New Spyro the Dragon PC recompilation modernises the 1998 PlayStation classic

The original Spyro the Dragon has made its way to Windows in a rather different form. OpenPete, a new static recompilation project, takes the 1998 PlayStation game and gets it running natively on modern computers, complete with higher frame rates, widescreen support and a surprisingly detailed selection of graphics settings. This isn’t a remake. You won’t find new character models, rebuilt levels or redesigned artwork. Instead, OpenPete keeps the original game underneath and removes many of the technical limits that came with running it on a PlayStation nearly three decades ago. The biggest difference is obvious almost immediately. Spyro can run at around 100 frames per second by default. And yes, it feels much faster.

Spyro runs far beyond the original PlayStation limits

Spyro the Dragon arrived on the original PlayStation in 1998 and became one of the console’s better-known 3D platform games. Players explore fairly open levels, collect gems, free trapped dragons and chase down enemies while using Spyro’s charge, jump, glide and flame attacks. Movement is a big part of the game, so frame rate matters.

OpenPete’s default cap sits at roughly 100 fps, but you’re not stuck with it. The frame-rate limit can be raised or lowered depending on the hardware and display you’re using. That makes movement look noticeably smoother than it did on the original console. Controls also feel immediate, which matters when you’re charging across narrow platforms or trying to land a glide without dropping into whatever unpleasant hole happens to be underneath.

The project name has a connection to Spyro’s early development too. Before the final purple dragon design appeared, an early version of the character was green and apparently went by the name Pete. OpenPete borrows that abandoned name.

Widescreen and ultrawide work surprisingly well

Modern monitors don’t have to pretend they’re old televisions either. OpenPete supports 16:9 widescreen as well as ultrawide displays. Instead of stretching the original picture, the game can show a wider view of its environments. For normal gameplay, that works well.

Cutscenes can occasionally look stranger. The original PlayStation version didn’t need to draw everything outside the visible camera area, because players couldn’t see it anyway. That saved precious processing power. Once the view gets wider, some of those old tricks become visible.

You might spot a polygon, character part or piece of scenery appearing near the edge of the screen before disappearing again. It’s not something that constantly gets in the way, but it’s one of those reminders that the underlying game still comes from 1998.

The graphics menu lets you change quite a lot

OpenPete isn’t just about frame rate and resolution. Pressing Escape brings up a proper settings menu with controls for aspect ratio, dithering, level of detail and several other graphics options. Better still, you can see many of the changes while the game is running. Draw distance is particularly interesting.

Set it higher and distant castles, platforms and scenery appear with much more detail than they did on PlayStation. Lower it again and the presentation gets closer to the original game’s shorter viewing distance.

Players can also change some of the PlayStation’s familiar rendering quirks. Original PlayStation games often had textures and polygons that seemed to wobble slightly as the camera moved. OpenPete can reduce that effect, giving the image a steadier appearance. If you prefer the old behaviour, you can turn it back on.

MSAA is available for smoother edges, while dithering can also be adjusted. There’s even a free-camera mode. It isn’t something you’ll need during normal gameplay, but it’s useful for looking around levels or grabbing screenshots from angles the standard camera can’t reach.

Windows comes first

Right now, Windows gets the main OpenPete build. Linux and other versions are planned, although they’re not part of the initial release. That means anyone hoping to run it on Linux hardware or handheld PCs may need to rely on compatibility tools for the moment. Modding is also planned for the future.

That’s potentially one of the more interesting parts of the project. A native PC version gives modders a different starting point than directly modifying the original PlayStation disc image, which could eventually lead to new gameplay tweaks, visual changes and other experiments. At launch, though, OpenPete is mainly about getting the original game running properly on a modern PC.

You’ll still need your own copy of Spyro

OpenPete doesn’t include Spyro the Dragon itself. You’ll need data from a legally owned copy of the original game before you can play. Setup is fairly straightforward. Once the required game file is supplied to OpenPete, the program handles the rest of the process.

That’s an important distinction. This isn’t a free PC rerelease of Spyro being handed out as a complete package. OpenPete provides the modern executable side of the equation, while the actual game data still comes from the player’s copy. What you end up with is recognisably the original Spyro the Dragon, just running under very different conditions.

Higher frame rates make movement smoother. Widescreen gives the levels more room on modern displays. Extended draw distances reveal scenery that used to disappear much sooner, while the graphics menu lets you decide how much of the old PlayStation look you want to keep. It’s still Spyro. It just doesn’t have to behave like it’s running on hardware from 1998 anymore.

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