I remember playing Spyro on my PlayStation 1, in fact, it was one of the first games that truly got me into gaming. Spyro was an important mascot back in the days but he disappeared after some less successful attempts to bring back his former glory. With the success of the Crash Bandicoot remake, Activision thought it was time to bring back our favorite purple dragon and after spending some time with it, I couldn’t be happier!
Back home
The playable demo offered one new world, taken from all three classic Spyro games. Going through these worlds, you could really see the evolution of the franchise. Where the first playable world felt rather small and got us looking for hidden dragons, the third one got us gliding over huge fields. The Spyro franchise evolved rather fast back in the days and it’s good to see that although all the games look the same now, there’s still a lot of difference in how you play them. To get a better idea of the three world, be sure to take a look at my direct feed footage of the demo:
What I liked most about the three world are the reinvented visuals. Activision really did their best to pull Spyro in 2018, a time where colorful platform games are rather rare and often pushed to the background in favor of dark or realistic shooters. At first, it might seem a huge risk to bring back such a classic platform game but as said before, the Crash Bandicoot remake already proved there’s a market for games like these. Don’t be mistaken however, Spyro games are a lot different than the Crash Bandicoot games.
Discover the world
First things first, Spyro games are a lot easier. It’s not about avoiding obstacles and running away from enemies, in Sypro, you’ll have to explore the world. Every level has its own secrets and hidden paths to discover and that’s what makes all three games so much fun. Reaching the end of the level is easy but collecting everything there is to collect will consume a lot more of your time. Also, note that you’ll have access to a lot of fun mini-games like skateboarding and you know you’re in for a lot of fun.
If you’re a fan of traditional platformers, Sypro might not be what you’re looking for. If you like exploration and finding secrets, this is the one for you. To top it off, Spyro has a great personality resulting in some truly funny moments. It’s clearly aimed at a slightly younger and inexperienced audience but I’m pretty sure a lot of gamers will enjoy their time with the small purple dragon nevertheless.
Early conclusion
Playing this reignited trilogy brought me back to my younger years as an inexperienced gamer. It’s still as good as I remember and even better thanks to the improved visuals. It’s clear that Activision is handling this with a lot of love and respect and I can’t wait to play the finished game when it launches in November.
