PixlBit

No damsels in distress in this one, but there's plenty of dragons to rescue

3D platformers weren't too common on the Playstation, but one such game sticks out: a game starring the world's most adorable dragon, Spyro. Released in 1998 for the PS1, Spyro the Dragon was developed by Insomniac Games (who would go on to make the Ratchet & Clank games) and published by Sony. It's a 3D platformer in which you control a dragon; no, not a big ferocious dragon, a small adorable one.

The story is ridiculous (which is fine). When the game starts, the dragons are having a nice interview, bashing the villain, and the villain doesn't appreciate this, so he turns them all into statues! All of them except Spyro, of course. So it's up to the little dragon to free them. All you have to do is touch a statue to free the dragon. Along the way, Spyro can also reclaim the dragon's treasure and eggs too.

Spyro can do many things: he can jump, glide in the air with his wings, ram with his horns, and blow fire. Each of his abilities is used effectively throughout the game. You can ram enemies or blow fire at them; however, enemies wearing armor are impervious to fire, so you have to ram them. Stone chests can also only be broken by ramming. Spyro himself handles well when moving fast, but having him move slowly is tricky (he tends to lunge forward a little instead of inching forward).

The game actually has some voice acting too: when you rescue a dragon, he'll give you a hint about something or just say something funny. The voice acting is decent (it's not awful thank goodness). Dragon pedestals change into save points which you can use at any time, meaning save points are everywhere.

You'll start the game in an overworld, which you can explore and find levels to jump into. Levels don't have a definite end; you can explore them to your heart's content, finding all the dragons, getting all the treasure, and leave whenever you want. There's a balloonist in the overworld; by doing what he says (rescue ten dragons, accumulate 1200 treasure, etc.) you can fly off to the next overworld. The game's different overworlds keep it fresh; each one is unique with new enemies and territory to explore.

At any time you can pause the game to check your inventory, where you can see if you've rescued all the dragons in a particular level or gotten all the treasure. Should you happen to die, you start right where you died and don't lose any treasure. You can tell that Insomniac was gearing this game towards kids; it's not a difficult game at all.

                                    Dragonly advice is a wonderful thing

Level design is great. Levels are large with lots of room to explore. Finding all the dragons in each level can be a challenge, as well as trying to get all the treasure. The gameplay advances throughout the game by adding features such as the super charge: Spyro runs on racetrack arrows and moves extra fast, becoming invincible and able to fly further when going off a ramp. It's really fun and exhilerating. There are also bonus levels in the game in which you fly through the whole level with a time limit, going through rings for extra time. Very fun.

Bosses in Spyro aren't big fights, but rather regular levels which contain a boss. You'll find the boss, hurt him once, then chase him to another section of the level, where you'll do the same thing. It's not very dramatic, but it's a creative twist on the boss. Enemies are also quite humorous, making funny noises and getting startled when they see you or when you ram them. These kind of funny enemies remind me of the bad guys from another great 3D platformer of this time, Rayman 2: The Great Escape.

Finally, the music is good. It's subdued and in the background for the most part, but it's good music. It never becomes annoying or sounds weird, but fits right in with the game. The graphics are also very good for the time. The PS1 tends to have blocky graphics, but Spyro holds up well, especially Spyro himself. Lookin' good, Spyro.

Final Verdict--4.5 Stars: Highly Recommended

This game holds up well after all these years. It's fun, creative, easy, yet captivating and enjoyable. Exploring the overworlds and levels is very satisfying. Spyro doesn't quite handle as smoothly as Mario, but the controls are still tight and responsive. Spyro is also one of the few mascots on the PS1 (with three games on the system and many which followed on later consoles), so he's more important than you think. If you enjoy 3D platformers, give this one a try. It's certainly one of the best on the PS1.