So I managed to finally get my hands on the original Spyro trilogy. You can bet your butt I’m reviewing my personal favourite of the three then! Even though I do think that Spyro: Year of the Dragon is technically the best in the original trilogy, because it’s bigger, better, and even more beautiful, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage will still be my favourite, probably for nostalgia reasons. So, here we go, onwards to the review.

The Graphics

The visuals are a tremendous step forward from Spyro the Dragon. The environments are more varied in color, making for much less drab and one-sided levels like some in the first game (I’m mostly looking at you, Peace Keepers homeworld). Everything looks crisp, complete, and very atmospheric. The character animations are even better than in Spyro the Dragon. It’s simply a joy to run through the game’s lush homeworlds. Heck, I found myself spending hours just doing random stuff in Autumn Plains -the second homeworld- stuff that didn’t make me book progress in any way, but it was just fun to traverse the levels. Given, it’s not only the crisp and colourful visuals that makes this such a joy, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the visuals are just really, really charming.

The Sound

For me, the sound is the game’s strongest asset.  Each level has its own track, and no track sounds the same. Some tracks are similar to some of the music from the first Spyro game, as if the nostalgia from only playing Spyro 2 isn’t enough. What’s also great is that Spyro’s oinky voice has been replaced by a better substitute, making him seem a little more ‘mature’. However, there is a glitch in the sound. If you talk to a person, you might hear the character’s foreign language voice, and sometimes you’ll hear the dialogue of an entirely different character. This isn’t that much of a bother though, since my disc is probably a bit dusty.

The Addictiveness

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage had me hooked, even now. The controls are so neatly worked out, that almost fifteen years later, this game is still perfectly playable and at least as much fun as it was back then. Collecting gems and orbs is time-consuming, but it never gets tedious because they’re overall not terribly hard to locate. The skill points you need to get in order to reach 100% completion are satisfying to achieve. And of course, gliding is still amazing fun. Lastly, this game holds a lot of glitches, but ones that are actually… fun. They aren’t game-breaking, because they are glitches that might enhance your fun. Look some up on YouTube, and try them out, if you just happen to own Spyro 2.

The Story

It’s straightforward and silly, which makes it easy to understand for children. The synopsis is this: Ripto and his dinosaur minions are causing panic and taking over the world known as Avalar. The Professor, Hunter the Cheetah and Elora the Faun are attempting to summon a dragon, supposedly the only being capable of stopping Ripto. Calling forth a dragon works, as Spyro and his dragonfly companion shoot from the portal. Spyro is then sort of ordered to stop Ripto’s schemes. As I said, it’s very straightforward, there aren’t any unnecessary twists that overly complicates the plot, as I notice in a lot of children’s games.

The Depth

The scope of Spyro 2 is indubitably AMAZING. Even though the story is relatively short, and the casual kid gamer can beat Spyro 2 in about a day (a more grown up gamer can beat it in two hours), but then there is the backtracking which makes Spyro 2 HUGE. For example, you need to be able to climb to get certain orbs (the things you need to collect in order to progress) but this is a special ability you learn until about halfway into the game. But there are many ladders found in the early levels. If you want to collect all those gems and orbs that the game has to offer (and trust me, you will) then you have to come back for them later. The worlds are animated wonderfully complicated. Summer Forest is a very good example of this. There is a secret area there(not gonna spoil it for ya, you’re just gonna have to search) which leads to an orb, and afterwards you can glide back into the world at another point in the world, meaning that everything is so nicely networked. There’s obviously been a lot of thought into the maps by the developers. Furthermore (just a little detail), literally EVERY character has a name.

The Difficulty

Aside from a couple of mini-games which pose a minor challenge, the game is very easy. The only thing you have to do is follow the path towards the end of the level, and then you’re done. The bossfights are rather simple as well, apart from Ripto, the last fight. Every time Sparx eats 10 butterflies from fodders, you gain a live. Fodder respawns quickly, so grinding for lives is easy. There may be times where you screw up accidentally and hurl yourself off a cliff, or just get unlucky and get killed, but overall, this game is very easy, probably easier than the first Spyro game.

It’s story is basic, and it’s just very easy, but hey. This is a children’s game. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage is still amazing fun to play. It still looks gorgeous, its controls haven’t aged at bit, and the music is diverse and charming. I recommend everyone to play this game. Both everyone on Vizzed, and simply everyone in the world, no, everyone in the entire galaxy.

Pros:

-          The gameplay still holds up great today

-          Diverse, charming music

-          Lots of rewarded exploration

-          A joy to complete 100%

-          Some very cute voices

-          A lot of humour that’s surprisingly smart for a kids’ game

Cons:

-          It’s quite short

-          Some very annoying voices