Retro Review “Spyro The Dragon”

Like Mario is for Nintendo, Sony was hoping that Spyro could be the official mascot for the PlayStation. Game footage captured via ePSXe by Alex Johnson.

By Lakyn Gardner

lagardner@lc.edu

“Spyro The Dragon” is a 3D platforming game made for the PlayStation and developed by Insomniac Games. Spyro released on Sept. 9, 1998, starting a trilogy of games. Spyro was the PlayStation’s first attempt at making a mascot.

 “Spyro the Dragon” is a 3D platformer following the m

ain character Spyro and his best friend Sparks the dragonfly on their journey to rescue all the Dragons in the village from a terrible incident that turned them into stone. Additionally, you have side quests to save eggs and collect gemstones which all help the main goal.

Spyro can defend himself with a flame breath or charging attack, though it may take players (especially modern players) some time to master the aging controls. Game footage captured via ePSXe by Alex Johnson.

This game is an amazing platformer that did a lot of things right; however, it does have its fair share of flaws. When the game was first released they only had a control pad which was all that was available before the analog sticks were added. Without analog sticks, moving around in a 3D world was quite difficult and added quite some frustration for a young boy like myself. The story is lackluster; however, the gameplay and lovable characters make up for everything. 

Considering this game was a pioneer of the 3D world, it gets a bonus for me. In conclusion, I believe this game deserves a 9 out of 10 rating, if only the controls had a bit more work for the control pad.

Spyro game screenshot
Be sure to check for hidden treasures! Spryo will need to explore caves and glide to far off ledges in order to find all the treasures and trapped dragons. Game footage captured via ePSXe by Alex Johnson.

 

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