch Ripto? Is a three phase, power up stealing, Jerkass of a boss. The final phase is a dogfight over a lava pit where you can't heal and it's great! Amusingly, landing the final blow will show a short cutscene of ripto falling into the lava and slowly, mercilessly, STATICALLY being consumed by it. Right after, the game shows you the obligatory "RIPTO DEFEATED!" screen. Which is just this goofy jpg of Ripto standing there like a jackass. Seriously, look it up. There's something about the way he doesn't give a fuck about dying, the way that loading screen declares his defeat, it's just- it's just so good. Peak Playstation nonsense.
And with that, I'm actually finished! For all the smoke I had about the game leaning into less savory collectathon tropes, it earns it's status as a classic regardless- NAY, because of it!
...
I might have more to write about once I collect all the "Skill Points" (the hidden achievements that literally require a hint guide) but for now...
I actually have one last thing to talk about...
specifically...
about how...
THEY MADE ELORA HOT AS FUCK IN THE REMAKE
But really, I've seen streams of the re-ignited trilogy and it's funny to me how it affected the voice work. The original is iconic, filled with wonderfully odd decisions, and Tom Kenny. So much Tom Kenny. So in a way, I'm glad that they didn't try to replicate it... Even if it means the Satyr women lost their inexplicable valley girl accents.
...
Okay, fine. Elora's new "dork" line is delivered like SHIT. Her design may have left the uncanny valley, but that change, I don't approve of.
...
Moneybags the kinda guy to poop his pants.
For starters, the structure of each level is now centered on collecting Artifacts, Orbs, and Gems; as opposed to the original game's Dragons, Dragon Eggs, and (again) Gems. The difference being that Artifacts and Orbs are obtained via a mission structure. Here, an NPC will give you a quest to fulfill before you can acquire the macguffin. Forcing Spyro to stop, break the pacing, and more often than not, engage in some inane task or mini-game.
Which, for as negatively as I've framed all this, is still exceptionally fun. In fact, if you're a sucker for PS1 aesthetics, Spyro 2 lives in those tropes. If you love hearing the music fade out, just for a character to explain "Pressing the circle button will let you fire your glup move!", then this game is your fucking shit.
I only bring this up to demonstrate the notable shift in experience. Spyro the Dragon is fucking lean, all prime cut, all the time. Sure, it also had NPC's that explained stuff, but they kept it to quick tutorials and gags. The levels also emphasized speedy traversal and exploration, aspects that get diluted in Spyro 2 because of the "stop and do something else" quest design.
With pressure to innovate under a short development cycle, I don't necessarily blame Insomniac for structuring a game to facilitate gimmicks. But as time will tell, this is a trick you can only pull for so long. At some point, you have to return to the well of your core gameplay and make sure it's polished.
Speaking of polish, Spyro 2 enjoys enhanced graphics over the original. Water, in particular, looks MUCH better now that you can swim in it. So I hesitate to say that this also affected level structure, because the mission NPC's are right. there. However, I can't ignore that Spyro 2 levels avoid the "floating world with a pretty skybox" thing from Spyro 1. It feels deliberate. Spyro 2 levels all do a great job at selling the scenery past the play area, but they feel boxed in, sectioned off. This would imply to me that, maybe, design was increasingly informed by the frame-rate. Of course, that's entirely speculation. The core gameplay feeling different could have nothing to do with performance. Perhaps the answers lie in an interview I haven't seen. Alas, it is what it is.
Now, this increase in graphical power didn't just manifest in Spyro 2's worlds, No no! it also juiced up it's story! It's basic kids fare, of course, but it happens to go as such: The hero (Spyro) is called upon to defeat an evil wizard (Ripto). Spyro must first bring peace across the land, all while collecting AT LEAST 14 macguffins and 40 mcgriddles. it is then, and only then, that he may have his final showdown with Ripto. Once defeated, Spyro can finally fuck off and go to the beach.
As for how this story is told, we have cutscenes! The first game only had about 3 proper cut-scenes, whereas Ripto's Rage has them beginning to end, all throughout. Levels themselves are even given wacky intros and outros, genuinely padding out the game a considerable amount. Otherwise, narrative content in levels themselves have been placed into the aforementioned quest giving NPC's. They do their best to be funny and engaging, boasting a wonderfully 90's voice cast. Unfortunately, it has problems...
Particularly, their need to explain tasks often makes them blend together. These can bring a chuckle or two, when an NPC explains how an orb was inexplicably up their ass. Honestly, since most of the dialogue is so consistently dry, dumb shit like that would catch me off guard. A notable example is the innocent sounding toddler, explaining how they're "pwaying secwet agent" and need Spyro's help to, actually, sincerely "bwow up the castle". It feels like a deliberate tee up for some inane bullshit and wham "Hi, I'm a child terrorist~ TEEHEE". It's dumb. I'm projecting. BUT AM I? NPC's ask you to do all sorts of shit, I was fully convinced this child was sent behind enemy lines as a demolitions expert!
erm...
Curiously, prototype builds of the game included voice over dialogue from Elora (Faun lady who recruited Spyro to fight Ripto) talking over the level intro/outro cut-scenes. In the scrapped lines, she explains context, lore, and how Ripto is antagonizing the level. My gut tells me this was a band-aid fix to explain what the main bad guy is doing. In the final game, None of the level NPC's mention him and he seems to just... sit in a castle basement, waiting for Spyro to kick his ass. Certainly an intriguing find for fans, in fact, I read many comments from Spyro fans wishing the cut voice-over had remained.
However, please, if you'll indulge me.
I need to get on my hater shit.
Moneybags needs to be tried in the Hague.
Also, Elora is fucking RACING through her lines, implying to me that they were recorded AFTER the animation was done. THEN, she spends most of the cut-scene describing what you are literally seeing. Due to the aforementioned time crunch, she will often miss the comedic timing of the animation.
To make matters worse for older players, Elora is in full "goo goo gaga, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE CLUE IS, BLUE?" baby talk mode. Which, don't get me wrong, would probably kick ass if you were a baby. But no! I'M A MAN, a man playing a game for children! I'm GLAD those little shits got nothin. I'D KICK A BABY'S FUCKING A-
Sans the seeming production issues, the voice over was probably excluded so older kids didn't feel bad for playing a "baby game". In fact, Spyro appears to have gotten the "American Kirby" treatment, and now sports a scowl. GONE is his bright wholesome smile. It has been replaced with a, weird, sort of... concerned face. Funnily enough, this is only true for "in-game" Spyro. In cut-scenes, he's seemingly his normal, cheery self.
In an ideal world, you could fix the voice over, return Spyro's smile, and slap it on a Spider-Man (2000) style kid mode. But for general audiences? I see what they were going for. After all, those level cut-scenes are great on their own. Something about cartoon characters murdering each other in cold blood, always pleases the whole family.
Now that I'm off my hater shit, I need to wrap this up by talking about the ultimate hater... Ripto...
Ahem, and his crew!
The Boss fights in this game are a significant step up from the bosses of Spyro 1. Good thing too, because there's only three of em this time. All of them are good ol' red blooded, patterned attack freaks. The bottom bitch Ripto? Is a three phase, power up stealing, Jerkass of a boss. The final phase is a dogfight over a lava pit where you can't heal and it's great! Amusingly, landing the final blow will show a short cutscene of ripto falling into the lava and slowly, mercilessly, STATICALLY being consumed by it. Right after, the game shows you the obligatory "RIPTO DEFEATED!" screen. Which is just this goofy jpg of Ripto standing there like a jackass. Seriously, look it up. There's something about the way he doesn't give a fuck about dying, the way that loading screen declares his defeat, it's just- it's just so good. Peak Playstation nonsense.
And with that, I'm actually finished! For all the smoke I had about the game leaning into less savory collectathon tropes, it earns it's status as a classic regardless- NAY, because of it!
...
I might have more to write about once I collect all the "Skill Points" (the hidden achievements that literally require a hint guide) but for now...
I actually have one last thing to talk about...
specifically...
about how...
But really, I've seen streams of the re-ignited trilogy and it's funny to me how it affected the voice work. The original is iconic, filled with wonderfully odd decisions, and Tom Kenny. So much Tom Kenny. So in a way, I'm glad that they didn't try to replicate it... Even if it means the Satyr women lost their inexplicable valley girl accents.
...
Okay, fine. Elora's new "dork" line is delivered like SHIT. Her design may have left the uncanny valley, but that change, I don't approve of.
...
Moneybags the kinda guy to poop his pants.
Used to play this one over and over again great fun
I gotta hand it to Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage. It bumped my opinion of Spyro 1 up half a star. That game stuck to its guns as a platformer with simple mechanics. Spyro 2 is constantly changing things up so often that I'm not sure what it wants to be.
Everyone in this game is very chatty, except for Spyro, strangely enough. He never talks back or makes quips, he just silently accepts whatever requests fall upon his shoulders (wings?). I think Tom Kenny voiced more lines for The Professor than the titular purple dragon on the cover of the box, and that's just weird to me. No one ever has anything remotely interesting to say, either. It's a lot of "please do the thing", followed by "thanks for doing the thing, here's the macguffin". I also have to wonder if Moneybags being the embodiment of capitalism was the catalyst for Ratchet & Clank (aside from, y'know, Spyro not being able to hold a gun).
I can at least admire the world design. Every level is made to feel like its own distinct area, with their own inhabitants and culture. Isekai-ing Spyro out of the World of Dragons was a good call in that regard. Instead, we get a variety of fantasy/storybook locales. I just don't think these worlds make for very engaging levels. Every area has its standard, linear platforming challenge. Completing that gets you a talisman, basically the consolation prize. Beyond that are the Dragon Orbs, which you usually earn by completing side-objectives in levels. Some of these are meagre challenges for Spyro's moveset, many of them are just minigame fodder.
I'll admit, there's bothing particularly wrong with this game. It's perfectly enjoyable on most fronts, but it really wasn't what I was hoping for, especially coming off the first game. Spyro's chosen a dark road to travel on: one that prioritizes variety over consistency. I hope he knows what he's getting himself into.
The adventure continues...?
Everyone in this game is very chatty, except for Spyro, strangely enough. He never talks back or makes quips, he just silently accepts whatever requests fall upon his shoulders (wings?). I think Tom Kenny voiced more lines for The Professor than the titular purple dragon on the cover of the box, and that's just weird to me. No one ever has anything remotely interesting to say, either. It's a lot of "please do the thing", followed by "thanks for doing the thing, here's the macguffin". I also have to wonder if Moneybags being the embodiment of capitalism was the catalyst for Ratchet & Clank (aside from, y'know, Spyro not being able to hold a gun).
I can at least admire the world design. Every level is made to feel like its own distinct area, with their own inhabitants and culture. Isekai-ing Spyro out of the World of Dragons was a good call in that regard. Instead, we get a variety of fantasy/storybook locales. I just don't think these worlds make for very engaging levels. Every area has its standard, linear platforming challenge. Completing that gets you a talisman, basically the consolation prize. Beyond that are the Dragon Orbs, which you usually earn by completing side-objectives in levels. Some of these are meagre challenges for Spyro's moveset, many of them are just minigame fodder.
I'll admit, there's bothing particularly wrong with this game. It's perfectly enjoyable on most fronts, but it really wasn't what I was hoping for, especially coming off the first game. Spyro's chosen a dark road to travel on: one that prioritizes variety over consistency. I hope he knows what he's getting himself into.
The adventure continues...?