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.
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.