Sometimes less is more.
Spyro the Dragon was the very first video game I ever played and the original trilogy was an integral part of my childhood. While I'd like to preface this review by stating that I do have a distinct nostalgic bias for this game, I feel that it still holds up quite well in terms of presentation and level design. Spyro 1 is a simplistic approach to a collectathon platformer where your toolkit consists of a flame breath to torch enemies, a glide to traverse from one platform to another, and a charge which acts as a hybrid tool for both moving at a quicker speed and defeating enemies by knocking them out of your way. The end result is a game that is relatively laid-back, especially since you have access to all of these controls right from the very beginning of the game. It occasionally spices things up through a flight level once per home world, or through the supercharge which is introduced in the Magic Crafters home world and every level that features it is carefully designed around this mechanic and rewards exploration with it. While there's an occasionally tricky glide to make here and there or a platform to reach that requires thinking a bit outside the box with the supercharge powerup, Spyro 1 is a really relaxed platformer where you go into each stage, casually explore until you unearth all of its treasure and save all the dragons, and then move onto the next with no backtracking necessary if you want to aim for full completion. Backtracking is an element that's fairly negligible to me in a game with levels as short as this, but it's neat that there's absolutely none of it within this game when so many of its contemporaries require it for full completion. I also like how every single level in the game is tied in with their respective home world aesthetically.
I also can't talk about Spyro without bringing mention to its incredibly distinct soundtrack, which was composed by Stewart Copeland. Every single track in the game has a whimsical feel to it which compliments the art direction wonderfully, and the use of percussion really stands out. It's so satisfying to charge around as Spyro while hearing a whole bunch of awesome drum beats in the background! I've always really liked the soundtrack ever since I was a young kid, but returning back to this gives me newfound appreciation for it.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well this game held up for me. While it doesn't offer much in terms of challenge for those looking for it, it's perfect for a bit of casual platforming to unwind to after a tiring day at work, and also has a really pleasant, lighthearted tone to accompany its gameplay. One of my ultimate comfort games.
Spyro the Dragon was the very first video game I ever played and the original trilogy was an integral part of my childhood. While I'd like to preface this review by stating that I do have a distinct nostalgic bias for this game, I feel that it still holds up quite well in terms of presentation and level design. Spyro 1 is a simplistic approach to a collectathon platformer where your toolkit consists of a flame breath to torch enemies, a glide to traverse from one platform to another, and a charge which acts as a hybrid tool for both moving at a quicker speed and defeating enemies by knocking them out of your way. The end result is a game that is relatively laid-back, especially since you have access to all of these controls right from the very beginning of the game. It occasionally spices things up through a flight level once per home world, or through the supercharge which is introduced in the Magic Crafters home world and every level that features it is carefully designed around this mechanic and rewards exploration with it. While there's an occasionally tricky glide to make here and there or a platform to reach that requires thinking a bit outside the box with the supercharge powerup, Spyro 1 is a really relaxed platformer where you go into each stage, casually explore until you unearth all of its treasure and save all the dragons, and then move onto the next with no backtracking necessary if you want to aim for full completion. Backtracking is an element that's fairly negligible to me in a game with levels as short as this, but it's neat that there's absolutely none of it within this game when so many of its contemporaries require it for full completion. I also like how every single level in the game is tied in with their respective home world aesthetically.
I also can't talk about Spyro without bringing mention to its incredibly distinct soundtrack, which was composed by Stewart Copeland. Every single track in the game has a whimsical feel to it which compliments the art direction wonderfully, and the use of percussion really stands out. It's so satisfying to charge around as Spyro while hearing a whole bunch of awesome drum beats in the background! I've always really liked the soundtrack ever since I was a young kid, but returning back to this gives me newfound appreciation for it.
I was pleasantly surprised by how well this game held up for me. While it doesn't offer much in terms of challenge for those looking for it, it's perfect for a bit of casual platforming to unwind to after a tiring day at work, and also has a really pleasant, lighthearted tone to accompany its gameplay. One of my ultimate comfort games.