After playing the fun-yet-frustrating Spyro The Dragon, I jumped straight to Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage without any knowledge of how the game would be. Seeing that the game was released just a year after the original, I assumed Spyro 2 would be another formulaic, episodic entry where all gameplay element and structure would be the same - only that there'd be new levels and enemy NPCs. That was not the case.
Much of the game plays like the original, where we control the eponymous character as he fights against various enemies and obstacles using his flame breath, charge attack, and glide abilities. Instead of rescuing frozen dragons, the player must acquire a talisman from each realm, which is awarded for reaching the end of the level. Each level also contains a certain number of orbs, which can be earned by completing secondary tasks for NPCs.
The gems gathered in this game are used to pay for opening portals, granting access to certain areas, and acquiring new abilities that allow the player to reach hidden areas for additional gems/missions/orbs. In addition, each level has a power-up gate, activated after defeating a specific number of enemies in a level, which grants Spyro a temporary super-ability. The power-up can grant invulnerability or the abilities to fly, supercharge, super flame, breathe ice, or super jump to reach high up areas.
The story follows Spyro and his dragonfly Sparx, who decide to take a vacation at Dragon Shores but are unwillingly transported to the fantasy realm of Avalar. The inhabitants there live in fear of an warlock called Ripto and his henchmen, Gulp and Crush - whom Spyro must defeat with the help of Elora the Faun, Hunter the Cheetah, and the Professor.
Spyro 2 has several new and much improved features over the original, including several more levels that are more open-ended and a good variation of missions and challenges. The new cast of characters, including fauns, satyrs, anthropomorphic animals, and robotic businessmen, among others makes for a fresher sight than the dragons who were the only friendly NPCs in the first game.
Not only is the art direction fantastic, with each world and its characters given their distinct personality and life, but so is the simplistic-yet-innocent humor delivered by the writing and the voice-acting.
The gems collected in this game are actually of a gameplay use compared to the first one, where you simply collected them to acquire a 100% completion without using them as currency. Even the checkpoint system has been improved where at every gradual interval, there's a fairy who 'zaps' you to save the game automatically.
Still, the game does have its limitations, some of them owing to the limitations of the PlayStation One. The camera control could have been easily fixed with the use of the right analog stick on the DualShock controller, which had been introduced for a while before the game's development. It becomes a hassle when navigating small spaces or pulling sharp turns on the flying missions without being able to properly look around.
The checkpoint system - though improved - still causes frustration during boss fights, especially the final one. Certain boss fights have multiple stages and dying in either stages forces the player to repeat all the way from the beginning in stage one.
At the end, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage is a fun and excellent game and a great improvement over its predecessors. It's a must-play classic for kids as well as adult gamers. Though there are moments of frustration when playing through some of the mini-games and challenges to achieve 100% completion, the game delivers an entertaining experience on a casual play-though.
Much of the game plays like the original, where we control the eponymous character as he fights against various enemies and obstacles using his flame breath, charge attack, and glide abilities. Instead of rescuing frozen dragons, the player must acquire a talisman from each realm, which is awarded for reaching the end of the level. Each level also contains a certain number of orbs, which can be earned by completing secondary tasks for NPCs.
The gems gathered in this game are used to pay for opening portals, granting access to certain areas, and acquiring new abilities that allow the player to reach hidden areas for additional gems/missions/orbs. In addition, each level has a power-up gate, activated after defeating a specific number of enemies in a level, which grants Spyro a temporary super-ability. The power-up can grant invulnerability or the abilities to fly, supercharge, super flame, breathe ice, or super jump to reach high up areas.
The story follows Spyro and his dragonfly Sparx, who decide to take a vacation at Dragon Shores but are unwillingly transported to the fantasy realm of Avalar. The inhabitants there live in fear of an warlock called Ripto and his henchmen, Gulp and Crush - whom Spyro must defeat with the help of Elora the Faun, Hunter the Cheetah, and the Professor.
Spyro 2 has several new and much improved features over the original, including several more levels that are more open-ended and a good variation of missions and challenges. The new cast of characters, including fauns, satyrs, anthropomorphic animals, and robotic businessmen, among others makes for a fresher sight than the dragons who were the only friendly NPCs in the first game.
Not only is the art direction fantastic, with each world and its characters given their distinct personality and life, but so is the simplistic-yet-innocent humor delivered by the writing and the voice-acting.
The gems collected in this game are actually of a gameplay use compared to the first one, where you simply collected them to acquire a 100% completion without using them as currency. Even the checkpoint system has been improved where at every gradual interval, there's a fairy who 'zaps' you to save the game automatically.
Still, the game does have its limitations, some of them owing to the limitations of the PlayStation One. The camera control could have been easily fixed with the use of the right analog stick on the DualShock controller, which had been introduced for a while before the game's development. It becomes a hassle when navigating small spaces or pulling sharp turns on the flying missions without being able to properly look around.
The checkpoint system - though improved - still causes frustration during boss fights, especially the final one. Certain boss fights have multiple stages and dying in either stages forces the player to repeat all the way from the beginning in stage one.
At the end, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage is a fun and excellent game and a great improvement over its predecessors. It's a must-play classic for kids as well as adult gamers. Though there are moments of frustration when playing through some of the mini-games and challenges to achieve 100% completion, the game delivers an entertaining experience on a casual play-though.