S is for... Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon)

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Game Information

Developer:	Toys for Bob; Iron Galaxy Studios	Date Started:	06/04/2025
Platform:	Steam	Fresh Play / Continuation:	Continuation
Genre:	Platformer	Time Played:	10.6hrs
Theme:	Fantasy	Date Finished:	17/04/2025
Difficulty Rating:	Decent	Recommendation:	Always

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I've actually had this game installed on my desktop for... I really have no clue anymore. I had gotten through the first and second game quite a long while back, and though I had started the third game, I simply drifted away onto other things. So it was only fitting that I FINALLY put this game to rest.

Now I am no stranger to Spyro. I still recall the days of playing the original back on the PSX. But the funny thing is, I never played the sequels until after I got the Reignited Trilogy. It's not like I never had access to them - I even have the original trilogy on the PSN network. I just simply never got around to them.

Being able to play Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon as part of the Reignited Trilogy did not mean I missed out on anything. Or that my experience was soiled because the game was not the original. If anything, the developers kept the original mechanics and premise intact.

It brought back all the fond memories I had playing the classic platformers from my youth - Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Croc, and so many others.

I did like how the stages were relatively short and that there were a variety of minigames tucked into the levels. Some were an interesting challenge. Others were a bit of a snore. Some had me gritting my teeth. But we got there in the end.

I did like that, although the graphics were upgraded, the world, the enemies, and the characters, in a sense, remained the same. Spyro, for instance, still looked and felt like the Spyro from the PSX era. Just better.

There were, however, a few things that got on my nerves a little. By the time I got to the final world, the controls started to behave strangely. I thought it was my controller not responding - as it had done that in the past - but it wasn't the case. On some levels, particularly where Spyro was sliding down slopes, he simply would not respond to button commands. And it wasn't a case of me pressing the wrong thing, because even after the level reloaded when I died, Spyro would be stuck in the same spot until I either paused or jumped.

One other thing that bugged me was the boss fights. Sadly, they were boring. Each boss fight felt the same. You were in a circular arena, things would be thrown down to you by your companion, and you would use them to hurt the boss. The items would change the more you hurt the boss, and between each boss level, but the structure remained the same throughout.

And lastly... I cannot stand the Speedway levels. But that's just me. I completed them because I wanted to complete all the levels. Did I enjoy them? No. I have never been a fan of time attack modes or races in games that are not racing-oriented.

But, putting my moaning aside, as a platformer, Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon was still a fun game. It still brought back fond memories, and it is the sort of game I want to share with my daughter because it combines nostalgia with the modern. And she's currently into dragons, so that's a plus.

Next up, I look forward to another game that I got a long while back. I had even put in 76 minutes of play time into it before I got distracted. So for T, I will get back into This is the Police.