Spyro Reignited Trilogy – Everything You Need to Know Before You Play

If you remember playing Spyro the Dragon on the original PlayStation, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a chance to experience those classic adventures all over again – but with a completely new look.

Released in 2018, the Reignited Trilogy brings together the first three Spyro games: Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. In Europe and Australia, Spyro 2 was originally known as Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer. The trilogy was developed by Toys for Bob and rebuilt with modern graphics, updated controls, new cinematics and a reworked version of Stewart Copeland’s original music.

Which Games Are Included?

The collection contains the three original PlayStation adventures, giving you a substantial amount of Spyro to play through.

Spyro the Dragon is the simplest and most traditional of the three. Spyro travels through the Dragon Realms, rescuing dragons, collecting gems and defeating enemies while working towards stopping Gnasty Gnorc.

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! expands considerably on the original. Spyro finds himself in Avalar, where Ripto and his minions have invaded the realms. Alongside the main levels, you’ll find additional challenges, orbs, talismans and characters who help make the second game more varied.

Spyro: Year of the Dragon continues to build on the formula with even more level variety and additional playable characters. Spyro must recover stolen dragon eggs while exploring the Forgotten Worlds.

Together, the three games contain more than 100 levels, with plenty of collectibles, challenges and optional objectives for anyone who wants to go beyond simply completing the main story, including skillpoints.

What’s Different From the Original Games?

The biggest difference is immediately obvious: the entire trilogy has been rebuilt visually.

The levels are recognisable from the original PlayStation games, but the environments, characters, enemies and animations have been recreated with considerably more detail. The result is a much more colourful and modern-looking version of the worlds many players will remember from the late 1990s.

The cinematics have also been recreated, while the original soundtrack has been reworked rather than simply replaced. Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), who originally voiced Spyro in the second and third games, returned to provide Spyro’s voice for the trilogy.

The games remain remarkably faithful to the originals, however. This isn’t a completely new interpretation of Spyro’s adventures. The levels, objectives and overall gameplay are still based on the original trilogy.

How Does It Play?

At its heart, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a collection of 3D platforming and exploration games.

Spyro can run, jump, glide, charge, swim (from 2 onwards) and breathe fire as he explores each level. You’ll collect gems, rescue characters, defeat enemies and search for hidden areas and collectibles.

The second and third games add more activities and challenges, so the trilogy gradually becomes more varied as you progress.

One of the great things about Spyro is that you don’t necessarily have to rush through the levels. You can concentrate on reaching the exit and progressing through the adventure, or spend considerably longer exploring every corner and trying to achieve 100% completion.

Is It Difficult?

For the most part, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is an accessible platforming collection, making it suitable for both returning fans and people who have never played Spyro before.

The main story of each game is generally manageable, although some of the later levels and optional challenges can become considerably more difficult. If you’re aiming for complete level completion and every collectible, you’ll encounter some challenges that require more patience and precise movement. This is particularly noticeable in some of the optional challenges in Spyro 2 and Spyro 3.

I have to admit that I find some of the levels quite challenging, especially the flight worlds! They can be surprisingly difficult to complete. Of the three games, Spyro 3 is my favourite when it comes to value for money. There’s so much packed into it, with Homeworlds leading to multiple worlds, and those worlds containing their own mini-games and extra challenges.

So, while the trilogy isn’t generally a brutally difficult collection, 100% completion is a different matter. 🙈

What About the Controls?

The Reignited Trilogy offers updated controls while also allowing players to use a control scheme closer to the original games. Activision’s support information confirms that you can choose between Retro and Reignited controls from the Options menu.

This is particularly useful if you’re returning to Spyro after many years and your muscle memory still expects the original PlayStation controls.

The modernised controls and camera also make the games feel much more comfortable on newer hardware, although players who prefer the original feel can switch back to the Retro layout.

Does It Save Automatically?

Yes. The trilogy uses an autosave system, rather than allowing you to manually save whenever you want. Progress is automatically saved at certain checkpoints throughout the games. This is worth knowing if you’re used to the original PlayStation games and expect to be able to choose a save slot manually.

Can You Play It Offline?

Yes. Once the necessary game content has been downloaded, the trilogy can be played offline. An internet connection is required to download some of the content, but you don’t need to remain connected while playing. I first purchased this for PlayStation 4 as a disc. The disc does need to be inserted before you can play the game. I also own it on Steam which is more convenient and great for saving movie clips and screenshots of the game.

Which Platforms Is It Available On?

Spyro Reignited Trilogy was released for:

• PlayStation 4
• Xbox One
• Nintendo Switch
• PC via Steam

The PC version also supports higher resolutions and uncapped frame rates on suitable hardware, while the console versions received enhanced support on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

Is Spyro Reignited Trilogy Worth Playing?

If you enjoyed the original Spyro games, the answer is fairly easy: yes.

The Reignited Trilogy keeps the charm and gameplay of the original games while giving them a substantial visual makeover. The worlds are familiar without simply looking like the same PlayStation games with a higher resolution, and the characters have considerably more personality thanks to the new animations and visual detail. For newcomers, it is also a particularly good way to discover Spyro. You don’t need to have played the original games to understand the stories or gameplay, and the relatively straightforward platforming makes the trilogy easy to pick up. I’ll always have a great nostalgic affection for the original PS1 games, but always play Reignited for the convenience.

The biggest reason to play it is probably the variety between the three games. Spyro the Dragon provides the foundation, Gateway to Glimmer/Ripto’s Rage! expands the formula with more challenges and activities, and Year of the Dragon takes the ideas even further. In my opinion, each game gets more challenging than the last!

Whether you’re returning to the Dragon Realms for a nostalgic trip or meeting Spyro for the first time, the Reignited Trilogy remains an enjoyable collection of three classic platforming adventures.

Final Verdict

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a great choice for fans of the original games and anyone looking for a colourful, accessible 3D platforming adventure.

It contains three complete games, plenty of collectibles and challenges, and enough optional content to keep completionists busy for considerably longer than someone simply playing through the stories.

The Reignited Trilogy doesn’t try to reinvent Spyro. Instead, it takes the original adventures and gives them the modern presentation they deserve while retaining the gameplay that made the original trilogy so popular.