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The PlayStation Library is home to countless iconic games, but few of those early Sony consoles like Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot. Last year, Activision remastered the Crash trilogy and it was a huge success, but the company has since set its sights on Spyro the Dragon with the Spyro Reignited trilogy. As one of Sony's historic flagship franchises, the Purple Dragon has a considerable legacy, which naturally made the task of modernizing its most well-known adventures an important command for the California-based Toys For Bob studio.
There is a lot of challenge involved in remastering the visuals and mechanics of Spyro's original trilogy. How to breathe new life into the worlds and characters that were originally created under the pressure of material limitations? Technology has progressed astronomically since the beginning of Spyro in 1998; you can not simply retouch these graphics and hope that the same charm is expressed. According to the developers of Reignited Trilogy, the solution is much more complex.
"When you look at the original game and you squint, there was a lot of imagination to do at the time to fill the game. Whites." Said the co-leader. toy studio for Bob Paul Yan. "For us, it takes the game, and we ask: What do people think about it?" It was important to start with the memories rather than the way you interpret exactly what is happening. ;screen." "src =" https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1552/15524586/3419804-spyro+flying+in+glimmer.jpg "srcset =" https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original /1552/15524586/3419804-spyro+flying+in+glimmer.jpg 3840w, https://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1552/15524586/3419804-spyro+flying+in+glimmer.jpg 1280w, https : //static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/1552/15524586/3419804-spyro+flying+in+glimmer.jpg 480w "sizes =" (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px "data-width =" 1280 "/>
It is undeniable that memory plays a huge role in our penchant for 32-bit 3D console games.From a visual point of view, you can argue that the graphics of this generation have not aged well from the to Yet, we still have an unwavering affection for these 3D games. Call it pink tinted lenses, but it's just this view that keeps games like Spyro's for a lot of people.
Fortunately, Toys For Bob has avoided interfering too much with our best memories of Spyro, opting instead to exploit the personal testimonials and memories of both the original fans and creators of the game to create a new vision of Spyro and his world.
"We did not approach [the games] with," How can we add all these new ideas? "Commented Yan." It really is, how can we understand the truth of them and then put up and find opportunities to beautify and add more luster and detail? "
There is an intensity and audacity in the reworked graphics of the Reignited Trilogy, as if another world of strength has signaled to his hand to sprout an abundance of life and color through every inch of the original environments. These new details seem to fill the gap on what our minds have already filled, improving and making real all that we once imagined by looking at the primitive polygonal edges of the Spyro world.
This is best reflected in the way Toys For Bob has planned to redraw the 80 collectable elder dragons of the first Spyro game. In the original, they had a certain size, shape and color diversity, but their designs eventually began to blend together. To combat this, Toys For Bob gave each of the senior dragons their own design and personality. For example, Beast Maker dragons act in a more shamanic way and speak of Cajun accents because their house is very similar to the Louisiana bayou. Additions like this improve our understanding of Spyro's distribution and connect us better to the worlds in which they live.
"Our philosophy was to try to understand the key points of the character and understand what the intention was". "We asked what was the story that the Insomniac was trying to tell: once we had the impression to understand that, we were trying to inject as much storytelling as possible into the environments and the characters. "
did not approach [the games] with:" How can we add all these new ideas? It really is, how can we understand the truth of them and then bring that and find opportunities to beautify and add more lushness and details?
Paul Yan, toys for Bob co-studio head
Although the visuals were enhanced with new details and narrative threads, other aspects, such as environmental provisions, had to stay exactly the same. "The only thing we've always been extremely attentive to was the feel and the gameplay because we wanted it to be as referential as possible with the originals," said Reignited Trilogy Artistic Director Josh Nadelberg
. it's not just the level geometry that has to stay the same, it's also the sounds. The prolific vocal actor Tom Kenny ( Spongebob Squarepants Adventure Time ) resumes his role of Spyro for the Reignited trilogy, and from the very first pictures he hits the notes we all expect from him . But even he faces his own unique struggles in the remastering process. According to Kenny, the line reads he's done 20 years ago, while trying to incorporate the lessons he's learned since he talked about Spyro in 1998, proved difficult
"You want to be very respectful of how people remember Spyro, I want you to be zealous," said Kenny. "You still want Spyro to live, but you do not want to to be so concerned with the syllable corresponding to the syllable that it becomes a total exercise of the left brain. "
East a balancing exercise that people involved in the remastering process must follow. there are times when the solution is simply going both ways. The Reignited Trilogy faithfully recreates the instrumentation of the original soundtracks, but dynamically adjusts them with the player's actions during the game. However, if players want a more faithful experience, they can choose to revert to the original composed scores by legendary music Stewart Copeland (The Police).
Even for a high-level musician like Copeland, Spyro has a special, unshakable sense. "When I came down [to Toys For Bob] I was tremendously relieved because I was very emotionally invested in the Spyro series, musically and with the visuals too," said Copeland when asked what " He thought of the remaster. "I went there with my irons and I left with a glimmer of joy, it was really moving to see it that way."
There are always original games that they could play and have this experience, but what we did was that we tried to make the game richer by honoring the spirit of the originals.
Josh Nadelberg, Artistic Director
Stephan Vankov, remixer of the Reignited trilogy music were intentional in their approach to offer players options to listen to the iconic musical score of the series. "We wanted to offer a new way to experience the same music tracks where new and old players can hear the work and it would be clearly transparent, the updates we've made to the music, and to enjoy the latest audio gaming technologies, "said Vankov. "But we also wanted to give players the opportunity to go back because the original soundtrack was so popular, and we know that everyone may not like the work we've done."
Not everyone will like the changes made, a reality that Toys For Bob has accepted. In a remastering as deep as the Reignited Trilogy, there are changes that just will not fly with some fans. A game like this will inevitably trigger division, and after a while, there is little to do to satisfy everyone's tastes. When working on a creative project, difficult calls must be made, but what matters in the end is that these decisions are made with the heart and with the best intentions.
"There are people who do not want things to change We respect that," said Nadelberg. "There are always some original games that they could play and have that experience, but what we did, is that we tried to make the game richer in a way that, according to us, honor the spirit of the originals, give a shot and fall in love with the world as much as we did while we recreated it. "
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