Editorial | Christmas gaming memories: Spyro the Dragon.

By Sam Coles:

Christmas is a special time especially when you are a child, but as the years go by the less extravagant presents get. However when you are child nine times out of ten you will probably get a video game related gift, for me that was the original PlayStation and Spyro the Dragon.

So picture this it is the late 1990s and my Mum and Dad bought a PlayStation to share between me and three other brothers, the game that hooked me first was Spyro the Dragon. Me being five years old at the time I was immediately enthralled with the game, the world, gameplay and soundtrack had me giddy like a trotting horse. It’s a moment that is cemented in my history within gaming; you don’t get those moments often and is something that one must cherish.

Spyro the Dragon is a game that is still in my life now and when Activision announced that they were remaking them in back in 2018, my inner child erupted with excitement. Now you would probably think that Spyro wasn’t that ground breaking, and yes you would be correct as it capitalised on current trends on platformers such as Mario 64. However it’s the setting of the game that was more unique as it took on a more fantasy aesthetic, with fairies, castle to explore and of course treasure to plunder to add to your Dragon’s horde.

The first time I booted up Spyro the Dragon I just remember the track playing in the Artisans world hub, with the rolling green hills in front of me as I could hear the ominous drones of portals to other worlds. When I first stepped through a portal to take me to a different world, I was enraptured, from the calm and sunny day of Stone Hills to the sleepy twilight of the Dark Hollow. The different worlds help separate Spyro from its contemporaries, as they are all unique and standout instead of the standard forest, desert and Iceland areas. Not to say those sort of levels are not there, they are but the game adds its own flavour to the mix to stop it feeling stale like a loath of bread that has been left out on the side for a week.

Exploration in the first Spyro was something that it got right compared to other platformers, the game enticed you to explore with the subtle visual ques helping you on the way. You can hear the mischievous laugh of the egg thief, that’s when you know a Dragon egg is nearby to the twinkle of a distant gem to add to your horde of treasure. It’s these elements that had me intrigued as a child, as it all came together to make for a thrilling adventure which blossomed my love affair for video games for the next 21 years of my life.  

Not only that the basic combat of breathing fire and horn charging is immensely satisfying, you see bushes turn to ash and get a cartoonish noise when you charge into someone’s backside. I will always remember the first time when I managed to break a line of metal chests in one fell swoop with a charge, the audio and visual feedback is wonderful.  

Even the visuals to this day have this charm to them, now I know that is almost laughable to say these days but they are still very animated and have a decent amount of detail considering the limited hardware. Spyro’s facial expressions are greatly exaggerated alongside the other characters; they have this charm that I can still look at today. The different worlds look beautiful still, I think what helps make these areas age well are the good use of colour, there are no dull colours in this game everything pops and leaps out of the screen.

Spyro the Dragon will always be one of those games that will be forever linked to my childhood and Christmas, its beautiful world and gameplay are timeless. It’s a game that is legendary within the genre, so much so that when Activision released the remakes in 2018 I felt like a child again experiencing them for the first time.