Eternal flame: Spyro Reignited Trilogy review

For a while I’ve been feeling like my relationship with video games was turning stale. Being introduced to Paladins on Switch went some way to freshening up that relationship, but when you repeatedly get stuck with absolute morons in ranked matches who want to play with four damage champions as you pick support, you begin to lose faith. That was until the Spyro Reignited Trilogy reignited my love for video games.

As I booted up, nostalgia flooded me as if I’d been hit by a tsunami of childhood memories. Up popped that little purple dragon and instantly it was like going back in time.

I was worried that the remaster would take some of the game’s charm away from the original after all the graphics are a big part of the nostalgic experience. However, despite the improved graphical upgrade the game received, it’s as if a filter has been placed over my eyes and despite it looking very different, in a strange way it all looks and feels exactly the same.

And for the most part, it is the same game, almost nothing has changed, with the obvious exception of a whole bunch more detail being added to all three titles. And best of all, each title is reminiscent of the others in art style, so whereas there was a gulf in the quality of previous titles, now each one is exactly on par with the others.

Another area that even feels the same is the controls of the game. Although tweaked slightly, they’ve remained true to the original titles and although you can tell that things are a little sharper, it doesn’t feel different at all. It even appears to have a couple of ‘bugs’ or maybe intentionally designed flaws to keep touch with the original where camera angles can cause confusion and you start running in the wrong direction or you just miss tackling an enemy or making a jump. A little frustrating but then again if that wasn’t there, it would feel like the original PlayStation titles.

It hasn’t just been a case of giving the game a lick of new paint though, the guys at Toys for Bob have actually added some little extras in there too, just to make it a little more of a challenge. After all, Spyro was never the most difficult of games. That said, over time my skills have considerably improved from what I remember, but those flight levels still cause me a headache. But yeah, before I get carried away, you now have new features like collecting skill points for accomplishing tasks in the Original game, which go toward unlocking an art gallery that shows lots of clips from the game’s development, and a new minimap that lets you see the layout of the level you’re in.

Spyro has followed in the footsteps of Crash Bandicoot and his N.Sane Trilogy and it has been a resounding success. Recapturing the hearts of those 90s kids who grew up with this badass little dragon, and capturing new ones with the current generation of youngsters, this game has really hit the spot. It feels exactly the same but still feels fresh and new with a couple of newly introduced features, but best of all, it has awoken the little boy in me who fell in love with video games because of titles like this.

84%

Next up Croc, please?

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision and is available now both in-store and online at numerous outlets as well as the official PlayStation store. For more reviews of the latest games, click HERE.