Crash Bandicoot was a massive hit, and Spyro is the next classic hero to be remastered! Here’s the latest news about the Spyro the Dragon remaster, officially called the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, including release date and gameplay information.
The Crash Bandicoot trilogy remaster was one of the biggest hits of 2017, selling more copies than plenty of major new releases. So it should come as no surprise that the next classic PlayStation franchise to get the remaster treatment is Spyro the Dragon.
Following months of rumours, leaks and speculation, Activision officially announced Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the Spyro remaster headed to consoles later this year. Here’s all we know about the Spyro remaster, including the official release date, platform support and gameplay information.
The first Spyro the Dragon came out back in 1998, making this year the game’s 20th anniversary – very convenient timing for a remaster, right? Prior to the announcement of the game, fans speculated that since the original first came out in September (in the US and Japan at least), the remaster would arrive in the same month: September 2018.
Though it was confirmed by Activision during the reveal of the Spyro Reignited Trilogy that the game would be released on 21 September 2018, the game has suffered a delay. It’s not too long, but Paul Yan, co-studio head at Toys for Bob confirmed in a blog post that the game release has been pushed back to 13 November 2018.
If you don’t want to wait that long, you can always get your nostalgia fix from the Crash Bandicoot remaster or try your luck looking for the original Spyro games on eBay .
Prior to the official announcement, many assumed that Spyro Reignited Trilogy would be a PS4 exclusive. That’s the strategy publisher Activision followed with the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, and it worked wonders. It makes sense too – the original Spyro trilogy were all PlayStation exclusives, and any remaster would hope to trade in on the nostalgia factor by targeting current PS4 owners.
But, here’s the twist; unlike with Crash Bandicoot, Activision has announced that Spyro Reignited Trilogy will be available for both PS4 and Xbox One at launch. While Switch and PC gamers still miss out on the remastered action, it’s great news for Xbox fans. We assume that there will be PS4 Pro and Xbox One X support for shiny 4K visuals too.
So, what should we expect from the Spyro remaster? The game isn’t being developed by original developer Insomniac Games as the company is focusing on the PS4-exclusive Spider-man game, and is leaving Toys for Bob to handle remaster duties.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy will feature new assets, animations and cinematics to bring the visuals up to standards with modern games, while keeping some of the charm of the 90s classic. The game has been “remade from the ground up” according to Activision, offering “updated controls” and “brand-new lighting”.
That includes the soundtrack, which has been fully remastered for the new release, giving players the option to play through the game with either the original music or the new versions. There’s even a whole new theme for the re-release, composed by original series composer Stewart Copeland.
Kotaku claims that the game will include an update to the save system to make it a little more user-friendly, as was the case with the Crash remaster.
In terms of content, the game will include all three classic PlayStation titles: Spyro The Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon.
There is also said to be user interface changes, to a) modernise things, and b) unify them across the three games, which each featured slightly different systems.
Whatever happens, it should look much better than the original did. If you can’t remember (or you’re too young!) then take a look at the below video to jog your memory!
