Spyro in Unreal Engine is the perfect mix of retro and new age fit to satisfy any who enjoyed the purple dragon’s original adventures.

Playing the three Spyro games in this affordable bundle, I was struck by how similarly they played to their original PlayStation 1 versions.

Sure, Spyro’s environments are flashy, smooth, and full of life, but he still handles in just the right ways. The games are never over complicated or too tough, but that’s always been their appeal.

In particular, the first Spyro the Dragon serves as a great introductory taste into 3D platformers for younger gamers. Activision knew what they were doing in bringing Spyro back into the limelight when they did. What with Crash Bandicoot getting its own original trilogy remaster, they again struck while the iron was hot to yet another great success.

There really isn’t a reason to not buy Spyro if you loved the originals. While you can choose to have the classic music of the original games, I couldn’t really notice a difference between the original and remaster tracks. The games are that faithful, with only the first game having a different feel what with a titular voice actor change (Spyro 2 and 3 voice actor Tom Kenny takes over for the first game’s original Spyro, Carlo Alazraqui).

The cutscenes are all updated to add more detail, and looking back at the original versions, this makes a lot of sense. There was only so much that they could do on the PlayStation 1, but those games were very revolutionary at the time. Perhaps that’s why even today, it’s just as fun to jump, glide, dash, swim, blast, and climb through the diverse set of levels in each game. It’s all like a breath of fresh air; a simpler approach to gaming lost on developers intent on oversaturation with expansive open-worlds and countless NPCs.

The trophies are fun to earn, as are the skill points. I found myself going the extra measure in every level just to see what reward I was going to get. Even doing odd things, like lighting up two piles of wood, gives you a trophy for “Light My Fire.”

As the games continue, the improvements to the combat and exploration via Spyro’s moveset were greatly appreciated. As the dev team wanted to stay as loyal to the originals as was possible, the slight clunkiness of the first Spyro remained intact. This isn’t a bad thing, because it adds a bit to the charm, almost like how Ocarina of Time on an N64 controller does its best to overcome its camera struggles.

The characters, mostly seemingly revoiced, have a reinvigorated charm and life. The animations and stylings of all of the characters that Spyro meets were consistently fun. There wasn’t any cookie cutting here. From small details of “oh look, he has a little cauldron next to him at all times” to instantly being able to recognize one dragon from the next from clear personality attributes, there was never a dull moment in any of Spyro’s adventures.

It was wise to package all three Spyro games together, as they’re easily ripped through at a fast pace by any modern gamer. Maybe they just seemed harder when they first released, but I feel like I’ve suffered through many a grueling platformer since to know a relaxing one when I see it.

The world is ready for a new Spyro title. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy games feel native in Unreal Engine, period. Do the world some good and support this the purest purple dragon, because his type is an endangered species in an overly complicated industry full of battle royales and mobile AR games.