Bithell Games returns to the world of TRON with TRON: Catalyst. Following in the footsteps of visual novel TRON: Identity, Catalyst is something of a different beast. Much more ambitious in scope across the board, this is an action-adventure brawler that incorporates light RPG elements.
You play as Exo, a courier who finds themselves caught in a time loop as the Grid is experiencing some, erm, technical difficulties. The time loop is utilised both narratively and mechanically, crafting an interesting dichotomy that allows you to “reset” the state of the world if you get in a jam, or feel compelled to do something unhinged.
Mechanically, the game is solid throughout. Combat — mostly with your disc or light cycle — isn’t terribly deep, but it is satisfying. Enemies are archetypes like ranged, heavy, etc. and sadly don’t mix up their approaches in any meaningful way. Despite this, the combat stays fun all the way through the 10 hours it’ll take to wrap up the story. If you’re having a hard time early on, just upgrade the parry, as it powers up the move so much as to basically trivialise combat.
TRON, of course, is renowned for its style, and the game absolutely nails the feel of the Grid. Hyper-saturated neons dictate which factions people work for, items like Light Cycles, Recognisers, and the like all look incredible, and the scale of the environments is truly impressive. The city map, for example, is massive and surprisingly dense. Flynn’s arcade looks amazing too. The music is also exceptional, though it does heavily favour the Daft Punk sound as opposed to that of Wendy Carlos.
If you’re a fan of the franchise, then TRON: Catalyst is a title you won’t want to miss. Bithell Games has massively expanded the scope and ambition of its title from the first time out, and the results are mostly successful.