Overview:
You take control of the titular Spyro the Dragon as he goes across worlds looking for the other dragons who have been made into statues. It seems like there are a few dozen of them and they all have little helpful hints to help you on your way. You’ll also be obtaining collectibles which help you progress from one level to the next. Each level is an open world, so to speak, with you going up platforms, flying, beating up enemies, and more to help you get to the end. It was a game, as a Nintendo 64 kid, I wish we had on that platform as well. I’m finally glad to be able to give it a fair shot!
Visuals:
They’re not that bad, if I’m being honest. They’re not extremely detailed or anything but with the limitations of the Sony PlayStation the environments are devoid of fog and each of them are different than the next you don’t get a sense of repetition which is nice. Spyro and the dragons are also pretty well done with each of them all being different from one another. I can’t fully say if all of them truly are but the feeling is there. Their animations, though, are kind of jittery and basic but you work with what you got.
Audio:
You do get CD audio for every level and the characters are all voice acting but that’s where it causes problems. When a track is done it fades away and then starts playing again from the top. As you’re wandering through levels you’ll hear this a couple of times and it’s always rather jarring. The voice acting is also pretty bad. Spyro sounds ridiculous and has that late 1990’s ‘tude while all the dragons just have a bland delivery of their lines. Again, you work with what you got.
Completion:
I’m working through the game and, I believe, I’m in the 50s of how many dragons I’ve freed. I don’t know if I’ll get them all [or if I’m required to] but I’m progressing through each level. I do wish there was something at the end of the levels like a boss fight or something climactic because each one just ends and then you’re back to the hub world. I’m enjoying the game but I don’t have the nostalgia for it many probably do. As I said, I remember seeing ads for it when I was a teenager and wishing it would come out on the N64 but, in hindsight, it kind of really wasn’t missed when we had so many platformers on that system.
