Platformer

With the rise to power of the high-end consoles, the action/platform genre has evolved into an entirely different entity that incorporates more exploration than it does action. Other than Naughty Dog’s award-winning Crash Bandicoot series, almost every platformer out there has changed into more of an adventure than a spastic action game. Mario 64 forces the player to find stars. Gex asks that the player find remotes. Even Donkey Kong asks that bananas be sniffed out. While Spyro sings the same song, developer Insomniac Games did its best to incorporate as much action into the mix as possible. With the sequel, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, Insomniac has perfected the balance between the two genres. If you’re not searching, then you’re either jumping across lava pits or tangling with a grizzly beast.

Insomniac has also transformed Spyro’s adventure into a more RPG-like epic. As you progress through the game, you’ll inherit new abilities, cross paths with helpful allies, and even need to backtrack to certain levels to unlock a new secret or power. In the first game, the Dragons were the stars, and while Spyro and Sparx are still the main characters in this saga, a host of new faces have been added to help the duo. Whether it be Hunter the cheetah, Zoe the fairy, or the Professor, Spyro has good company with him on his adventure, and he’ll need to interact with them throughout the entire quest. Along with these allies, every stage now features a theme and a different race of beings who are in need of your help. All characters that talk to Spyro are brought to life through dubbed voices and wacky personalities. When Spyro solves their dilemmas, the natives will reward him well, and the player will receive a special mini-cutscene for his or her work.

Spyro has grown a tad, and his voice is deeper. The new powers he can learn will allow him to snort ice blasts, propel fireballs, hover in place, climb ladders, and even swim underwater. He’ll also be asked to compete in a ton of minigames that range from roller-coaster rides to parasailing behind a jet-ski. His first adventure seems more or less like a training exercise for this new adventure. If you enjoyed the first, and love the speedy purple blur just as much as we do, we’re sure you’ll find this new journey to be one of the most action-packed the PlayStation has to offer.