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Although heavily rumoured in the lead-up to the event, it was such a feel-good moment seeing Spyro the Dragon’s grand return on the big stage. In what is the former PlayStation mascot’s first major, original release in almost two decades, developer Toys for Bob has seemingly attempted to reinvent what it means to be a dragon in a modern take on the series.
Toys for Bob, who pitched the game to Activision in the same meeting where they bought their independence back from the publisher amid Microsoft’s long, drawn-out acquisition, has a history with Spyro. Not only did they pull together the toys-to-life Spyro’s Adventure in Skylanders, but they were also the team behind the wonderfully nostalgic Reignited Trilogy.
Although proud of the work they were putting in as a support studio to bigger Activision IP during the pandemic years, the team was not content and felt they’d moved away from what they do best. Spyro: A Realm Beyond is the studio’s return to the joyful, colourful mascot platforming, as well as a return to the core of the studio’s identity.
Described as a good jumping in point for any player, returning fan or otherwise, it’s hard to ascertain whether A Realm Beyond is something of a soft-launched reboot for the purple dragon, or whether its set up is so far after the fact of the established canon that it doesn’t matter, but there are several hints to suggest the Spyro we’re getting, voiced one again by Tom Kenny, in this new game is a bit older, and perhaps more mature.
Of course, his brow is a bit more prominent, and his tuft of hair is a little fuller, but the main point of difference is in Spyro’s wingspan, which is much broader than previous iterations. With the team focused on making the fun of dragon flight central to A Realm Beyond, it makes sense that this Spyro should be better equipped for the job.
Although we didn’t get to see anything beyond what was shown during the game’s reveal, the team was eager to keep emphasising how their core ambition to give the player a lot more freedom over Spyro’s flight, which has really been limited to gliding in past games, has shaped not only what the game is, but the world they’re crafting for it.
With that kind of freedom to explore, to take flight at a moment’s notice and make the skies a part of the playground that is A Realm Beyond’s world, it sounds as though the game is attempting to recapture a sense of discovery. We got a glimpse at the lush, rolling green hills of the game’s world in the trailer, and it’s easy to imagine the kinds of levels we’ll see at ground level, though I expect there’ll be plenty still to learn about how Toys for Bob is making a play space of the skies themselves.
What excites me the most, as someone who acknowledges that mascot platformers have always been gameplay-first, and perhaps rightly so, is the promise of a more nuanced narrative that has the potential to appeal to a more mature audience, one that sees Spyro’s resolve truly challenged by a brand new threat, perhaps officially debunking rumours of a Ripto return. I don’t expect it to have the emotional depth of a Pixar film, but I think there’s a chance to tell a bit of a hero’s journey that’ll appeal to both longtime and new fans.