The Ethereal Dreamworlds of Spyro the Dragon

Exploring the warped, twisted, ethereal, dreamworlds of the first Spyro the Dragon game on PS1.
Intro: 00:00
Spyro the Dragon: 04:16
Artisans: 06:48
Peacekeepers: 14:05
Magic Crafters: 21:08
Beast Makers: 26:51
Dream Weavers: 32:13
Gnorc Gnexus: 37:55
Flight Stages: 42:43
Art Style: 47:54
Music/Sound: 55:04
Ending: 01:00:55

[@gospyro]

WOW... where to start!?!? I was Art Director/Lead Artist on the original trilogy. You hit on SO many different points that there's no way I can say all the things I would like to say... but here's a few of my thoughts. While I think Toy's For Bob did a wonderful job with Reignited, they made a few changes that I really disagree with. The biggest one, as you pointed out, their messing with the color pallets of the worlds. One of my responsibilities was working out the over pallet(s) of the game, so the changes they made make no sense to me. It feels like they were changed simply for the sake of change. In particular I have issue with their color choice for Spyro! I chose the colors for Spyro and painted his textures, so this is very personal for me!! I will say that I LOVE their model for Spyro, but they made him... eh... fuchsia!!?? (for those who don't know, Spyro was orginally GREEN! There is a whole story behind his ending up purple!) I did all the skyboxes, so I have to thank you for all the wonderful things you had to say about them!! In the beginning I hated doing them (the tools were VERY basic) but by the end the skyboxes had become my single most favorite thing to make! I love the fact that you talked about longing to know and see what was beyond the boundaries! That was one of the things I felt and strived for as well when creating the 'edges' of each world and their skyboxes!! If we could have used more polys in everything we would have!!! It wasn't a choice to limit the number of polys in anything, it was all about frame-rate. That being said, we embraced the limitation, and like in so many things, it's often the limitations that force you to be better. Great video!!

[@Goolix_Aero]

I use your skyboxes for my desktop wallpaper. Thanks for creating the magic of my childhood!

[@Joyless]

No way. Thanks so much dude! You have no idea how much your art has meant to me.

[@hokey9175]

Thank you to you and all your team for making an incredible game. Not only artfully but technically too

[@gospyro]

@@hokey9175 You're very welcome!

[@djtoxicdhg]

You and your hool team changed my childhood for life I even have spyro tattood on my left arm with crashbandicoot

[@gospyro]

Skyboxes! I did all of the skyboxes in the trilogy. I have to admit that when I first started doing them I did NOT want to do them. They were very labor intensive and were boring to do. But then I started realizing what was possible. Add that to the tools to make them getting better and better, by half way through development, making the skyboxes was one of my vary favorite things to do! It has meant a lot ot me, over the years, to hear people talk about how much they love the skies in Spyro! They are definately one of the pieces of art, my art, that I look at and think, "WOW... those are beautiful!! I wonder who did them!?!?"

[@zenyatta7396]

Everytime I get a new device, one of your skyboxes quickly becomes my wallpaper. They are beautiful. Thank you for you work on this great trilogy.

[@gospyro]

@@zenyatta7396 Thank you! I have a couple of them myself as wallpapers!!

[@mattwhiting2205]

Skyboxes... you mean "cycloramas" I think. ;)

[@gospyro]

@@mattwhiting2205 that is what we called them!! Everyone online always refers to them as skyboxes, and I had long forgotten what we called them!

[@goeshardmate0945]

I saw your video with dayoman, Spyro was my childhood the sky boxes were all so amazing to me

[@chandler_martian]

Something that can never be replicated is that sense of wonder and mystery about these worlds. The technological limitations of the time added to the artistic liberties the team made to make these worlds feel so ancient and awe inspiring. There’s a serenity to it all, yet it’s also somehow isolating and unsettling. It’s hard to fully explain but I agree that no other game has accomplished the same feel.

[@Xerrand]

It is hard to fully explain, but you did a good job. These games are little gems

[@geordangullock9223]

Yes, you did a good job of explaining it!

[@Jroobelucios]

Yes! I’ve never played a game quite like Spyro.

[@garrettwood6271]

Very much liminal spaces

[@chandler_martian]

@@garrettwood6271 It’s got that back room energy for sure

[@gospyro]

I was the art director/lead artist on the original trilogy, I wrote a long response to so many of the great things you pointed out here, but it looks like maybe I didn't hit 'comment' or it got lost! I'll have to go back and try again since I really enjoyed your video and so many of your observations and comments!

[@ArchaiaMeta]

please do, we'd love to read

[@jonbourgoin182]

I happen to be someone who has very vivid dreams, and to say that Spyro's world is a place I'd like to visit whilst I sleep would be putting it lightly

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

When I played it, I always thought of these as antechambers to imagination-world. I was really influenced by Neverending Story & I felt instinctively these were the working or staging spaces for the worlds of our dreams. The dragons were making our dreams & stories so this disruption with the enemies felt threatening in the sense that they were stealing or haunting the stuff of our dreams. Made sense to me.

[@ToweringToska]

@@picahudsoniaunflocked5426 I love the parallels you drew, it makes sense to me now too. The Neverending Story was so important, I need to find the time to finally read the book.

[@GregCubed]

One of my favorite details about this game is that each world has its own unique flag you can see scattered throughout the levels within it. It’s something you’d never notice unless you really studied the environments, yet they made sure to include it. Details like that made these worlds come to life

[@geordangullock9223]

I love how each world has its own unique architecture as well.

[@flandyc4513]

Yes! I love how they drew more attention to home world flags as well in Spyro2. Used to display progression both in cutscene and environment. Honestly I almost would have preferred collecting the flags of each individual world as opposed to the talismans. They could have slapped the same magic lore on em.

[@Mike14264]

Wait, the first game also had that? Hmm, seems like a replay is in place!

[@gospyro]

One more thing I wanted to comment on. I painted the textures for Spyro, and I don't know why I am so compelled to always point this out, but one of the greatest frustrations I have is with the first pressing of the first Spyro game, I got the wings wrong on Spyro! The version of Spyro used in this video is from the first pressing/run of the game. I can tell because Spyro's wings are wrong/funky! It must not be a big deal to other people because I have NEVER heard anyone else mention it, other than me, but the ribs or 'fingers' in a dragon's/bat's wing should all start from the same joint, specifically the wrist . In this version of the game, the ribs in the wings come from wrist AND the elbow of the wing. I don't know why this bugs me SO much, but it really does. When Sony was preparing for a second pressing of the game we got the chance to go in and fix a few bugs. I took that opportunity to fix Spyro's wing! There is also a bug, a real bug, in the first pressing of Spyro 2 that is TOTALLY my fault that I was able to fix on it's second pressing, but that's a whole other story!

[@garethdwright91]

Oh come on you've got to tell us now???

[@gospyro]

@@garethdwright91 the bug was in Summer Forest. At some point just before the game was ready to ship of to Sony for printing, we got one last list of ‘must fix’ bugs. I don’t remember what the bug was, but while fixing it I somehow turned off the collision on a single polygon. There is an orb you get to by swimming under the castle wall and climbing up into a small tower where there is a window/platform. To the left was a wall covered by a big green hill. If you jump over to the hill, at just the right spot, instead of hitting and sliding down the hill into a pool, you would fly through the hill and find yourself outside the level. You could glide down to the tunnel you had just swam through, but you were now stuck there because you needed to be able to swim to get out of either end of the tunnel and you had bypassed the ‘swim switch’ by gliding into the tunnel from to side.

[@Takeru9292]

@@gospyro regardless summer forest and autumn plains are my absolute favourite levels. Sometimes I when I play the reignited remake, I like to just sit in silence and have spyro walk around these2 homeworlds just for the peace and ambience.

[@gospyro]

@@Takeru9292 those are two of my favorites as well. Although I have to say I don’t care for how Summer Forest was done in Reignited. Too bulbous and I didn’t care for the textures/stonework. (But I may be overly sensitive because it is a favorite of mine)

[@glowinggrenade]

I think this caused me to draw wings funny as a kid lol. Also this probably means that archivists need to ensure both are kept stored.

[@gospyro]

One of the main reasons the flying rounds were added is that dragons FLY! While in the very early stages of developemnt we realized that haveing a character that could fly really made game design hard. So it was decided to 'ground' Spyro and limit him to gliding. But we still wanted to be able to let him fly. It was also the oringal plan to have Spyro be able to swim in the first game. Unfortunately, later in the development, Alex Hastings, the lead programmer, told us that he was not going to have time to program Spyro swimming. The animations were already done, and while there were not dedicated swimming levels, there were several challenges and hidden areas that required Spyro to swim. Very quickly we had to pull out those areas. This leads to my thoughts regarding Spyro 2 being better than Spyro 1 or vice-versa. While I am of the belief that very often the second game in a series is actyally what the developers WANTED to do the first time around, I don't think that takes away from the first game. As was pointed out in the video, there is something special and powerful about something being done the first time. Another example of this is Sonic 1 vs Sonic 2. Sonic 2 is arguably a more polished, better game, but Sonic 1 broke ground and was first in so many things.

[@Mike14264]

Well damn, now I kinda wish we could get to swim in the original 😅 mostly cus it would open up the levels even more to explore even more nooks and crannies. The exploration in that game truly was a joy... I should iterate that the Sonic comparison is... only somewhat accurate? Because, for as much ground Sonic 1 broke in comparison to Sonic 2, which really only improved on what Sonic 1 did... Sonic fans most of the time just skip that one. Maybe the appreciation for the first game has increased lately, and it's not a bad game at all, but folks just don't come back to the first game as much as they do to the second, while with Spyro, the appreciation for both games is more evened out. I blame this on Marble Zone being pretty disliked by most fans due to the speed screeching to a halt as a whole, as well as on Labyrinth Zone because it's, well, Labyrinth Zone, and I'm pretty sure 90% of Sonic fans are tired of seeing Green Hill Zone to the point they'd prefer to never see it again for the rest of their lifespan. Maybe the Special Zones too, folks don't like the first game's that much... but to be fair, almost every Special Zone of each 2D Sonic game has at least a good chunk of people complaining about it, even those in Sonic Mania, so that ain't too much of an issue. You can't even turn into Super Sonic anyways, so it's whatever. Spring Yard Zone is just diet Casino Night Zone and brown, and even if it's a return to the speedy gameplay, folks say it's a less refined speed. Star Light Zone... exists, folks only really like the music there, and Scrap Brain Zone wants you dead with booby traps gallore and forces you to endure Labyrinth Zone one last time lol.

[@SickBoyOC]

The reignited trilogy is a fantastic remake of the trilogy. I play it a lot to this day. However, that "vibe" of the original games cannot be replicated. Spryo 2 especially filled me with a true sense of magic as a kid that I haven't felt again after all these years.

[@HeavensRipper-he4sz]

That's probably because you were a kid. If you were that same age today and the reignited trilogy was ur first game instead, you'd probably have that feeling again

[@ButtonMasherReal]

@@HeavensRipper-he4sz I had that feeling in some parts of SRT, but as a whole, I think the game just doesn't quite capture the vibe of the originals. I think it's mostly to do with the art direction, since there were some weird decisions made that take away from the magic of the worlds.

[@ArchaiaMeta]

soulless cashgrab outsourced to brown people

[@TechWizard28]

2 and 3 have a separate feel than 1. The remake yassified everything to 11 and made the first game feel silly like the other two. I wish they made 2 and 3 more serious like 1

[@SickBoyOC]

@@ButtonMasherReal I wholeheartedly agree with you

[@Encephalophage]

The theming of the Beast Makers worlds always gave me a really unsettling feeling as a kid Looking out into an infinite, dark expanse made it feel like the levels' locations are just so inconceivably isolated The wonderment of "what could be out there?" never occurred to me. It was only ever the obvious fact that "there's absolutely nothing out there, just look at it" Same thing with the Lake Town level of Sierra's rendition of The Hobbit. It's one of my favorite levels in the game, but when you get to the edge of town and look out over the lake to see nothing but water and darkness in all directions, it just feels so unwelcoming

[@MOCdude]

especially when that pig surprises you behind the hut only emphasized what could possibly be out there in the swamp that lurks in the water

[@SgtZook]

I enjoyed myself with it, but I still regret that the reignited trilogy didn't have an 'old graphics' option. PS1 Spyro's worlds are something truly special and I don't think they can ever be properly replicated. Thank you for this video, what a wonderful journey.

[@mistersharpe4375]

Even the Medievil PS4 remake had the original version available as an easter egg. That remake was also competent, but they always go way overboard with the graphics and kill the atmosphere.

[@rinnnnnnnnnnrin]

Same with crash team racing remake, granted that game has other issues that just makes it inferior to the original for me like the whole battle royale store rotation/currency nonsense. Kills the whole game for me that I can't just casually unlock characters as I play... I gotta wait for the stupid store rotation to add in the characters I want. So I just don't play the game anymore lol

[@SuperFlashDriver]

That's what I felt should have been included is that option in the game, not just the soundtrack change from the reignited music to the original music and such.

[@Mike14264]

One thing I think most remakes should do: allow you to play the originals in them as well. Not only it's a great way to preserve the original games, it's also a great way to see how many things were changed and how much they did change.

[@Mike14264]

​@@rinnnnnnnnnnrinI mean yeah, the store thing and microtransactions suck, but I'm gonna be honest, and speak from a personal standpoint: I don't remember the last time I even cared about buying skins, other than just "I'll get this one, looks neat" or "oh, it counts for completion? Yeah sure, I'll see what I can do to buy them all". I know a lot of folks care about cosmetics, but to me, they're exactly that: _just_ cosmetics. Not really worth dedicating myself for it. I know there the main incentive for replaying the game and doing online races and whatnot, but I dunno, I'd do them anyways to just have fun.

[@gospyro]

I love the fact that the video talks about wanting to see what is beyond the edges and boarders! This was VERY MUCH on my mind when building the levels and building the skyboxes. (I built about a third of the levels and all of the skyboxes) It was important to me for the player to feel like they were in a huge world, that extended far beyond where they were actually able to walk or fly.

[@SCHMALLZZZ]

I love your .50 cal video

[@gospyro]

@@SCHMALLZZZ Thanks!! I just moved from LA up to San Francisco, and I'm having a hard time finding a range that will let me shoot it! There are a number ranges up here, but they don't like the 50BMG!!

[@SCHMALLZZZ]

You'll probably have to go all the way up the Clear Lake or something.

[@riptosrage]

Your work on these games is fantastic. The skyboxes moved me as a child in ways that are more awe-inspiring than anything. They still do, and will, forever. Thank you.

[@gospyro]

@@riptosrage Thank you! I've been playing with the idea of doing up some actual paintings, probably watercolor, of some of my favorites. I just need to see if I can remember how to actually paint!

[@Kamil2142]

The OG Spyro trilogy's art direction is awesome, especially the skyboxes. Thank you for the video Joyless!

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I love them yet I didn't know they weren't real skyboxes until this video! I have to go back & memorize what they are + look it up lol.

[@EmilXOM]

Dude, this is EXACTLY the kind of video I love and have been wanting for a long time now. The sheer magic an mystery of old games cannot be understated, and I'm glad someone is finally filling this niche somewhat

[@boperez2841]

Yesss when you first discover a game the possibilities of what is like are endless. But also childlike possibilities make it ultimately magical and real

[@ChampionofNamira]

Spyro was my escape as a young girl battling childhood depression.

[@saintkohle]

Saaaaame. I also credit the old Spyro games for my love of surreal indie games in the present day

[@ash_days_]

Absolutely the same for me I remember spending time in the Summer Forest near the first portal because the music was so relaxing and made me feel safe in a home that certainly did not

[@Ry-tu3ki]

I used to think I could be a small faerie and ride Spyro to help him with magic lol Oh childhood

[@rayner864]

its reasurring theres sm other people who played and loved the first spyro for these impossible to describe, seemingly pshycotic reasons lmao - the sensations of being immersed in this games worlds - the feeling and atmosphere in spyro is maybe the closest I'll ever get to experiencing a dream state whist perfectly awake and aware - every level is like a completely different dream, like some kinda collective unconciousness feeling shit - and every frame you could capture in this game is like a work of art in itself. its such a pure experience so yea, thanks for this video it is very cool :)

[@gospyro]

I have to make one correction to something in the video, if we could have used more polygons we would have!!!! The 'low poly' levels in the Spyro games were not a choice. It's all about frame rate and in a 3D, free roaming world, frame rate was constantly our number one enemy. That being said, very often, limitations make things better. They make people work harder to find solutions. I think this is very much the case with Spyro. I also think it was one of the problems with Reignited... they could use FAR more polygons so they did. Even when they should not have.

[@Mike14264]

I mean, with games and consoles having evolved so much since then, I dunno how much they could've restricted themselves to the point the lack of polygons would've started to look bad, or at least that people would start complaining that it looked graphically poor for this generation. On the other hand, I love low-poly games as much as the next guy, it's a style I'm loving to see in lots of indie games, because they bring games like the original Spyro titles to mind and convey a really special feel. However, I can't help but wonder if that's what Spyro fans wanted when they thought of a remake of the original trilogy back then, before it was made. And if I wanted to play a low-poly Spyro game, well, I'll play the OG anyways. So I'm really not sure how something like this could've been tackled... but then again, I'm not a game dev, so I don't doubt that someone could make it work.

[@Mike14264]

Also, the idea of limitations allowing a game to be better... honestly kinda reminds me of the times when they actually made a game worse. Metroid: Other M is what comes to the top of my mind immediately, but in that case, the limitations were self-imposed by the lead dev onto the team, so it's not exactly the same scenario. Still, there are quite a few games out there with great concepts and ideas, but fall just short in execution due to limitations. Sometimes, folks can work within these limitations to do something special and unique... and sometimes, they can't, either due to lack of vision, skill, or just because they're too limited by the tech.

[@gospyro]

Take 2 (my orginal comment was lost, so I'm trying again) I'll also break my thoughts down into multiple comments this time around. I was the art director/lead artist on the OG trilogy and really enjoyed this video! Here's a few of my thoughts on some of the things mentioned in the video. I think Toys for Bob did an increidble job with Reignited, but I also have some complaints. As mentioned in the vidoe, I don't understand way TfB felt they needed to make such drastic changes to the level palettes!?!?! I may be a little biased and sensitive to these changes becasue one of my primary jobs was over-seeing the palettes of the levels and the game as a whole. The levels in Reignited, while beatuful, are also noisy and lack something I don't know how to express, something the OG levels had. It also not just the change of palettes, but TfB filled the worlds with too much 'stuff'. It goes back to the saying, "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." I also must add that I LOVE the model used in Reignited!!! I would even go as far as to say he's my favorite and that I like him even better than the OG! Of course, I also have to say that I really don't like that he's fuchsia. His color in most of the promotional art is nice, but in the game it self he is far too pink! (actyally, almost all fo the levels in Reignited are far too yellow)

[@Mike14264]

Funnily enough, I think I did see your OG comment before this one

[@ivercingetorix1367]

The Spyro games will always have a special place in my heart. Thinking back to when I had time to just hang out in the game's worlds.

[@xviolaa]

I'm SO glad there's a full video about these worlds and the emotions they provoke, this is right up my alley

[@angelnoel5464]

i really like this, no yelling and trashing an old game, but just observing its art

[@bobsonny]

Are you new to KZbin? There are tons of lovingly crafted analyses of old video games!

[@Mike14264]

I think you've been off the internet for a long time. Nowadays, it's more hip to complain about new photo-realistic games and remakes of old classics. And Spyro 1 is not an old game that warrants any yelling or trashing, dude. It's a classic, and tons of videos are dedicated to loving, praising (or sometimes even worshiping which is a bit too much) classics! This here is a game of pure platforming which, come to think of it, with how platformers of the time always had some extra fluff and gimmicks to them, would explain why many folks prefer the following games actually... but on the other hand, it's these following titles that have the annoying bits that folks actively complain about. The only complaints folks have isn't how annoying Spyro 1 can get at times, but rather how it could have a bit more... something to it. Like how the bosses all feel like mini bosses (or even less than that lol) and the tiny levels they're in feel more threatening than them, that one's a pretty common complaint, but it isn't an actively upsetting one, it's kinda passive, since the bosses aren't annoying or irritating anyways.

[@angelnoel5464]

@Mike14264 idk what your getting at after the second sentence. I just appreciate how the video editor is taking time to smell the roses and appreciate the form and structure of a gamesworld. It helps me to see art in perspective so I can properly form my own world when I draw my comics

[@Mike14264]

@@angelnoel5464 ahh! Well, that I understand. Even if there are more KZbinrs like that too, they indeed aren't as common. Folks who love to check out every detail, either visual, auditorial, or through the feel they convey. I honestly thought your focus was moreso on the fact that people complained about old games or games in general, rather than the fact there are folks stopping to appreciate these games in ways beyond what most folks do.

[@Mike14264]

@@angelnoel5464 also, you're a comic artist?? That's pretty gnarly! Do you post them anywhere?

[@Wipeout-tx4rl]

Hadn't played spyro since maybe 6-7 years old. At 26 last year I finally conquered the 1st, for a childs game, honestly one of the best gaming experiences. Great difficulty balance. Nostalgia aside, the simplicity and aesthetic is timelessly enjoyable. Great video mate.

[@ivandevilliers5741]

This is such a brilliant video essay, wow. Spyro created some of my deepest childhood memories, and I believe it is because of these points that you highlight in the video - an ethereal, heavenly, almost liminal dream world that only a child’s mind can escape to and wish to live in forever. Thanks for this video, it is fantastic, and it is clear how deeply you’ve pondered the magical world that Insomniac gave us back in the late 90’s to early 2000’s

[@ivandevilliers5741]

Also, Stewart Copeland’s score/soundtrack was an absolute miracle collaboration. I feel that if it wasn’t for him, the game could have potentially ended up having some average or generic background music. Instead he created an iconic sound that truly complimented the game and became an integral part of the experience, and perfectly captured the essence of each of the worlds within the game

[@jaquenhgar4251]

I would love to walk trough dark hollow and warm up at a fireplace😊

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

Spyro the Dragon has always been my favorite game of the original trilogy because it is the most cohesive and unified in vision of the first three games. A huge part of the strange disconnection between the player and the man-made structures in the game is that Spyro 1 was made in an era before Half-Life, Thief: The Dark Project, and System Shock 2 firmly stamped it into the brains of every game designer that level design has to first follow real-world architectural, functional, and purposeful design principles, making it feel like a real place, above even sheer fun-factor in a disorganized but strictly-fun focused play space. Even System Shock 1, which dipped its toes into attempting to make the layout of Citadel Station feel like how an actual space station's various rooms and decks would be laid out, still used arcadey Wolfenstein 3D/Doom labyrinth maze sections in certain sectors of certain decks, as it was expected in that era that FPS games would use spatial-reasoning puzzle design as the other half of their fun factor opposite of shooting, to the point that the makers of System Shock deliberately added a justification in an audio log for why they had added maze sections. Part of it has to do with that fact, another part has to do with the fact that it is a fantasy, and all fantasies runs on their own internal logic and physics that does not and were never intended to mesh with the real-world. So, it ironically feels very organic that Insomniac's level designers stuck the buildings where they thought they would be most meaningful and have the biggest impact, which seemed to have inadvertently left them feeling like they are a natural, ingrained, element of the world and not purposefully man-made. Another aspect of it is that starting in the 6th console generation, increased capacity for graphical fidelity (and the consequence increase in costs to produce games of matching fidelity meaning games had to appeal to a broader market to recoup costs) led game makers to switch from a focus on perfecting unified visual art styles within each game to hyperfocusing on realism to tout how close they could make their games look like the real-world. (Realism as an art stye being more popular than caricature and surrealism.) Realism obviously grounds a world by using visual cues and elements that come directly from the real-world, whereas Spyro is clearly leaning heavily into the inherently more abstract, flat, and surreal elements of classic American animation (and in particular, one film which I feel strongly served as a stylistic and color theory inspiration for the game, Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty). Its uncanny how close the warm colors of various Spyro realms match those of the literal tapestry-inspired visuals of that film, and even how Beast Maker's colors and style match those of Maleficent's Forbidden Mountain.

[@SuperFlashDriver]

Fiction/Non-Realism > Non-Fiction/Realism to sum it up.

[@silkyshimmerox5010]

I only ever played spyro 2 but the ethereal atmosphere of the summer palace or whatever it was called along with its music stuck with me to this day. I love these environments.

[@monochrome10]

i have been looking for a video like this. Spyro's worlds inspired me so much. Thank you.

[@Randomdude19372]

Please never give up man, your videos are criminally underrated.

[@drift180x]

Those sky boxes, they are so dream state like, the whole game feels like exploring inside a dream. Also, especially with the first game, the scale of the levels lend well to Spyro’s movement. He’s a pretty fast character, having all that room to run adds a sense of whimsy to it. Like when you’re a kid and just want to run in big open field just because. Stewart’s music is a great addition to the feel of dream state. If I had to describe the game in one word: Ethereal Great video and editing. Spyro is easily one of my favorite games.

[@isaacfaith9369]

The first game is my favorite Ps1 game of all time. The memories contained within those worlds are very dear to me, and they always will be. The surreal, almost vacant worlds accompanied by the incredible score by Copeland meant my twin brother and I could fill in all of the blanks by ourselves, and it’s something I give this game great praise for. Thank you for this video. I relate to it very much!!

[@gospyro]

The end of the game was rushed! If I remember right, there was a whole thing planned for after Spyro took out Gnasty, but there just wasn't time. Which always really bothered me since the end seemed very anti-climatic. I reallly pushed that in the future, the final level be designed and built somewhere in the middle of the production timeline. Far enough along that we knew what were were doing, but early enough that we could do it right and not have to rush or cut things because of time. Sadly, no one listened to me and that never changed.

[@SCHMALLZZZ]

Probably should pin these comments.

[@Midwest123]

What was planned after the final boss?

[@gospyro]

@@Midwest123 unfortunately I don’t remember

[@Midwest123]

@@gospyro I see. Do you know anything about the water-based hub world? Aquifers

[@gospyro]

@@Midwest123 Sorry to say, that once again, it's been too long. I have vague memories of having discusions, but nothing I can really nail down.

[@rogerklotzisme]

This might be, with no exaggeration, my favorite video on all of youtube. In my near 20 years of watching videos here, nothing has quite tickled me like this piece. It's like you took all my thoughts on why Spyro is my favorite game and put them into a video. Thank you so much for this.

[@dr3dg352]

Didn't realize it's something of an unpopular opinion, but the first Spyro is easily my favorite of the games. I think it's a similar reason to why the original Tomb Raider on the same console is my favorite video game ever. For me there's absolutely no other feeling like exploring beautiful 3D worlds in total isolation. Like Spyro, TR1 barely had a HUD. Both had future installments add more NPCs and the like, which made the games lose a lot of their magic for me. That said, I'm about to finish Spyro 2 for the first time in decades thanks to the reignited trilogy, and it's been a lot of fun! I now have the remasters of both of my favorite game trilogies on PS4. 😍

[@MOCdude]

Spyro is one of the games where your taking away by the atmosphere and appreciating its nature animals and landscape of its aura

[@Lexartm]

The legend has returned. Can't wait to fall asleep to this

[@Joyless]

Hell yeah! That's exactly the vibe I was going for :)

[@wolf9423]

Same

[@j.m.3600]

Great comment 👺👍

[@mrmuyagi9907]

Can confirm this is grade A bedtime audio

[@gospyro]

Some people may know this, but for those who don't, Spyro started out GREEN. Very quickly we realized that green was not going to work out for a chacracter who spent much his time running around on green grass! We also realized that there were already several green, reptilian mascots type characters, ie Gex, Croc, Yoshi, and I'd swear there was at least one more. So we needed to pick a new color. In the process of doing that I put together a video of Spyro in all sorts of differtn colors. Unfortunately, the first couple colors (including his OG green) got taped over. This link is to a copy of the 25+ year old VHS (that I'm really glad I kept!) kzbin.info/www/bejne/eniUZYaXa9dkgqs

[@ericlu4570]

That other green character might be Bug from the Sega Saturn game Bug.

[@gospyro]

@@ericlu4570 I don't remember that game, but looking at pictures from it, it could have been!!

[@LEXXPortPatrol]

Joyless has uploaded another 1+ hour long video hyperfixating on the aesthetics of a game you’ve never played? Excellent >:) my favourite I’m so excited to watch all of this!!

[@Wipeout-tx4rl]

Ur missing out horribly

[@dragonfye1]

I’ve been playing Spyro since this game game out when i was a little girl. He is a childhood hero of mine, and the reason i ADORE dragons to begin with. The way you described this game is just…SO ACCURATE… I don’t know what else to say. you just so accurately captured and described the Warm and familiar, yet Eerie and off-putting aura I have always adored. 😊

[@TreyGamr58]

13:00 This was me when I was 6 years old, my thoughts to a tee, wanting to explore what seemed like vast fields, and that’s what got me into gaming. Spyro 1 absolutely hit different. Calling its levels “dream worlds” is perfect. I remember even dreaming about Spyro 1’s levels even after playing 2 & 3 around the same time.

[@jennyl309]

I'm always really excited when I see a new Joyless upload. I'm just so glad that niche stuff like this exists, and I think your love of atmospheric stuff like this is reflected beautifully in your music as well.

[@osiride]

Probably, only Shadow of the Colossus comes close to 'THAT' feeling

[@enoyna1001]

True

[@tdoran616]

GTA San Andrea’s on PS2 with its orange-red skybox which is only on the PS2 version comes close

[@limm_ee]

One of my absolute favorite things about the trilogy when I was younger (and to this day) was the atmosphere. The sheer wonder, the excitement of what strange environment you'd end up in next. I love exploration in video games, so it really scratched that itch like nothing else. Not to mention the dreamlike qualities of it all. It was all just so whimsical. While the remakes couldn't quite capture that same feeling, they did make me realize that the first game is actually my favorite! I used to replay 3 constantly when I was younger and it was the one I remembered the most, but the remake really made me realize that the entire concepts in the first game were just... riiiiiiight up my alley. The high fantasy, whimsical dream that was Spyro the Dragon. Anyways, ramble over, I'm glad I stumbled upon this video!

[@AuraSparks]

So lovely touring these worlds again, so fantastic, so unique. The weird monkey and seal people will always haunt me...

[@Petronious]

Late to watch and comment but I have to say I really enjoy hearing these observations of yours. Helps me to see these games I've known almost inside-out for so long... in an entirely different way. Great work! Loved the original Spyro themed music dotted around, too.

[@nchldmn]

I would love to see a video essay like this for the original Ratchet and Clank

[@Deluca-Piano]

I love that you made this awesome homage to the original Spyro game!👍🐉 I always absolutely loved the amazing and majestic atmosphere in this game. It was such a fun part of my childhood for my brother and I on Saturday mornings in the 90s. Ah such amazing summers.🌞⛱️

[@xxadder114xx]

I've mentioned before how much I love your content and I can't understate enough not only how much I adore it but how much it resonates with me. I've always thought of the uncanny landscapes of Spyro like this and always wanted you to make a video about it. I'm so glad you did! Thank you for continuing to do your amazing work! Edit: Also the reignited trilogy is fantastic and I adore it but updating the graphics does of course lose it a lot of that uncanny and unusual feeling

[@samhein321]

the whole artstyle was different and bad, it should of looked like Mario games, which are great modern graphics but still cute and faithful to even their NES graphics Spyro characters are more like cute muppets, they could of easily kept the style instead of ugly monsters and concept art looking designs...

[@Eddies_Bra-att-ha-grejer]

The first Croc game feels really ethereal as well, the second game had a completely different atmosphere.

[@MOCdude]

Croc is another one of those games that hits different nostalgia wise

[@Purpie_Slurpie]

Thank you for giving me a deeper appreciation for this game. I never got the chance to play it myself, so it's really cool hearing about personal experiences

[@k.h.8506]

Oof, I remember Beast Makers used to scare me so much as a kid, haha. My favorite has always been Magic Crafters. (,:

[@knucklehead5322]

Thank you for making this ❤️ Finishing up another Spyro 2 playthrough currently and this video cemented a return to the original afterwards for sure

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

This goes hard & I love it.

[@DISTORTEDMACHINE]

This video is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for putting all of this today and putting all of these thoughts into something very tangible. ✨

[@gemlik_rogue]

Sometimes I always wonder why I dreamed about Spyro 1 levels so much when I was a kid, especially levels like Stone Hill or Dry Canyon. (I mean, probably because I hadn't a Memory Card yet, so I replayed Artisans and Peacekeepers over and over). This video probably explains me why I love this game (and the whole trilogy) so much even after so many years. Surreal aesthetics and vibrant colors that mixed together give me that feel of nostalgia that no other videogame from my childhood ever gave to me. Thank you for making this video!

[@Rang89]

I loved Spyro the Dragon as a kid, it brought me much joy when it was hard to find! I had a wide smile throughout this video, so for that you have my thanks. Tree Tops' animal sound in the background always reminded me of my cat at the time, meowing at night for whatever reason hehe. Haunted Towers is by far my favorite level, and it, along with most of the game, reminds me of Cher's song Believe and the chocolate Quality Street. On a last note, the FPS game AMID EVIL has an aesthetic that reminds me a lot of the first Spyro game. Oddly enough, it being an action game, the worlds just have a similar look and feel to them.

[@TheMeGuy1]

What a fantastic video that goes so far in depth about the things I love in my favorite game of all time. Sometimes I've felt like I've just been stubborn about not letting any other game stand on the pedestal at the top as my favorite despite having so many intimate experiences with other titles, but the reverence and care you take in breaking down this game as a unique and ethereal piece of art really puts to words some of the feelings as to why I hold it in such high regard myself. A couple things I wished you talked about both relate to the field of depth elements the game has. The first is that while the full game has this FoD capability, fog is noticeably used in some of the Beastmakers worlds. They added traditional video game fog to these levels because it's what best suited the atmosphere. The beastmakers home in particular envelops you in a cloud of inky indigo fog, creating a sense of an unwelcoming and wild place. The second is how the FoD is used not just for making the level edges blend seamlessly into the skyboxes, or letting you spot landmarks from afar, but how it affects the long glides and supercharge jumps of the game. Because of the way that the game becomes unfocused and painting-like, there are places far off in the distance that you can't quite make out if you're supposed to go there or if they're part of the set dressing. Making these jumps becomes a leap of faith, where you throw yourself into this broad unknown, and it's a shame that this was lost in Reignited. The best example is the jump at the top of the village in Cliff Town. The Dragon challenges you to make the jump to find out what's over there, even though it's not quite clear if you can make it. The glinting of gems in the distance might be one of your only hints aside from the dragon that it's even possible. And as you thrust yourself from the height of the cliff, you slowly glide over, carrying uneasiness for a good 4 or 5 seconds until the bluff overlooking the river becomes clearer and clearer. You can see the gems on top now, you can see that you're supposed to be there, and that uneasiness gives way to excitement and anticipation of what you'll find. In reignited, with the lack of this same stylistic FoD, there is never a doubt in your mind, and your trepidation, imagination, and anticipation do not get that same time to build. My only other observation and I think one of the areas I disagree with you on is that early in the video you mention casting aside the story and lore for the most part to purely appreciate the aesthetics, but I actually think that learning the lore about the dragons makes me appreciate the care and attention more. For example, the lore in the instruction manual states that the beastmakers use clay, roots, and other natural materials to do their work, and that their buildings are mainly composed of wood. The leaf-less trees and stumps are there as worldbuilding to this fact. They've cut down all their trees to build their homes, or stripped their leaves away as materials to make more beasts. The Magic Crafters are all nestled in the mountains because it gives them a peaceful and spacious area away from others to study in solitude, and you often find rooms and platforms that feel ethereal and bereft of purpose, but you can imagine the Magic Crafters nestling in the chambers in a peaceful solitude and meditating. I feel like knowing these details makes the unknown known, but not in a way that takes away from the experience of these ethereal magical spaces. Also, a fun fact about the lore: You mention that gnasty's world seems unfinished or rushed, that's because it likely was a little bit. For a decent amount of development time, Gnasty's World was known as "Machinists" and another dragon family that were tinkerers were intended to live there. The dragons are even mentioned in some press kits. I'm assuming that as they ran out of dev time, they pivoted and made the world into the dragon junkyards that Gnasty Gnorc took over and militarized. Makes me wonder what we would've gotten if they'd managed to go all the way with the machinist idea.

[@thomaskuzma4360]

That was amazing! Thank you for making such a wonderful piece

[@ZephyrFate]

The Reignited version was fantastic.

[@KingofKeys2000]

This really was the first game i fell in love with. A game that just takes you away from it all. The worlds are amazing, the music is just so iconic at this point. This was an amazing retrospect. I have played these games so many times i have lost count but the way you described them and the details you pointed out made me sit here and say "wow i never noticed that" more then once. Great job man

[@theloopofgoop]

your videos are my favorite and an absolute treat when released

[@laurajames7682]

I love this video so much! Spyro was absolutely life-changing for me when I first picked it up as a child. I wouldn’t be an artist if it weren’t for this game. You’ve explained so well how I feel about it all - it’s not just a game, but an experience. For a child with an active imagination (especially as one who grew up in Wales, being told stories throughout my early years of dragons and castles) it’s just such a calming, whimsical, beautiful world that feels like ‘home’. Also, I see you found my Tweet :D

[@tanzadragon]

This is SUCH a good video. I love the original trilogy more than anything and your video really made me want to take my time and admire everything in a different way the next time I play through.

[@cetinkarakulak]

GREAT VID!!! HIGH QUALITY, I CAN SAY THIS IS DOCUMENTARY SCALE ALMOST. KEEP GOING MAN

[@gabby-bb2vb]

just amazing work on this video. this game was a central part of my childhood, and i spent many hours in my room as an only child exploring these worlds. still, i haven't noticed some of these intricate details. thank you for all the effort you put into this amazing video!

[@Brutetank]

One of my favourite childhood memories was in Misty Bog and the bridge run where you can headbutt the enemies into the water. The little splash animation, has sat with me my entire life. The simplicity of the water in the first Spyro was just perfect.

[@deciduouspineapple5130]

Hello again, my favorite haunted bedsheet! Though not super surprising that you'd take on Spyro's provocative ice-cream color-coded castle realms, I still find this video to be quite the treat (pun intended). Every upload that you do, I usually stop what I'm doing and either watch it to completion, or just listen to it when I'm about to lie down. If nobody's told you yet (and why wouldn't they?), you have a calm and relaxing voice, and it does wonders for your eloquent and acute presentations on video game aesthetics. Being a Bri'ish video essayist on the 'Tubes might not be uncommon, but your expressive vocabulary, your cinematography, and raw passion for what you do is- as far as I can see- what makes you so unique. There is nothing quite like you, like Joyless, and you should take pride in this achievement alone if not brag about it. I've gotten into a lot of aesthetic KZbin channels as of late, and I have both you and The Librarian to thank for that. Well, I think the one that REALLY started my binging was a channel called "i can't sleep", but that's neither here nor there. I'm just glad that channels like yours exist to begin with. It's doubly good to know that at any point in time, somebody could cherish the little things which form a greater whole, and then share that sentiment with others who might not have noticed or even cared. At least, it can turn some heads, and at most it could broaden another's horizons, expanding the scope of interest in something that someone might've thought they had all figured out. Passion reciprocating passion, creating an eternal cycle of creative thought, or something like that. But enough with my pretentious yapping. I've overstayed my welcome for long enough. I end my wall o' text with my usual sendoff: I longingly await your next project, be it your music or your aesthetic dissection videos. I pray, from now to the next one, that you have fun doing whatever it is you're doing here. And I hope that, despite the namesake, you're still doing okay. That last one borders on being neurotically parasocial, but I genuinely do mean it. Keep being you Joyless; you're doing great!

[@a.z.9957]

Thank you for your video. It resonates strongly with my. Keep up the good work. I really love and appreciate your great work ❤️❤️

[@thedogoffaleash]

These games stuck with me for decades, more than most games. The vibe is simply on point.

[@guiv5412]

This is great stuff man. Keep it up.

[@PostcardFromADream]

Listening to you overanalyze things of this matter is one of my favorite things. I've put on your Konquest & GTA3 videos so many times. I haven't really thought of Spyro since I played it on release, but now you've got me wanting to revisit it.

[@leftear8010]

Absolutely fantastic video!

[@eleanorsfate445]

Amazing video, absolutely mesmerizing.

[@ponder3020]

Inspiring video. Thank you for making it.

[@nullstar6604]

I love your videos, man. Seriously good content.

[@sentientblender]

Love this so much. I never really touched the other two games in the trilogy as a kid, and I still don’t really now either. I see where people are coming from when they say they prefer the fleshed-out sequels, but there’s something just hypnotic about the feel of the original. No side quests, no backtracking, nothing to stand between you and the dreamscape. Spyro 1 is a pure distilled vibe, and it’s all I need.

[@acemcwolf5445]

The original Spyro trilogy, *especially* 3 has always resonated with me for this EXACT reason. It is a near impossible feeling to describe. But I think I might, With the modern day internet's understanding, Have something close: Spyro's worlds are an antithesis to liminal spaces. That might sound weird, But think about it. Liminal spaces are meant to be eerie, Giving you a feeling of unease. Enclosed spaces with no exit, Many of which are indoor labyrinths. A crawling feeling of dread. But Spyro's worlds are the exact opposite of that, Wide open spaces. Wonderful natural light. Nice luscious environments. An ethereal, Calming, Whimsical feeling. It (to me at least) Always felt like a home away from home, Like you could lay back and watch the beautiful skies of these worlds. It's a weird comparison to make, And there are probably better ways to put it, But it's the closest thing I can compare it to.

[@TaZerrHD]

absolutely inspiring, just discovered your music as well, which has similar qualities to what you are trying to describe in your videos i love how deep you go into these otherworldly themes and indescribable emotions hidden in this media and the life we live, thank you

[@midwichmusic]

Spyro 1 and 2 where huge part of my childhood. I still love playing the original games today and the soundtracks by Stewart Copeland are soooooo good! Thank you for the video ^^

[@WitchChloee]

I absolutely love this video, I've never seen anyone talk about how interesting and dreamy the levels are in this game, its the whole reason I like it so much more than the other two, I have always felt something special exploring these levels it always drove me crazy as a kid not being able to go out of bounds on this game even though now days everyone knows there's nothing out there I would LOVE exploring the buildings and landscape even if there was absolutely no enemies or items or anything I would just love to explore these dream worlds they have made. They have made such an impact on me as now I'm making my own worlds in this games style in my Minecraft adventure map!!!

[@tiezoc757]

I loved watching this video so much! Spyro has such a special place in my heart. It was one of, if not the first game I asked my parents for when I was little. It's such a gorgeous game. I love the mystery some of the levels really bring. The later games and Reignited just didn't do it for me, I was never interested in them and when I actually played them; they didn't hit me with what the first game did. Thank you so much for all the love and work you put into this video. I really enjoyed what you had to say!

[@Brucedoos]

What a brilliant video! Always loved this game and you summed it up perfectly

[@bunsatron3617]

I am so happy to see you describe my favorite game in such a brilliant way. I agree completely, and I love your insights. Nothing compares to the feeling of these worlds. I had recurring dreams for years of my childhood in these settings. Especially magic crafters.

[@jonathandaleo]

This one's for the algo, Joyless. Keep up the great work!

[@Kaemars]

I knew I wasn't the only one thinking that Spyro's Worlds and skyboxes were something so etheral, dreamy and unique! Spyro's trilogy are my favourite games of all time. I just love them. Thank you for this video :)

[@zachlong5427]

My man! You are a kindred spirit in remembering this with me. I had no words like yours, just vibrant memories. Thank you.

[@CrayonsNThings]

This was pure joy to watch and listen to. You really spoke for so many of us!~

[@pandersera]

thank you for making this

[@Raaayven]

I was first exposed to spyro on a demo disk my mother had somehow gotten of several games. I remember the demo had the entirety of the artisan's homeworld playable on it, but if you went to the balloonist, he'd say 'come back in September'. This was a reference to when the game came out of course, but I was very young, and my birthday is in September, so I was convinced that this magical world would open on my birthday. I remember I would just run around that first homeworld in the demo for hours-- I have distinct memories of stone hill and the force-field border, and running around daydreaming about what lay beyond. Naturally, when my birthday came and the demo disk still told me to come back in September I was devastated. I ended up getting the game as a belated gift, and I loved every second of it.

[@thebrainnameditself9530]

You described perfectly why this game has meant so much to me just through its environmental designs alone since I was 6. I felt like the game always teased me and my curiosity. I never wanted to leave the worlds. I feel like its such a rarity for games nowadays to make you feel like stopping to take everything in like you're at an art museum. Recently, the game has fascinated me again after I stumbled across some youtube videos showing what the game looked like in its early beta stages. There's some insignificant but noticeable changes to the final product that gives it an uncanny feel. Its weird seeing the stone hill portal replaced with the town square portal...but despite how scary it is to see that intimidating red town square portal to the side of you the moment you start the game, I sorta wish they went with that in the final. I feel like it would've been another one of those things that poked at my curiosity when I was younger

[@Bathroomsteve]

I really enjoyed this video, it's great, I would love if you did ones on Spyro 2 and 3

[@mothcub]

you've inspired me to make art with those spyro colour palettes. hell yes

[@nz7166]

i really enjoyed this vid. ty

[@Midwest123]

The Jacques bossworld. That was an interesting flip from a lucid dreamland to literal hell and fire…always was interesting to me

[@KatoCoyoteCombatWorkshop]

Another game that really gave me vibes and kickstarted my imagination on the world itself is Rayman 2. The sanctuaries in particular always made me wonder who built them and why, especially with the spooky tones that game was capable of invoking. I remember specifically being in the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire, seeing the silly pictographs relieved into the walls of tunnels with platforms filled with lava and wondering who carved them and what they meant.

[@Zangiefbeefgrief]

so glad for a new joyless video

[@chilledoutcat1571]

I find it interesting that you use the term eerie when to me growing it up was always whimsical and dreamlike. But yeah thanks for this video and glad to see more people appreciate the original spyro's dreamlike skyboxes and aesthetics! Like it's something I wish was in reignited

[@Joyless]

I really appreciate that! Thank you. I absolutely see what you mean, it's not all what I'd consider to be eerie. I guess I just personally find strange, weird things unsettling :/

[@thrusteavis]

Astral Plane: the game Realms daydreamed by a god Theres something to the gradients used & the undefined purpose of the structures that give everything a fleeting sort of unrealness to them... that the world is illusory & beyond your comprehension so youre only catching its veneer. Lovely atmosphere thats definitely hard to pin down

[@maes2644]

Damn i thought i was a real spyro fan then this guy comes along. But seriously i feel like the mostly upbeat music of the game has kept me from noticing how surreal the game is. For me, it feels totally natural that the world is like this while youre playing. But seeing the landscape without music or enemies really drives home the surreal factor. Thanks for making this video and pointing it out. Maybe I'll play without music next time and see how it affects the experience.

[@Scotsmanthebedbug]

I would love to see someone mod this game with no enemies and make it 100% about exploring these unique worlds

[@HardboiledBread]

Hell yeah, they could place small flags to collect in unique/hard to reach areas

[@j_dugg]

Joyless content! EXACTLY what I needed in my life rn. Been in a bit of a depressive bout lately, & a deep-dive into Spyro aesthetics is such a vibe for me. I will forever cherish the OG Insomniac trilogy. In fact, I still have them tucked away someplace. I might just have to dust them off for a replay soon… remind myself of simpler times, before the stresses of adult living crept up on me. Thank you for the upload 🙂