A Fiery Classic
The fifth generation of gaming was quite a sight to behold. Twas the era that essentially conceptualized the 3-D generation, a mainstay ever since. The 90s birthed a plethora of mascots meant to appeal to kids. However, these trends needed to adapt and get with the times. Mario, Sonic, and Banjo are great and iconic in their own right, but they are much more in the same playpen as Disney. By the mid 90s, gaming mascots started to take on a new direction. These characters needed some edge to reflect the decade and appeal to an older audience. Something more in the realm of Looney Tunes or Warner Brothers. Playstation would give us two of the most iconic characters of the era. Crash Bandicoot, a whacky, wild marsupial, and our man of the hour; Spyro the Dragon. He had spunk, attitude and was the embodiment of 90s cool.
‘Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage’ A Masterpiece Video Games
Spyro the Dragon, an open-ended platformer, was released in 1998 by Insomniac Games. A solid, but shaky start to the series. Insomniac would take note of its shortcomings and follow up the next year. Ripto’s Rage takes place immediately after the original game. Spyro is annoyed with the stormy weather and decides to take a vacation to the popular tourist destination; Dragon Shores. While en route to the beach, Spyro is summoned through a different portal and ends up in the world of Avalar where he meets Elora and friends. They plead for his help as an evil sorcerer, Ripto, is running amok and trying to take over the realm. Avalar is vast and brimming with mystical charm. The opening level ‘Glimmer’, is a bright and shiny introduction to this world; a gem-mining community of kangaroo-looking creatures are dealing with a lizard infestation. Most enemies here are completely harmless, giving the player the chance to get familiar with Spyro and how he controls.
Insomniac Games has always placed a high priority on developing characters that are not only engaging within the context of the story but also incredibly fun to control in gameplay, even outside of main objectives. They believe that the joy of simply being the character, whether it’s swinging through the streets as Spider-Man or gliding across alien landscapes in Ratchet & Clank, is essential for an immersive and memorable experience. One thing I’ve noticed in a lot of timeless video games, such as Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, is that it’s fun to just mindlessly pace around as the little purple drake. Spyro’s movement feels breezy and responsive, with the ability to glide, charge, and jump with ease, which gives players a great sense of control.
Spyro 2: The Colorful Worlds of Avalar
The world is designed to be full of secrets and small rewards, encouraging exploration just for kicks. Spyro moves very nimbly and the gliding mechanics are tighter. Leaping across longer gaps is now much less awkward than the first game. Where this game shines in particular are its swimming mechanics. Water levels in platformers have always been infamously janky and difficult. I would dare say the swimming in this is the best I’ve ever seen. Spyro controls smooth as silk underwater and there’s no pesky time limit for him to breathe. In the first installment, the objectives were simply just collecting everything and that was it. Collectibles are still at the forefront, however, Ripto’s Rage adds some variety and depth by adding NPCs to interact with and side-missions that are just as fun as the main objectives.
The original game had fun and entertaining levels, but they sadly felt a tad empty and soulless. Ripto’s Rage, having actual inhabitants to interact with makes the world feel more lived in. ‘Summer Forest’, ‘Autumn Plains’ and ‘Winter Tundra’ serve as hub worlds that connect the levels. The stages in this game are as diverse as they are creative. Each level features an intro cutscene that immerses players in the ongoing conflict, adding deeper narrative drive and context to the gameplay. Two stages stand out in particular; ‘Breeze Harbor’ and ‘Zephyr’. These two worlds are at war with each other, the friendly inhabitants in one level will be the enemies in the other. Talk about playing both sides.
Stewart Copeland returns to score the soundtrack, and pun intended, doesn’t miss a beat. The music in this game is a standout, perfectly complementing the game’s whimsical yet adventurous tone. From the chill surfer vibes of ‘Turtle Beach’ or the Arabian Nights tune heard in ‘Scorch’. While the music played during the levels are more exciting and upbeat, the hub-worlds have a much slower and laid back vibe. These more serene tracks set a more calming mood and lets the player know they can put up their feet for a bit, relax and just take a stroll.
New Abilities That Enhance Gameplay
Another huge improvement are the bosses. In the original, the boss fights were forgettable and outright lazy. While there are only 3 bosses, Ripto and his crew are much more memorable and actually feel like a grand battle. Crush will utilize energy pads to shock or burn the player. You must be sure to avoid his club, which he will use to flatten Spyro the same way Godzilla does a city block. Gulp is an absolute menace! Gulp is equipped with a twin lazer blaster and will also use his size to smush you. Power-Ups are dropped to assist you in battle and deal with him, but beware, he can use them as well! Then there’s our big baddie Ripto. This fight is nothing short of epic. With a multitude of power-ups and a 3 phase fight; him on foot, riding a mechanical Gulp and finally, a flying battle with him riding a freaking pterodactyl! This, backed with an absolute banger of an operatic soundtrack is in my opinion, the perfect final boss fight.
After you get 100% completion you unlock the ‘Dragon Shores’. Ironically enough, the main goal of Spyro’s quest is actually the weakest part of the whole game. ‘Dragon Shores’ is simply just a series of mini-games to complete to earn all the amusement park’s tokens. The grand prize for winning all of them? You unlock a movie theater where you can rewatch all the game’s cutscenes. In 1999, this was sort of cool, but nowadays it’s not much of a payoff when you can literally just do the same thing on youtube. However, once you’ve hoarded all the orbs and gems, you unlock the Super-Flame—a ridiculously overpowered power-up that turns Spyro into a one-dragon army. It’s like starting New Game+ on steroids, as you casually breeze through the entire story (bosses included) while leaving a trail of scorched earth and regret in your wake.
A quick shout out to a feature that was introduced in this game. Ripto’s Rage had what was called “Skill Points”. There were several throughout the game that rewarded the player for completing certain tasks. In ‘Colossus’, you would receive one for playing a perfect game of hockey. ‘Hurricos’; destroy all the windmills. In a boss battle- defeat them without taking any damage. Does any of this sound familiar ? This is one of the earliest games to have real achievements, a gaming standard today. Insomniac was always thinking ahead.
In summation, Spyro 2 is a masterpiece of mascot platforming. This was a game that peaked my imagination as a child. I was always wondering what crazy world would be through that next portal. This was one of the first games I ever actually beat. Sure that’s not saying much now that I’m an adult, but as a kid, reaching the end of this game seemed infeasible. The thought of getting 15 orbs to unlock a level was a tall order. Getting 40 orbs to fight Ripto!- my young self thought impossible. When I finally obtained that number and went through those doors to face him, I felt like the coolest kid in my class. This game is the dictionary definition of bigger and badder than the original. A vast magical world with that 90s edge made for what is, in my opinion, the best game in the Spyro series and one of the best platformers of its time. This is a game I will recommend to old and new players alike. Collect those gems, save Avalar, and remember, mess with this dragon, get burned.
With fiery regards,
Fil
⭐ Verdict: 10/10 (A Must Play!)