You’ve already seen the news that Spyro: A Realm Beyond, the long-awaited fourth game in the series, has finally been revealed. But did you spot a subtle confirmation that a key feature is set to return?
I was on the ground at Summer Game Fest in LA, which meant I was able to share some time with the Spyro 4 developers from Toys for Bob shortly after their big unveil at the Xbox Games Showcase.
Naturally, with their project having only just been announced, there wasn’t a great deal more that the game’s creators could tell us, although they did talk a fair bit about the ‘flow state’ that the classic Spyro games have – that feeling when you’re running around exploring and naturally finding things to do, following your nose and enjoying the ride.
The team at Toys for Bob tried to capture that same feeling of flow in the game’s flying mechanic, which is one of the major new additions they’ve brought to the fore in A Realm Beyond. But that’s not the clue hiding in plain sight that we’ve gathered you here to talk about.
The returning feature that the developers teased in the reveal, which you might have missed if you weren’t looking carefully, is actually hidden in the game’s logo.
In their stylisation of the word “Spyro,” the developers have hidden a gem-shaped icon in the middle of the letter “o”. Can you see what we mean in the image above?
This might not seem significant on first glance, but it does have deeper meaning if you’re a fan of the classic Spyro games.
After all, in the original trilogy, there were gems hidden all over the place, and collecting them would see you rewarded with various unlockables.
The developers pointed out this detail in the logo specifically, implying that it gives you a hint to the gameplay that goes beyond what was actually in the trailer.
So, we feel safe in assuming that gem-collecting will continue to be a big deal in A Realm Beyond, just like it was in the old games.
This may not be the biggest reveal in the world, but it does go some way to proving that the developers of Spyro 4 are really looking at the classic games and making sure they capture that same feeling in their new entry.
If they’ve put a gem in the logo, it seems incredibly likely that collecting gems will once again be a key feature of the gameplay, which will help the new game feel like vintage Spyro, even if does have more flying in this new iteration.
Another link to the past is the return of Tom Kenny in the lead role of Spyro, which the developers were also able to confirm in their post-showcase presentation.
The Toys for Bob team also spoke about the fact that they have bought back their independence (they were previously acquired by Activision), allowing them to return to the world of platforming after several years of working as a support studio on games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Overwatch.
Certainly, it feels like Toys for Bob are back doing what they’re best at, and we’re really hoping this new Spyro game turns out to be a gem.
It doesn’t launch until spring 2027, so we’ll be sure to keep you updated when we have some more details to go on.
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