4.5/5 ★ – Endless_backlog's review of Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! - Reignited.

5hrs Riptos rage has all of the elements that the first game had but improves it in many ways. For starters, Spyro can now unlock a wider move set which expands his exploring capabilities. He is capable of learning how to dive under water (where he was injured touching before) which opens up the option to include underwater features in the levels. He can also learn to climb ladders which gives more freedom for the developers to create interesting level layouts. It also introduces new super moves that Spyro can use for a short interval of time to defeat difficult enemies or progress obstructed areas. Super fly cuts the ties of gliding as you can travel more freely higher and in any direction, whilst Super flame helps take out stronger enemies. Super charge is used to charge faster on ramps to leap further, access new areas or crash through strong obstacles. The sequel also introduces a new character in Moneybags, a big greedy bear that restricts Spyros access to certain areas unless he pays a fee. This makes the collection of gems have more purpose than before. I did like that you don’t receive a gem drop from defeating each enemy, as it meant when replaying a level to find the last gems you didn’t have to defeat every one of them again to ensure you didn’t miss it. As for the story, a villain known as Ripto is accidentaly transported to the realm of Avalar after a mistake by an innocent scientist. Ripto takes a liking to this new world after hearing that the dragons he fears don’t exist here and decides to take it over. As expected, Spyros job is to stop him. He does this by helping the people in each world from Riptos minions in return for a talisman which collectively get you closer to Ripto. Each level also contains orbs as rewards for side quests which prove essential to progression later in the game. Spyro: Riptos rage is a big improvement on an already loved platformer. I have a lot of nostalgia for this game and I always thought Ripto was the best villain in the trilogy. He stays relevant by appearing in cut-scenes after each completed realm and his two key sidemen offer good boss battles. One of my favourite things about this game is the secret areas that you can find by headbutting cracked walls or gliding into out of reach places. This really opens up the exploration and always felt so rewarding when you found one yourself.