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 like Geometry Wars to highly-anticipated releases like Call of Duty, the fans of each respective franchise that fall under the Activision-Blizzard banner had their hopes for more offerings reignited, with one such fanbase being of the long-standing Spyro series. 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.
Spyro first entered the video game sphere with 1998's Spyro 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 for Spyro's path to renewed success.
Biomutant Was A (Half) Step in the Right Direction
After a lengthy development cycle, Biomutant released 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 of Ratchet and Clank and an anthropomorphic protagonist that feels similar to those featured in Crash Bandicoot or Starfox, the ingredients that Biomutant pulled together were forged by a number of different developers, leading to its failure to offer anything unique of its own. Spyro has 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's Reignited Trilogy assuring fans of the charm that Spyro possesses, many were satisfied with the product, as it proved to be a faithful recreation of the trilogy that made Spyro a 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 of the Skylanders series, a toys-to-life game that caught traction in the mid-2010s before suffering a predictable demise not long after. Skylanders wasn'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 many Spryo fans wanted, and the series has offered nothing truly new since. Still, in 2022, the chances of a new Spyro game are higher than ever before thanks to the success of the Reignited Trilogy and Activision-Blizzard being purchased.
What Biomutant Can Do For Spyro
Biomutant has the beginnings of a truly great action game, and Spyro is 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, Spyro could solidify a place in the action-platformer genre. Surely there are not many people desperate for a follow-up to Biomutant, 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, and the characters that inhabit the Spyro series could benefit greatly from the luscious environments, solid gameplay mechanics, and quirky presentation that Biomutant brings to the table.
Using Biomutant's willingness to present players with multiple side activities and character quests, Spyro could 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. Biomutant isn't much longer, but its design lends itself well to extended play sessions, even though the THQ-published title is lacking greatly in content. Giving Spyro a staying power that can come by way of side activities would ensure the experience is worth the AAA price tag. Biomutant proves that this can be done, but its inadequacies show that there is significant room for improvement that the Spyro series could take advantage of.
The future of Spyro is still unclear, but few would debate that a future won't come to fruition. It's a matter of when, not if, and Spyro'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 in order to survive the stellar state of gaming in 2022, Spyro has much to learn. Plentiful collectibles and a cute protagonist simply aren't going to cut it, and with Biomutant'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 next Spyro game.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy is available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.