Released for PlayStation between 1998 and 2000, the original Spyro trilogy offered a quaint atmosphere ripe for exploration – with the series’ homeworlds doing much of the heavy lifting.
While it’s already been nearly seven years since the latest Spyro release with Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the series remains one of the most recognizable in the platformer genre, with characteristics that influenced games well beyond its original scope.
Though the Spyro series received a plethora of releases from the late 1990’s through the 2000’s, much of the series’ acclaim and popularity can be attributed to the first three games of the series, all released for the PlayStation.
All three games feature relatively similar objectives – embark on a collectible-centered adventure while rescuing a fantasy universe populated with plenty of allies and enemies alike along the way.
Each level of the trilogy, excluding the flight/speedway levels, offers Spyro a relatively open-ended, nonlinear opportunity to explore, collecting gems scattered across the level while also looking out for dragon statues, orbs or eggs, depending on which game you’re playing.
In this list, I’ll be ranking the 13 homeworlds encountered in the original trilogy from my least favorite to favorite, while considering how fun, innovative and worth exploring each level is.
I will preface the list by acknowledging that I generally prefer the enemy-free homeworlds in Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, as opposed to the homeworlds in the original Spyro the Dragon, which do include enemies.
Additionally, while I am considering the original PlayStation games for this list, I don’t see how I’d change it any way when considering the remastered trilogy, so the ranking applies to both!
13. Gnasty’s World (Spyro the Dragon)
The final world in the series’ first game, this was a fairly easy choice to put at the bottom of the list. Appearing as a circular platform in the midst of an intimidating body of water, Gnasty’s World serves as the gateway to Gnasty Gnorc, the game’s final boss.
Outside of a dragon in the center of the platform and a few gems scattered around, there simply isn’t much to dig into as the first game wraps up.
12. Beast Makers (Spyro the Dragon)
Serving as the fourth of six homeworlds in the first game, Beast Makers gives the player an abrupt departure from the bright-colored, generally uplifting settings of the first three worlds.
Dark and intimidating while surrounded by electrically charged enemies and a deadly swamp, Beast Makers presents a challenge and can come off as irritating simultaneously.
While the setting is fitting for the stage of the game, Beast Makers’ darkness paired with several longer jumps makes the homeworld a bit trickier to navigate – and perhaps the easiest one to get lost in.
11. Peace Keepers (Spyro the Dragon)
The second homeworld of the original game, Peace Keepers presents a noticeable jump in difficulty after the quiet Artisans homeworld to open the adventure.
The lone homeworld in the series to take place in a desert-like setting, Peace Keepers features plenty of enemies with artillery in an expansive setting that feels a little overwhelming upon first visit.
Like Beast Makers, Peace Keepers can be a little confusing to navigate at times, with a couple of tough jumps and puzzle-solving required to reach all of the levels with enemies ready to get in your way.
10. Magic Crafters (Spyro the Dragon)
I know I appear to be really railing on the first game, but I promise it’s only because of how incredible most of the homeworlds are in the latter two games.
The third homeworld in the series’ inaugural game, Magic Crafters lives up to its name as mages populate the world and cast spells to impede your progress in moving around.
One of the most creative homeworlds in the series, Magic Crafters feels mostly linear in terms of navigation, with its biggest drawback having to move through the enemies just to get to certain parts of the world when revisiting.
Its bright colors and fitting jump in difficulty make it one of the stronger homeworlds in the game, though the presence of enemies keeps it from being one of the series’ best.
9. Midday Gardens (Spyro: Year of the Dragon)
The first homeworld to not be part of the first game, Midday Gardens acts as the second of four homeworlds in the trilogy’s final game, Year of the Dragon.
While an aesthetically pleasing and fun level to navigate with little there to confuse a player, it also simply doesn’t stand out, especially when compared to its contemporaries within Year of the Dragon.
Though Midday Gardens perfectly executes the game’s time-of-day theme for homeworlds, it also doesn’t have too much to differentiate it from its predecessor, Sunrise Spring, with a similar color palette and feel not doing much to make the player feel as if they truly advanced in the game.
Additionally, this homeworld is the most deprived of secrets of any between Ripto’s Rage and Year of the Dragon, as the level’s eggs are mostly found in plain sight.
8. Artisans (Spyro the Dragon)
The first homeworld of the series, it’s hard to find a more fitting introduction to what the gameplay of the trilogy would be like.
The level is bright and easy to navigate while also introducing the player to basic enemies, the one instance in which I do think they enhance the homeworld.
Although the opening homeworlds in Ripto’s Rage and Year of the Dragon do a better job at hiding some collectibles, Artisans still features a few secrets while not feeling daunting or inaccessible in any way.
7. Sunrise Spring (Spyro: Year of the Dragon)
In many ways a better-executed version of Artisans, Sunrise Spring serves as the opening homeworld in Year of the Dragon, which also served as my personal introduction to the series as I played the games in reverse order growing up.
Depicting the atmosphere of a pleasant morning in late spring/early summer, Sunrise Spring is incredibly easy to navigate with a great variety of features, including several bodies of water and a cave.
Though unremarkable in some respects, the welcoming atmosphere and ease of finding levels gives the player a quick sense of satisfaction while acting as a perfect springboard for what would come later on in the game.
6. Winter Tundra (Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage)
In what may be my favorite homeworld when it comes to aesthetics, it pained me in some ways to leave it out of my top five, but it just offers a little bit less than the premier homeworlds of the game.
That in itself is the level’s biggest drawback – you just wish there was more. The closing homeworld of Ripto’s Rage, Spyro enters and is immediately confronted with feelings that the end is near. A snow-capped nighttime setting accompanied by Stewart Copeland’s incredible wintry-sounding score, Winter Tundra captures the mood and some on every playthrough.
With that being said, the homeworld is the smallest in the game, having just seven worlds in comparison to the 11 in Autumn Plains and eight in Summer Forest – and it feels like it.
While the world undoubtedly makes the most of its space with plenty of immersive secrets, it still feels like there could be a touch more to explore in Winter Tundra.
5. Dream Weavers (Spyro the Dragon)
The standout homeworld in the first game by a decisive margin, Dream Weavers is captivating upon landing, fitting the bill as the game’s penultimate homeworld.
With each homeworld named after the enemies that populate it, Dream Weavers has similar enemies to what was seen in Magic Crafters, with the size and vulnerability of some being altered by spells cast from a distance.
The dreamlike, almost psychedelic setting is perfectly complemented once again by Stewart Copeland’s score, filling the player equally with resolve and uncertainty.
Unlike some of its predecessors in the game, Dream Weavers is also relatively easy to at least figure out, if not navigate as well – while it includes the tedious task of killing certain enemies to reach certain spots, it isn’t as easy to get lost as it is in some other homeworlds of the opening game.
4. Summer Forest (Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage)
The opening homeworld of the series’ second game, Summer Forest differs in that it is not the first level the player encounters, as Spyro exits to the homeworld after starting the game in Glimmer, one of the world’s stages.
Perfectly matching its name, Summer Forest is a massive, tree-covered homeworld that feels equally pleasant and welcoming as players traverse the first part. I’m not sure if the feeling matches for those who initially played as adults, but the feeling of exploring underwater and into a new section of the world for the first time as a kid is what truly drew me into the game.
While appearing as a decently-sized homeworld even before learning how to swim, once Spyro is able to traverse the underwater sections of the level, the player is exposed to a new indoor section of the world with sections that feel like a transparent geodesic dome.
Though relatively linear in its orientation, this allows the player to reach different areas progressively, making the world both feel bigger while adding points of progression within the level, alongside plenty of secrets along the way.
3. Midnight Mountain (Spyro: Year of the Dragon)
The final homeworld of the trilogy, it’s clear immediately that the level responds to its scale of importance within the game.
Striking a balance between the intimidating feeling of Gnasty’s World and the quaint, cozy atmosphere of Winter Tundra, Midnight Mountain immediately appears as grandiose and expansive, but also not explicitly threatening.
Once again, Stewart Copeland’s score is integral in creating this atmosphere, penning a mystical, upbeat soundtrack for the nighttime level set in the middle of a crystal mountain range.
While unquestionably large, Midnight Mountain also never feels too overwhelming, with a few neat secrets hidden within the level to keep rewarding Spyro for exploration – up until the very end.
Though not quite my favorite homeworld of the series, it’s hard to argue against it being the perfect conclusion to an incredible platforming trilogy.
2. Autumn Plains (Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage)
The second of three homeworlds in Ripto’s Rage, it was incredibly difficult deciding between this and my top choice, as I view both of these levels to be in the series’ top tier.
Coming in as even more expansive and encouraging of exploration than Summer Forest, players start out in a gentle open field in front of a small pond, with scattered trees, overcast skies and a soundtrack that perfectly paints the picture of a 55-degree mid-October day.
While there’s immediately multiple levels and plenty to explore, Spyro unlocks an entirely new section of the homeworld after learning how to climb ladders.
The indoor section features a long hall full of level portals, some of which expand outside the building. It’s also here where the player can discover some of the level’s secrets, which are necessary to reach both of the homeworld’s two orbs.
This is perhaps the best feature of an already immaculate level, offering Spyro some of the most fantastic vantage points and glides of the entire series thanks to the sheer scope of the level.
1. Evening Lake (Spyro: Year of the Dragon)
Coming in as my favorite homeworld of the series is Evening Lake, the third of four homeworlds in Year of the Dragon and the level that perfectly executes the time-of-day concept Year of the Dragon executed with its homeworlds.
While Spyro starts off on a patch of land, much of the homeworld is located underwater, with the level’s above-ground areas rife with secrets.
Although not the largest homeworld in the trilogy, it often times feels as such, with most of the levels found in a large underwater basin that itself includes a few tunnels and secrets of its own.
While traversing Spyro levels in search of collectibles can sometimes be annoying or tedious, the exploration feels truly gratifying in Evening Lake as its amphibious layout leaves seemingly double the opportunity to find something hidden.
Beyond the ingenuity of the level itself, it was also perfectly executed visually – depicting a sun-kissed lake and structures in a Golden Hour setting accompanied by a soundtrack that truly feels like winding down after a long day.
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