With Microsoft’s recent acquisition of industry titan Activision, there are a myriad of franchises that made their way over to Xbox as part of the deal. From somewhat niche series likeGeometry Warsto highly-anticipated releases likeCall of Duty, the fans of each respective franchise thatfall under the Activision-Blizzard bannerhad their hopes for more offerings reignited, with one such fanbase being of the long-standingSpyroseries. It’s as beloved as any game that has its roots in the late 1990’s, and with such high praise, there often comes high hopes.
Spyrofirst entered the video game sphere with 1998’sSpyro the Dragon, with the series going from strength to strength during the original PlayStation’s life cycle, as the first three games were successful critically and commercially. However, time hasn’t been kind to the character since the early 2000s, and subsequent releases were never as beloved as the initial trilogy. It’s clear that the franchise needs a transformation, abd there is a recently released title that provides the perfect blueprint forSpyro’s path to renewed success.
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Biomutant Was A (Half) Step in the Right Direction
After a lengthy development cycle,Biomutantreleased in the spring of 2021 to a mixed reception. On one hand, it offered a fun, engaging combat system and witty writing, but on the other it lacked content and the innovation needed to make it stand out from the ever-expanding crowd of third-person action games. It found inspiration from a number of different contemporary franchises with its level design and gameplay loop, and though most comparisons are made to more current games, there are clear influences from games of old.
With a cartoonish presentation similar to that ofRatchet and Clankand an anthropomorphic protagonist that feels similar to those featured inCrash BandicootorStarfox,the ingredients thatBiomutantpulled together were forged by a number of different developers, leading to its failure to offer anything unique of its own.Spyrohas already made a significant footprint in the industry, and though the original trilogy looks decidedly samey by today’s standards, it does so because it was instrumental in creating the open-level collect-a-thon gameplay that many recent games have developed upon.
Spyro Is Desperate For Another Chance
With 2018’sReignited Trilogyassuring fans of the charm thatSpyropossesses, many were satisfied with the product, as it proved to be afaithful recreation of the trilogy that madeSpyroa household name. That faithfulness was also a stark reminder that the franchise has a long way to go until it can be competitive with the current landscape of AAA releases. Much chatter about the future of the seasoned platforming franchise has happened since the remade trilogy arrived on PS4 and Xbox One, and Microsoft’s purchase of its parent company makes a reboot more plausible than ever. However, collecting gems, and cooking enemies aren’t going to be enough to make the character truly shine again.
The closest the character got to finding success in recent years was as part oftheSkylandersseries, a toys-to-life game that caught traction in the mid-2010s before suffering a predictable demise not long after.Skylanderswasn’t void of fun to be had, but the beloved purple dragon faded into the scenery as the wide roster of playable characters continued to grow over time with each new toy’s release. It’s far from the game that manySpryofans wanted, and the series has offered nothing truly new since. Still, in 2022, the chances of a newSpyrogame are higher than ever before thanks to the success of theReignited Trilogyand Activision-Blizzard being purchased.
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What Biomutant Can Do For Spyro
Biomutanthas the beginnings of a truly great action game, andSpyrois in dying need of a new, exciting gameplay formula to bring him more in-line with gaming in 2022. By evolving the combat to be more than just flame breath and charge attacks, and taking advantage of a more diverse, open-ended setting,Spyrocould solidify a place in the action-platformer genre. Surely there are not many people desperate for a follow-up toBiomutant,but that’s not to say it can’t be used for something good. It laid the groundwork for a more established franchise to find inspiration from, andthe characters that inhabit theSpyroseriescould benefit greatly from the luscious environments, solid gameplay mechanics, and quirky presentation thatBiomutantbrings to the table.
UsingBiomutant’s willingness to present players with multiple side activitiesand character quests,Spyrocould finally have a game in the series that lasts longer than a handful of hours to finish. The average runtime of each entry is around 7 hours, which was competitive in the days of the original PlayStation, but the number of high-budget games that boast a length is in the single digits is decidedly slim.Biomutantisn’t much longer, but its design lends itself well to extended play sessions, even though the THQ-published title is lacking greatly in content. GivingSpyroa staying power that can come by way of side activities would ensure the experience is worth the AAA price tag.Biomutantproves that this can be done, but its inadequacies show that there is significant room for improvement that theSpyroseries could take advantage of.
The future ofSpyrois still unclear, but few would debate that a future won’t come to fruition. It’s a matter of when, not if, andSpyro’s comeback - be it right around the corner or years from now - has the opportunity to bring Microsoft another stellar action-platform franchise. There’s no denying, however, that to survive the stellar state of gaming in 2022,Spyrohas much to learn. Plentiful collectibles and a cute protagonist simply aren’t going to cut it, and withBiomutant’s successes coming with just as many failures, Activision would do well to extract the best from the 2021 release and implement it into the nextSpyrogame.
Spyro Reignited Trilogyis available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
