When I was a young gamer, the Spyro trilogy was the first collection of games that I loved. Spyro the dragon is mischievous and bold; the enemies are quirky and weird; and the worlds are vast and dreamlike. When I heard the trilogy was being remastered with current-generation technology, I was thrilled.
I explored the new game pre-release, and my inner child was not disappointed.
The “Reignited Trilogy” is set to release in September 2018. The demo I played contained beautiful graphics and responsive mechanics, much to the delight of my younger self.
I tested two levels from “Reignited Trilogy”: Toasty, a boss battle against a sheep disguised as a pumpkin-scarecrow, and Tree Tops, a sky-high journey considered the hardest level in the game. Spyro’s world immediately captivated my fullest attention. The game is gorgeous — Toasty’s orange sky is more spine-chilling than ever and every detail in Tree Tops, from the planks to the stone pillars, is crisp. Moreover, enemies have been reimagined perfectly; Strongarms, gorilla-like creatures, and Toasty feel like in the original trilogy, but with added personality and detail. Additionally, gameplay mechanics have remained the same, but feel more responsive. I rarely missed flaming an enemy or fell off a ledge because of awkward controls.
What really adds magic to the remaster is the audio. Stewart Copeland’s updated soundtrack retains its same core sound, but with added charm and fluidity. And if players decide that they’d like to listen to the original soundtrack, Toys For Bob, the game’s developer, added an option to switch between soundtracks at any point during the game. The enemies’ audio also changed — it felt more tame. In the original Toasty, when shepherds are flamed, they make a loud “oh-ah” sound, but in “Reignited Trilogy,” they make a barely audible grunting noise. This is the case for the Strongarms in Tree Tops, as well. Although this is a seemingly small criticism, what makes Spyro enemies so entertaining are their sound effects, especially considering that most are not much of a challenge to take down. As such, anything that makes the kill more enjoyable would alleviate this frustration.
Although I was excited about the “Reignited Trilogy” to begin with, this event has me impatiently waiting to play the full release.
‘Reignited Trilogy’ Reimagines Spyro
Courtesy of Toys For Bob
