A Disappointing Return: Why 'The Legend of Spyro' Falls Short 'spyro a new beginning'

It's been quite some time since fans last laid eyes on their beloved purple dragon hero in full form. The anticipation was palpable as Activision and Vicarious Vision promised to bring back the classic platformer series that captured hearts with its fast-paced action, lovable characters, and endearing charm.

Unfortunately, 'The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning' fails miserably at recapturing this magic, instead serving up a bland gaming experience marred by subpar graphics and uninspired gameplay. Let's dive into what went wrong in our comprehensive review below:

Graphics That Fail to Impress

One would expect that nearly two decades after the original release of 'Spyro 3: The GBA,' graphical fidelity should have seen some marked improvements, especially considering the advancements made across various gaming platforms since then.

Unfortunately for fans, it seems Activision and Vicarious Vision missed the memo entirely. The character designs lack any sort of depth or detail, making them look more like low-resolution sprites than fully realized characters worthy of carrying a modern platformer series forward.

The environments themselves aren't much better off either - barren landscapes stretch out as far as the eye can see without any notable features to speak of, further emphasizing just how dated everything feels overall. It's almost as if someone took old concept art from back in '02 and simply slapped it into a new engine hoping nobody would notice.

Gameplay That Falls Flat

The gameplay itself isn't much more promising either - at first glance, that is. Upon closer inspection, you'll quickly realize that 'A New Beginning' amounts to nothing more than rehashed levels with some minor tweaks thrown in for good measure. The once fluid controls have been replaced by clunky, unresponsive mechanics that make even the most basic platforming tasks feel like an arduous chore.

Spyro's moveset has also been severely limited compared to previous entries; gone are his trusty fireballs and homing attacks - instead we're left with a paltry selection of weak melee strikes and pitifully slow magical abilities. It's hard not to wonder whether the developers were trying to actively alienate fans who had grown attached to Spyro's signature brand of fast-paced action-adventure gameplay.

In conclusion, 'The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning' is an absolute disappointment from start to finish. From its subpar graphics and uninspired level design choices down through the lackluster performance across all platforms tested (Xbox 360 & PS3), there's simply nothing here that fans should be excited about.

Unless significant changes are made between now and release date, 'A New Beginning' will likely join other misfire titles like 'Rise of the Colossus' as another entry in a once beloved series relegated to obscurity forevermore. If you're looking for some good old-fashioned platforming fun without breaking your wallet or wasting precious time waiting around hopelessly hoping things might just get better, then perhaps it'd be best to look elsewhere entirely.

Rating: 2/10

Spyro a new beginning