Disclaimer: rare long review incoming

This is probably my least favorite Spyro game from the series and I hope to never play it again. Why so? Allow me to tell you.

For starters it took me 2 tries to complete it since as my younger self I couldn't fathom not only the cheeky unfunny dialogue but also the story itself. I had too many question coming from the PS1 era, such as: Who's Red? Who's that pink dragon? Why does everyone talk like what they do is a chore? Why does it feel like everyone hates being there? What happened to the Professor and his intelligence? And most importantly, HOW CAN I MAKE MONEYBAGS SHUT UP?!

Seriously, he's the most annoying ever and you have to talk to him constantly because there’s now a gem shop where you can not only buy upgrades but keys which you need for some collectibles or to fast travel between areas. In fact, he even talks to you whenever you're near his portals repeating the same lines with that smug face, and (spoiler alert in case you were wondering) you never get back at him.

So that’s bad enough at least it’s somewhat bearable if you turn off the audio. What isn’t and plays a major factor are the controls. Honestly, whoever decided to map the run button to circle and the fire button to square should have been fired immediately. I lost count on how many times I messed up hitting an enemy or dashing in the air due to muscle memory. Every time that happened it made me facepalm and at the time of reading this my forehead is probably quite red.

Moreover, the 3D platforming is made even worse by the bad physics engine. While not the worst I’ve witnessed it encompasses a lot of instances which needed more time in the oven: glitchy hitboxes specifically while hitting some enemies, slippery platforms particularly moving ones, getting hit through walls which at least didn’t happen often, or even missing collectibles you clearly go through because the game didn’t load it fast enough.

There are also minigames throughout your journey and while I didn't despise them, there were certain parts that really frustrated me: the Sparx levels for spamming you with enemies in sections where you have to go through fast closing hatches, Blink's platforming considering for how much you have to do of it sometimes with a lot of waiting; and Hunter's inaccurate moveset for both jumps, punches and arrows if you’re not at the right spot. Sgt. Byrd was the only one that controlled well enough to not be a problem and its times weren’t as strict as some may say.

Apart from that, the game in general had an accumulation of minor inconveniences which I could mention but it would make the review twice as long. These I wouldn't have noticed if this was the first game in the series but since it isn’t and the problem wasn’t there to begin with it’s quite noticeable. For example, you’d expect after ramping into a jar or a chest to immediately give you its contents, mostly gems. Well this game sometimes doesn’t do that and makes you turn around, move the camera and step where you’ve just been. Stuff like this isn't game changing but once it happens too frequently it can pile up enough to get on your nerves. Fortunately in the case of gems there are so many lying around that you might as well avoid the chests all together from a certain point onwards.

On the positive side, the presentation itself is very colorful and despite not being a fan of the character design, it looks good enough for its console. Furthermore, while none of the tracks caught my ear and this is a downgrade from how well they used to be composed, some may find them catchy after hearing them enough. Also, not every single joke in the game was bad, some dark gag did make me giggle in hindsight, too bad they didn’t while playing the game considering whatever annoying task I had to perform.

All in all, this was simply an utter disappointment that completely stepped on my good nostalgic memories with a pale version that tried too hard to make fun of itself to the point that it can be summed up in one word: annoying. The only reason I went back and completed it was to lay my curiosity to rest and in that regard I think I’ve done more than enough.

A well designed and crafted puzzle game set in an alien environment full of bugs which heavily plays on cinematics and perspective. While abstract in its narrative, meaning and message, it doesn't use words to convey what the player has to do to solve each puzzle, leading to some thought provoking ones by the end once everything its set into place. The highlight for me though was the presentation which was able to flourish different ecosystems with enough detail to leave you intrigued, as well as the soundtrack which always immerses you into this ominous state of not know where you are, how did you end up there, but that somehow everything makes sense.

A well put together remaster of the original PS1 3D platformer centered around Pac-Man saving his family from the ghosts. It captures the essence of what made it good back in the back and fixes as much as it can a lot of difficulty problems I used to have, mainly concerning unfair boss battles, hard to track collectibles and overall level design.

While the presentation is cleaner it also comes off as a bit flat for my taste, not translated to the music which really did get the better deal with cleaner compositions as well as a few welcomed additions. Controls are mostly enhanced with the exception of the rev roll having some trouble on ramps and the controls not being snappy enough in the original mode (weird, considering a port of that game already exist in each of the platforms this released on).

In any case, this is definitely the preferred version to grab more so at a discount as you should be able to complete it in under 10 hours.

A lovely in nature exploratory 3D platformer that with its cute gator and animals tells us a narrative certered around relationships, responsibilities and cherishing the present. It not only accomplishes that in a few hours with many characters, side quests, collectibles and contraptions that change your gameplay in small but meaningful ways, but it lets us go back to those childhood moments where we were able to be playful aside from our daily busy life.

It's thoughtful, maybe a bit unprecise in a few places or childish in its delivery, relaxing in its atmosphere and imaginative in its entirety. I'm sure it should leave a smile on your face by the end more so if you can realte to either of the protagonists.

A cute, creative, small and clever enough collection of mazes that can keep you entertained for an hour or so. I liked the simple design and the way each of them had a different way to go about them. By the end I was left wanting more but I can't complain about what I got.

Tired of solving the same old mazes in the back of kid's menues? Good, then this is for you.
Wanting to play a short puzzle game with some tea on the side? Good, then this is for you.
Going broke and wanting regardless to play a game for some time in order to distract you from the horrible economical and political situation that society is currently through which will most certainly leave a blow into your future prospects? Good, then this is for you... probably.

A nostagic version of the original RPG from the NES that went back in its mechanics after the second one in the series went on an experimental yet no so appealing approach. The story is more fleshed out with more plot points, characters and places to visit. Also, the job system now lets you change your tactic so long as you when and how to use each. Also, this version oozes charm from its particle effects and orchestral soundtrack.

The only thing I wasn't really a fan of was the dialogue. It really felt too cheesy and generic, more on the generic "shounen anime" side, so to speak. Plus, it also dragged out a bit by the end as the boss fights kept coming and it wouldn't end. Fortunately it did just as the 20 hours mark was reached.

A retro bite sized (or so) 8-bit throw back to those old RPG from back in the day. It features much of its inspiration from that era, going from the Windows 95 esche background in the fights to the fact that the characters don't turn while talking to them from the side. It can satisfy that RPG itch you may have in case you didn't want to spend thousand of hours grinding and the writing is decent enough to be entertaining for a playthrough of less than 10 hours.

However, every rose has its thorn and in this case there some notorious ones. This includes the fact that there's no fast travel method other than teleport to the start, meaning that even escaping dungeons to avoid death or while looking for lot you might've missed is a hassle. Then there's the spells of which I ended up relying on 2 considering how much the latter cost compared to their effect. Most of the time I ended up either attack normally or fleeing so outside the boss fights much was left to be desired. Finally, in case you don't come bacj to the game for a while you may find yourself backtracking needlessly since it doesn't convey very well what what you have to do. Sure, the pause menu has a prompt but the names of the towns are generic and the space is so vast between them that checking them out can be quute annoying without a map.

In any case, it was enjoyable from what its worth and I can't complain much since I know the devs and they even gave me a key back when it released. Better late than never I guess.

A nostalgic yet hard 3D platformer version of the original Celeste that not only features returning characters but also quite challenging strawberries to collect. The level design traces back its inspiration mainly from Super Mario Sunshine, more so considering the tapes and the music in those areas. There is also a lot of more focus on exploration but thankfully none of it requires collecting blue coins.

Side note: the initial build of the game required me to change the language settings of my computer in order to play it; the second one had a trojan that was automatically detected by Windows defender and deleted the executable; and the third one while it works doesn't let me save and quit, so despite finishing it it's now pretty much stuck in that state.