'Spyro Reignited Trilogy' Is a Love Letter to Fans, According to the Devs
Toys For Bob, the developer behind the Spyro Reignited Trilogy didn't up the polygon count on the original Activision games and call it a day. The team aimed to truly rebuild the games from the ground up, while keeping true to the original creator's vision.
Art Director Josh Nadelberg knew how important it is to keep longtime fans of the franchise happy. "The most important thing to us was getting Spyro done right," says Josh. In the early stages of development, the Toys For Bob team went to Insomniac Games to show off their vision of the Spyro world in the 21st century. "We really wanted to get this stuff right for those guys," says Nadelberg. "They made a beautiful game 20 years ago that stands the tests of time, but now we can do so much more. We needed to to make a game that would be relevant in today's marketplace."
Fan outcry for the return of Spyro has been pouring in for a long time now. Senior Producer Peter Kavic told Newsweek, " We've been hearing the fans, there's been a lot of sentiment coming out. People will write us letters which is fuel for the fire."
Every Monday morning, the Toys For Bob team shares fan letters, art and e-mail that comes in and uses it to get themselves amped up. Co-Studio Head Paul Yan said that devoted fanbase has continued to inspire the team throughout development. "The whole reason for Reignited Trilogy is because there's an active community that has clamoured for the game for a long time," he explained.
"This game is for them, it's a love letter to the fans. If we do our jobs right, this game can act as a magical time machine and transport people back to these very precious memories."
From the characters, to worlds, and even the sound, Spyro Reignited Trilogy aims to inspire feelings of nostalgia alongside new updates to bring the game into the modern era. The game's familiar music has been updated, while retaining familiar elements. "The whole game is getting a facelift, wouldn't it feel odd if we just dropped in the original music tracks as is?" asked Music Remixer Stephen Vankov.
For Vankov, freshening up the production of the music while staying true to the original was a big challenge. "Music is something that really hits people on a personal level and people develop an attachment to it with a lot of nostalgia," he explained. While working on the music, he switched back and forth from the original soundtrack and the new one. He liked doing this so much, the team decided to make it a feature of the game.
"I feel this will really satisfy fans," Vankov said. "I'm really proud of the work we've done with the music but I'm well aware that some people may still prefer the original soundtrack as an option."
Kavic says the Toys for Bob team is honored to have the opportunity to reach existing fans and hopeful of inspiring another wave of people to fall in love with Spyro and his adventure. "There's reasons why people still talk about this game, and it's because at its heart, it's a really fun little kid adventure. It's about growing up and finding yourself." From his perspective, the team's guiding principles were pleasing the fans and respecting the legacy of these characters. "If we're doing that right, then it's a fun game for everybody," claims Kavic.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy arrives Nov. 13. Which game in the trilogy is the most nostalgic for you? Is there a particular level you can't wait to play again? Let us know in the comments below.
