This is just, the ideal game, one of the best ones out there to me. It's so simple and breezy, but full of little incongruencies that add a ton of life to the moment to moment gameplay, all wrapped up with being one of the best looking games out there. Playing this for the billionth time after having played the reignited version also did wonders for getting me to appreciate how many little moments of friction in this game keep it feeling so engaging and interesting to me. The level design is mostly breezy but with these occasional difficult jumps that require a lot of precision to be able to make, never being unreasonable, but often coming a bit out of left field and adding a bit of tension to an otherwise very calm experience. Even the way Spyro moves feels a bit odd at first, with the player not being able to turn as snappily as in many other 3d platformers, since you're playing as a 4 legged creature. It never feels unintuitive or even weird, but it's different enough to be noticeable, and plays wonderfully into both the more open spaces and those tighter, winding corridors you'll occasionally find yourself in, with the charge ability never leaving navigations feeling at all sluggish.

Since the game is a pure collectathon with very little else focused on, having no minigames or strong combat focus, I like how much has been put into making the act of collecting itself a reasonably varied feeling task without leaning into outright distractions or big pace breakers, with things like the different kinds of boxes adding that tiny bit extra and also keeping things slightly more visually diverse as well. Of course, the bigger way that collecting things is made so fun is just in how cleverly a lot of gems are hidden, with the game making many more attempts to completely obfuscate potential hiding spots, being unafraid to even hide some gems completely out of sight and require borderline blind jumps to find some of them, with the only hint directing you in such a way being "I've looked in a lot of other places and it looks like I could maybe get to that platform over there. These hiding spots never feel outright unfair, but they do force the player to approach exploration in a way that will sometimes need to disregard basic expecations, approaching exploration in a far more open minded way where every unseen location could maybe be another hiding place, even if it seems ridiculous at first. This makes even the smallest of stages feel so much larger, just knowing that what seem like boundaries have the potential of leading to a reward, and it helps that the game is as pretty as it is.

The level design plays perfectly with Spyro's glide ability, which in turn contributes a lot to its aesthetic being so perfect. This is one of the best games for the appeal of "existing in a place and just wandering around" that I can think of. The levels feel sparse and empty, populated solely by enemies and dragons that have been turned to crystal, with each stage feeling very expansive due to Spyro's gliding and charging allowing him to travel long distances relatively quickly, with elements of verticality largely being utilised as a means of being able to travel further distances across long gaps, rather than just for the appeal of reaching higher places. The constant haze in the distance, the varied skyboxes, the untextured blobs in the distance that resemble random structures, all of it crafts a world that feels desolate, but dreamlike and inviting too, and this appeal is further reinforced with the game's use of colour. There are very few moments in Spyro The Dragon that feel content with only utilising a couple of flatter colours, with the ice cavern being the epitome of this, taking what in many other games would often be a largely white location, and adding a lot of greens, blues and purples to the world, with warm oranges weakly beaming out of the buildings, and it's absolutely beautiful. On the other hand, the moments that utilise more consistent, flat colouring are also really interesting, with the two biggest examples being the seemingly endless fields of Stone Hill or the flat desert of Cliff Town, both of which are open to the point of feeling slightly disconnected from the rest of the game, almost as if you've discovered a way to make it out of bounds and now can run around these endlessly expansive places of nothingness.

Everything about Spyro the Dragon feels set out to make the basic act of existing in a 3D environment as engaging as possible, with gems and dragons feeling like a means of getting the player to explore these gorgeous environments, rather than the levels feeling like vessels for collectables, and that difference is one of the biggest contributing factors in what makes Spyro 1 such a uniquely enjoyable game. It's just telling me to enjoy myself while combing through each stage, never letting me get comfortable to the point where I can switch my brain off and stop fully paying attention, but also not challenging me in a way that would majorly impede the act of exploration either. Tree Tops is also one of the best stages in any game and further reinforces my total adoration for everything this does.

Spyro is a deceptively simple game, or at least its mechanics are. The story, if can call it that, abruptly starts and abruptly ends. Gnasty Gnorc is the main antagonist, but I would forgive you for not knowing that as he only appears twice throughout the entire runtime, once during the opening cutscene and then and then again when you get to his boss fight; this leaves Gnorc feeeling like a non threat during your playtime cause you just never see or hear from him. As well, Spyro has absolutely zero character growth, he is the same when the credits roll as he was when the player hits start. But I am willing to let all of this slide because the story was clearly not the primary focus here.

Like I said, Spyro is simple, the dragon has only a handful of abilities, he can run, jump, glide, charge dash, and breathe fire. These moves are all static; he gains no new ones, nor do they inherently change. But what does change is the environment and how these abilities interact with it. The game starts with levels that are intended to let you get your bearings with the controls and physics of it all, then the next set of levels asks you to start performing more daring jumps and glides, then the next makes you master super dashing, and before you know it you're having to juggle and combine all of theses abilities in order to get 100 percent in each of the levels. But the amazing thing is how natural it all feels, there is no sudden spike in difficulty, and the levels are ordered in such a way that it gentle guides you into certain trains of thought; the pacing really is just incredible. And even if you do get stumped on one section or puzzle, one of the many dragons you need to save in order to progress will likely have a hint to help you out. I think the best demonstration of what I am talking about is the level "Tree Tops"; the whole levels is this big open area with lots of winding paths and dash ramps, and in order to get all the collectables you have to experiment with all the paths and chain dashes together to reach maximum speed.

Despite this praise however, I do still have some critiques. The camera is just bad, not as bad as other games from around the same time, but still not good. In the options menu there are two modes for the camera: Active; where the camera moves almost entirely on its own, and Passive; which lets you control the camera, while still moving on its own when needed. I would recommend playing with the passive setting, it causes the camera to spaz out less in enclosed areas. As well, the jumping and gliding can feel a bit too punishing at times, some of the jumps need to be near pixel perfect in order to connect which was slightly annoying. Though I don't want to knock it to bad for this because these types of jumps were usually relegated to optional areas for 100 percent completion.

I think I can confidently say that Spyro the Dragon has stood strong through the test of time. Its mechanics and worlds are timeless and easily accessible, while still providing a challenge for those who want it. I would say it is definitely worth you time.

Trying out Backloggd so I can keep track of the games I've played. I thought I'd start with my favorite game of all time!

Spyro the Dragon, to me, is the platonic ideal of a video game. A brightly colored 3-D platformer with stellar music and basic gameplay. There's no upgrades, no seeking out areas to come back to later, no shops or challenges. Spyro can do everything he's able to from the minute you start, and he doesn't change at all from beginning to end. It's perfect.

One of the things that made me love Spyro as a kid was its openness. You only need to fulfill a few small obligations to unlock new areas, so you can play as thoroughly or as fast as you please. Personally, I loved visiting each new area, hearing Stewart Copeland's wonderful score in each level, and charging and burning everything in sight. I wanted to get every single gem, dragon, and egg in the game, and it took 6 year old me a VERY long time to do it. Finally completing my goal is one of my proudest moments in gaming.

Since then, I've played this game at least once a year. I could run it with my eyes closed. I know every polygon by now. I can post about all the games I've played, but Spyro the Dragon was my first. No other game can make me feel like Spyro does.

I'm not the fondest about the first Spyro, not because I think it's worse than its successors but simply because it's not as polished and fine tuned as those. I think it's a common thread with all platformers and collectathlons from this era, but to undermine and undercut what this game meant and still means would be unfair and unjustly cold.

Spyro the Dragon works fluidly and it's got great depth, both in design thinking and controls. It's honestly baffling seeing Spyro so well animated, respond so quickly to jumping, shooting fire and flying around. It is a technical wonder and considering how the game implements all sections of gameplay is simply astonishing.

There are some things I dislike, but it's not about age, nor design. I think this game wants to be unfair and unjust to people, like me of course, who don't want to leave any gem behind and it forces you to be completely through in order to get to the 100% line. Let me tell you, Tree Tops awaits me every single time and I waver. That damned jump haunts my dreams, hours lost like the rain. I am already being punished every day for being like this, game, goddammit! Stop hounding me.

Still I would recommend playing it, either in the original form or in the Trilogy which, compared to the N. Sane Trilogy, does respect the PS1 physics and revamps a little the ambience, but honestly? It still looks phenomenal. 98' was a lifetime ago and the Reignited Trilogy only irons some wrinkles here and there. I'd say for convenience's sake just get the Trilogy.

By 1998, the Playstation had already carved out a notable market share in that generation's console wars, and a large part of that was due to its de facto mascot, Crash Bandicoot. Debuting two years prior, the iconic marsupial already had 2 critically and commercially successful titles, and would release the third of the trilogy later in the year. But while Crash was consolidating his position as a PS1 icon at the time, another was just beginning. Just a few months prior, now long-time Sony collaborators Insomniac Games would release what was then only their 2nd title, Spyro The Dragon. And unlike their debut, Spyro would go on to be their first major success; spawning 2 sequels on the PS1, a handful of later handheld and cross-gen titles, and, most importantly (as he's remembered to this day), a second memorable mascot for Sony's first console.

Of course, this being the late 90s, it was most likely than not that any new game releasing was to be of the 3D (and, particularly, 3D platformer) variety, and Spyro certainly isn't alone in that regard. However, even 4 years after the console's debut, the PS1 didn't have a definitive 3D platformer you might expect from such a successful console. Spyro The Dragon, then, was that title, and looking back, it's not hard to see why. Visually, the game is exceptional; its bright and captivating worlds are inviting to this day, and particularly impressive for the console it released on; there are some PS2 games that don't match the visuals of Spyro's debut. Each world is a vibrant mix of pastel and rich colors which offer a feast for the eyes and all the more incentive to explore the levels-the game's skyboxes are particularly noteworthy. And its rendering system, part of what made the game look so good, was largely influential on its contemporaries. Spyro was, for all intents and purposes, the system's first breakthrough 3D platform title.

While its visuals were revolutionary at the time, its gameplay offered a lot more of what would be referred to as a typical platformer/collectathon experience, and a decent one at that. Each area of the game is broken up into hubworlds and main levels, and plenty of them feature well-crafted and stylistically designed worlds. It's a pretty easy game to pick up and play, and it's got plenty of charm to get players engaged right off the bat. One of the best inclusions are the flight levels, which create an arcade-like atmosphere where you have to destroy obstacles with a certain time limit; although there's only a few and the challenge is rather low, it's a great diversion from the main gameplay, and optimizing your route is very satisfying. This satisfaction doesn't exactly translate over to the main gameplay mode, however. As nice as the visuals of Spyro are, the core game is relatively generic, and doesn't do much to distinguish itself from many of its genre's contemporaries. You're equipped with a glide, a headbutt, and fire breath, and despite the attempt at diversifying enemy types, the game plays basically the same way from start to finish. It's a relatively short game, even to 120%, but that doesn't stop it from feeling repetitive towards the latter half of the game.

Spyro The Dragon is generally considered to be a beginner friendly platformer, and while that is certainly appreciable, there are moments when it can go a bit too far towards the pedestrian. The boss fights in this game are consistently the worst levels in the game-so much so that you might not even realize some are boss fights-and they trend worse as the game goes on. The final boss fight is particularly bad, and is easily the least enjoyable level in the game. Games can certainly be less difficult while still being rewarding, but a large portion of Spyro isn't nuanced enough to pull this off. In fact, one could say the real difficulty of this title is dealing with the poorly implemented camera and slippery controls. This game was released with Dualshock support, so it's all the more questionable why the camera controls are relegated to R2 & L2 instead of the right joystick. You can also use the D-pad, but neither feel great-turns are wide, platform edges are sometimes inconsistent, and the camera is a bit too slow to stay behind you and follow your movement.

It's possible that one of the reasons Spyro has remained so ever-present in the gaming nostalgia zone is because it was likely the first game many very young players had the ability to beat. And for that alone, Spyro should be commended, and will live in the hearts and minds of everyone who remembers it fondly from their childhood. Even though the game doesn't really offer too much unique beyond its visual appeal, it's certainly not the worst game of its era to go back to, and it offers an okay amount of fun beyond its nostalgic pull. If you're willing to put up with some mundane gameplay and out-of-date controls, or if you're interested in gaming history, Spyro The Dragon is certainly worth a try.

I'll give this an easy 6, which feels strange to say because it doesn't quite have the glaring flaws other 7's on my list have.

In fact, everything is essentially perfect for what it is. Spyro controls well, the collectathon element is well-executed, not aggravating and unfair, and fun to complete. I have completed all three Spyro games multiple times to full completion.

The problem is that despite its mechanical greatness, it's kind of devoid of that special something that makes it amazing. The levels are uninspired, enemies are boring, and just generally you sort of have a sense of 'Eh'. Even the end of the game and the final boss are lackluster. By the time you hit the credits you don't really feel a lot, you just did it because it felt good to do.

And that's okay, but it doesn't make it the masterpiece that people claim it to be.