As a kid, Spyro The Dragon was one of my absolute favorite franchises. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that it is the gold standard for mascot platformers of the PS1 era. I’m a fan of Sonic, Mario, Crash, and other mascot platformer franchises of course, but all roads seemed to lead back to Spyro for me. When I played the Spyro Reignited Trilogy on PS4 (prior to opening Phenixx Gaming) I was reminded immediately of why I loved the franchise as a kid. Playing it on Switch though is an even better experience, or at least a more portable, versatile one. 

For those who have somehow missed Spyro Reignited Trilogy, it is essentially a complete remaster of the first three games in the franchise, Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. It was created by Toys for Bob, a new development team that has been fans of the Spyro games for many years. Activision requested that they work on this remastered, revamped trilogy, after the Skylanders franchise ran its course, and boy did they put their time into it. 

Toys for Bob painstakingly recreated each world, level, and environment to be set up exactly the same way as the original games, except with better graphics, a remastered soundtrack, voice acting, and so much more. If you’re looking for new Spyro levels or bosses, this isn’t the place to go. This is pure nostalgia and a complete overhaul of the original games. 

I was curious to see how the graphics quality would differ between my PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch version, and maybe graphics purists could write an essay about the differences; but personally I can’t tell the difference beyond a slight reduction in image quality, that is so slight that I wouldn’t notice unless I was TRYING to spot differences. 

The controls are smooth, the textures are crisp, the music is calm and interesting, and overall, it feels just like the late ’90s and early 2000s when the franchise released, just with a fresh coat of paint. I’m not going to go into too much explicit detail on each individual game, because they don’t differ much in terms of how they play. However, I will say that they all three play astonishingly well, barring occasional lag in loading screens. 

You play as Spyro, the titular dragon, as he collects gems, dragon eggs, and more (depending on which game you are playing.) The goal is similar to other games of the genre, to collect collectibles, complete levels, defeat bosses, and participate in mini-games. The major difference between the Switch version and other versions lies in portability. 

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. There is nothing better on a long trip, commute, or when you’re away from home, than sitting down and playing a game to pass the time. Spyro Reignited Trilogy fills this itch nicely since you can easily play a level, turn the Switch off, and then pick it right back up when you have more time. 

I can easily see myself going on vacation, sitting in the van while we drive to our destination, playing Spyro on the Switch. It is also a great game for kids, or for when you’re just not feeling well and want to play something chill. 

If you’re a fan of the original Spyro trilogy or mascot platformers in general, there is a lot to love about the Spyro Reignited Trilogy. They’ve added mini-maps, challenges, the option to switch between the classic and remastered soundtracks, and so much more. This is a perfect game to play with kids and is even better to just relax and bask in the nostalgia with. 

I really hope that with the success of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, we see more Spyro games release in the future. For that matter, I would love to see remasters of other classic mascot platformers (I’m looking at you Nintendo) or even just a resurgence of the genre, made with iconic characters and attention to detail. 

Spyro is back like never before, and with the Nintendo Switch’s portability and versatility, there is no better platform to play the Spyro Reignited Trilogy on. Even if you’ve never played a Spyro game before, and you’re looking to get into the franchise, why not take a bite out of a piece of gaming history? You won’t be disappointed. 

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Spyro Reignited Trilogy was provided by Activision for this review.

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Spyro Reignited Trilogy

$39.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Beautiful Levels
• Smooth Controls
• Take Spyro on the Go
• Three Great Games in One Package
• Hours of Platforming Greatness

Cons

• A Little Lag in Loading Screens