Spyro needs to collect all of the gems and take on baddies using his charging and fire-breathing abilities. The first Spyro game embodies very early 3D platforming and is the simplest in terms of both story and mechanics. It’s up to young Spyro to free them all, defeat Gnorc, and take back the loot. Gnasty Gnorc, a half-gnome half-orc hybrid, gets peeved when the dragons trask-talk him on live television and proceeds to cast a spell that encases all of them in crystal, stealing all their treasure for added revenge. The trilogy kicks off with the most kid-pandering dialogue and narrative ever conceived for a video game.

So with gameplay on a console that for me feels more fitting, is Spyro just begging for your nostalgia or has this franchise actually held up? Spyro the Dragon If you want to find out more about the game on those platforms, check out Alessandro’s excellent review on it. It’s a late port as the game has been up on Xbox One and Playstation 4 since November last year, and whose release was met with positive feelings. Sane Trilogy (whose artwork looks near-identical to that of today’s game), Spyro gets to enjoy a remastering of his original three Insomniac instalments in the Reignited Trilogy, now available on PC and Nintendo Switch. Still, there was no denying his appeal or the straightforward gameplay that came with protecting the magical lands with his fire breath and horns.Īnd so, like Crash Bandicoot with his N. I haven’t played Spyro since his PS2 days, as he was always overshadowed by the coolest marsupial to ever pull off a pair of jorts and embark on goofier adventures (unlike the more fantastical that made up the Spyro the Dragon lore). This is, of course, a gross misconception as colourful kid-friendly mascots collecting coins and crystals are a sub-genre to be found on any console at any given moment. While Banjo-Kazooie was busy gathering up music notes, the height of digital combat realism was being experienced with Metal Gear Solid over on the Playstation. You could blame their iconic plumber in red, but it also comes from past comparisons. I’ll forever associate Nintendo with platformers and collect-a-thons.

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