What better way of starting off this blog than with the very first video game I ever played; Spyro the Dragon! Growing up, I was limited when it came to game consoles. It was either one system or no system, so we got the Playstation and it was the only system I had until the PS2 many years later. At that time I was a small kid with no knowledge of video games or what a controller was. However, I still remember my first experience of playing Spyro the Dragon and it was an experience that changed my life forever.
The story of Spyro is a simple one; you play as a young purple dragon named Spyro who, after the evil Gnasty Gnorc traps all of the adult dragons in crystal, has to save the dragons, collect all of the treasure that was stolen by Gnasty’s henchmen, and restore peace to the dragon realms! There are five home worlds in the game with each containing roughly five levels per world. At the end you fight Gnasty, free the dragons, collect the treasure, and even stop a bunch of blue thieves from stealing tiny dragon eggs.
The graphics were revolutionary for the time. Draw distance for early 3D games were never amazing and most games covered the low draw distance by implementing fog or mist for example. But for Spyro, Insomniac Games created a unique engine that didn’t require the need for fog or mist in levels. It wasn’t perfect, but for their second ever game, Insomniac was already showing that they were pros in the game industry!
The gameplay is also extremely addicting and fun because of how it was designed. The main objective is to collect things, mainly gems, dragons, and dragon eggs. These collectibles are scattered all over the levels, so trying to find all of them becomes a really entertaining task. There wasn’t a level where I thought to myself “when is this going to end?” Each level is unique and greatly designed for you to glide around and explore each nook and cranny. The only gripe I have with the gameplay is how heavy Spyro can be sometimes. When you run and jump, Spyro will jump but then almost immediately fall back to the ground. This can be a pain sometimes when you are trying to perform some of the trickier platforming in later levels, so trying to master Spyro’s jump is key. His gliding can also be 50/50 sometimes because when Spyro glides, he descends slowly but surely, so when you’re trying to glide to a far away platform, you can sometimes miss it because you didn’t jump high enough or you thought you did but he just barely misses the edge and falls to his death. However, after getting used to it, it is manageable, but I prefer Spyro’s movement in the later games.
The great part about Spyro is the fact that it’s probably the most accessible game ever when it comes to newcomers of video games. As a kid first playing video games, I obviously had no idea what to do or where to go, but the first home world is mostly non-dangerous, unless you accidentally fall in water! The health system is also extremely generous because Spyro’s health is indicated by Sparx, a dragonfly who follows you around. Take one hit and he becomes blue, take two hits and he becomes green, take three hits and he’s gone, so you most likely know what happens if you take another hit. Some critics nowadays may say that it’s too easy because of this health system, but the real challenge of Spyro is one word: completion.
In order to fully beat the game, you need to collect every dragon, rescue every dragon egg, beat every boss, and obtain every bit of treasure. Now this may not seem so hard, but oh boy do some of the later levels become difficult to complete, especially “Tree Tops”. Some levels as a kid forced me to buy the strategy guide for the game as well! Remember, the internet was still in its infancy during the late 90’s and I had no idea how to even use a mouse let alone try to do research on how to beat specific levels! But it was all worth it to see that 120% completion on my screen, knowing that I was able to confront every obstacle and defeat the big baddy of the game. Seeing those credits gave me so much joy and every year when I go back to beat it, I feel nostalgic for the first time I ever completed this game.
I haven’t even talked about the music yet composed by the legendary Stewart Copeland! As the former drummer for the Police, drums are obviously a main focal point for the music, but during most levels there is an amazing electric guitar that still blows me away. It is seriously one of the best soundtracks in a video game and I encourage everyone to listen to some of the tracks for this game!
Overall, Spyro the Dragon was a great first step in my long history with video games. It’s a fun, charming, and addicting platformer collect-a-thon with incredible music and an innovative engine. However, Insomniac wasn’t done just yet; their magnum opus was launched just a year later with Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, my favorite game of all time.
Here’s an interview that Playstation Underground conducted with Insomniac Games from 1998 that goes more into detail about the engine that they created and how they were inspired to create the series in general!
