Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PC) Review

Spyro the Dragon was one of the most popular 3D platformers of the PlayStation era, but unlike, say, Crash Bandicoot, which confined the player in a linear path, it was a fully-fledged, three-dimensional experience, that, similar to Super Mario 64, you had larger amount of freedom, even when it came to choosing in which order the levels would be played, as everything begins in a small hub, where Spyro can simply enter whichever portal he wants to. What's the deal here, though? What's the story with this cute purple dragon?

Well, there's definitely a story here… just don't expect it to stay with you for long. Spyro is tasked with freeing his dragon elders from their crystalline curse, gather their stolen treasure, as well as some dragon eggs. In other words, this game is a collect-athon, and nothing more. In all honesty, that's the main dish in here. You will fight foes, either by scorching their behinds, or ramming them with your horns, and you will engage in some platforming, which, besides jumping around, involves gliding as well… but make no mistake, this is all about gathering stuff.

That isn't to say that games with such a hoarding mind-set are bad, or something. Spyro the Dragon is a very good collect-athon, but that kind of gameplay isn't for everyone. Even more importantly, however, players should be aware that all three titles bundled in here offer the same thing all over again, with just a couple of minor gameplay tweeks, more kinds of treasure to collect, a few additional moves, and new characters and "story" to enjoy, with the third in line Year of the Dragon, even including new playable characters into the mix.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is basically one big game, divided between three separate "chapters," that aren't really better or worse - just more of the same… y. Playing them back to back is not advised. This collection should be enjoyed in short, even tiny bursts of play - unless a fun of the originals, of course. Also, due to the low difficulty of every single title, this is an ideal entry point for youngsters, despite the existence of some inconsistency in regards to the challenge, although that mostly happens when trying to 100% the game, not attempting to beat it.

Not everyone will find this to be their cup of tea, but it's definitely a pretty solid compilation, and the best way to experience the original Spyro the Dragon instalments in current platforms. As for the whole upgrading business, those who were there when those came out, will remember how they were great visually - simply one of the best in PS1, at least when it came to child-friendly, 3D platformers. This takes said visuals, makes everything 100 times better, while retaining the same feel and cartoony art style.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy looks is a just a few steps below a Pixar animated film. Yes, it's that good. That being said, it's a somewhat… boring, or at least, forgettable world to look at. Generic fantasy castles, with generic plains, deserts, forests, and generic enemies that range from animals and cute monsters… to more animals and cute monsters. It all lacks… character, if you will. It's a great looking 'ok.' The only "true" flaw, however, are the unreasonably long loading times between stages - extremely hard to stomach when you think what modern systems can now do.