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Kotaku's game diaryDaily thoughts of a Kotaku staff member about a game we play. In 1998, Insomniac Games offered us a small purple dragon, a pleasure to control, colorful and wandering playgrounds and exquisite music. the Spyro Trilogy looks different, but it feels just as good.
Released in 1998 for the original PlayStation and followed by two sequels in 1999 and 2000, Spyro the dragon was the perfect game at the right time. At a time when the Nintendo 64 was considered the kids' console and the PlayStation geared toward darker and more adult themes, this brilliant purple mythological creature can glide through the skies of a fantasy world of cartoons. Spyro debuted at the 1998 E3 in Atlanta, a large plastic statue showing him hovering over Sony's booth. The statue has made me happy. The game made me even happier.
The 3D graphics of the time were at the forefront of technology. The revolutionary panoramic engine of the game, developed by Alex Hastings, allowed to restore distant geometry with fewer polygons, eliminating the obscuring fog that characterized the 3D games of the time. Stewart Copeland, former drummer The police, composes unique and exotic music for the series, adding to its whimsical character.
And the movement. The movement was perfect. It's hard to describe the happiness of a well-designed 3D motion system. KotakuHis own Tim Rogers came closer in 2010 with his treatise on what he calls "sticky friction". Spyro roams the fantastic landscapes in a carefree way. Hold down the load button and his little dragon face looks dark and determined as he goes headlong toward his enemies. Jump in the air and hold down the slide button and Spyro floats gracefully in the air. There is no riddle. In minutes of play, it's easy to know where Spyro can or can not go, and even the most daring jumps are done naturally. That seems right to me.
The satisfying precision movement is the key to the Spyro trilogy. Although there are enemies to overcome through the three levels of play, they are not so much mortal enemies as obstacles to exploration. Once Spyro has eliminated the enemy from one of the levels of the game, easily accessible from a series of worlds of free roaming hubs, these enemies are gone. This leaves Spyro free to collect gems, close treasure chests and unlock the optional objectives offered by the three games. The defining moment in a Spyro game is to see in the distance the glimmer of a seemingly unreachable jewel and find a way to get there, either by discovering a secret path or flying up.
The focus is on collecting gifts in all three games. In the first, Spyro moves from world to center, releasing dragons trapped in the crystal by Gnasty Gnorc. In Ripto's rage Each level contains a talisman and a number of challenge orbs allowing the little dragon to find or win via mini-games. Finally, in The year of the DragonSpyro and his friends must save the dragon eggs stolen by an evil witch. This is a game for players who will not get out of a level before they have found 500 of 500 gems, four out of four dragons, and two stolen eggs.
the Spyro Trilogy mainly leaves Spyro the dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's rage and Spyro: Year of the dragon originally intact. The movement is always exciting and addictive. The music, remastered by the composers of the studio Activision Toys for Bob, evokes the same wonder as the original tracks of Copeland (although the option to switch to the original music is present). The level provisions are the same. The enemy placement is the same. The complex tricks I had to perform to reach hidden areas in the original game are just as frustrating (talk with you, Tree Tops).
The most important change concerns the appearance of the game. It started from that:
For that:
Toys for Bob is no stranger to Spyro the dragon. This is the studio that created the Skylanders the first installment was created in the form of a Spyro vehicle (Skylanders: The Spyro Adventure). The popular series of toys for life grew out of Spyro, borrowing many of its elements and signature themes from the Insomniac platformer series.
The anthropomorphic animals that populate the Skylands are undoubtedly relatives of Alora the Wildlife and Hunter Cheetah, two characters introduced into Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage. They could also be related to Sheila, the playable kangaroo introduced in the third game, The year of the Dragon.
The characters in the three games were seriously transformed by the Toys for Bob team. Some fans and long-time art creators may not be happy with the new look that some characters sport (like Sheila's human arms), but I appreciate the change. The transformation extends even to the enemies of the game, which are more threatening or whimsical, according to the interpretation of Toys for Bob.
The first three Spyro the games resist unbelievably well, and the lush graphic redesign makes them even better. Combined in an economical package ($ 39.99), this is an incredible amount of games for a relatively small price.
Make sure to play the games in the correct order. Start with Spyro the dragon. You will then learn to appreciate what the little hero can accomplish by slipping, charging and breathing. The next game, Ripto's rage, adds swimming and climbing, giving Spyro more places to explore, as well as creative mini-games and level challenges. And then there is The year of the Dragon, which introduces four additional playable characters and even more side activities, including skateboarding. It's corny, but it works.
I received my copy of Spyro Trilogy Friday. I won the first match Sunday afternoon. I finished with 40% of the second and played with 20% of the third in order to "make a quick jump to check quickly". I love this series and I have been dreaming of a remastero for years. The toys for Bob have made this dream come true.
the Spyro Trilogy is now available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
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