TRON: Catalystis a story-driven action adventure game set in the world of theTRONfranchise. Although it takes place in the same setting as developer Bithell Games’TRON: Identity, calling it a sequel doesn’t giveTRON: Catalystthe credit it deserves. you’re able to now explore a fully fleshed-out Arq Grid, take out enemies using the game’s polished combat, and utilize a unique time-travel mechanic to explore a previous section with new knowledge and skills.
This game will be anabsolute treat for anyTRONfanwho will relish the opportunity to explore the Grid on the back of the franchise’s signature Light Cycle. However,you don’t have to be aTRONsuper fan to find something to like about this game. Both its combat and story have enough inherent appeal thatTRON: Catalystcould - true to its name - spark a new interest in the series for newcomers or even those who disliked previous entries.
I was lucky enough to try out the first hour or so ofTRON: Catalystand found myself immediately sucked in by its visual design and intriguing mysteries. Although my experience withTRON: Catalystwas largely positive, it’s worth mentioning that these impressions come from an early build of the game that is still in development. Any issues I bring up could still be easily ironed out before the game’s full release.
TRON: Catalyst Delivers Satisfying Combat And Unique Gameplay Mechanics
TRON: Catalyst Features Tight Isometric Action Combat
Although the experience as a whole is enjoyable,combat is easily the highlight ofTRON: Catalyst. I frequently found myself getting into fights I didn’t have to, just to play around with the mechanics more. Attacking and dodging feel tight and polished, andreminded me a bit ofHades. That’s not just because of the isometric perspective, but also because of the pace and satisfying impact of your attacks inTRON: Catalyst.
Combat is relatively simple in the game. You can perform a melee attack, dodge, counter, or throw your Identity Disc. The foundations are solid, andI can tell from the limited skill tree available in the preview that there is room to grow. One of my personal favorite skills was the ability to counter your own Identity Disc when it comes back to you, allowing you to bounce it repeatedly off an enemy as long as your timing was right. Chaining this with the ability to let your disc bounce off multiple enemies makes you feel really slick.
If there’s one issue I had with the combat, it was thatI found it somewhat unclear when I was supposed to parry incoming attacks. While enemy attacks were clearly telegraphed, I still couldn’t get a good feel for the timing. This may have just been a skill issue, but I found myself outright ignoring the option to parry, and choosing to dodge instead. There is an upgrade that makes parrying easier, but it’s pretty expensive, and I prioritized upgrades that would make the combat more fun.
There are also a few unique mechanics in the game that stood out to me. The Light Cycle was a lot of fun to pilot, and it’s such a classic bit ofTRONiconography.The game also features an interesting time-travel mechanic that allows you to rewind time to a previous checkpointand explore the past now that you have new knowledge, abilities, and items. During the preview, this mechanic was restricted to certain story moments, but if the full game gives you free rein over this mechanic, it could be a lot of fun.
TRON: Catalyst Captures The Feel Of Its Franchise
TRON: Catalyst’s Music And Visuals Transport You To The World Of TRON
The score and the visuals ofTRON: Catalystimmediately immerse you in the worldof its source material. That said, the Grid has never looked this good. It’s similar in style toTRON: Legacy, but the lines look cleaner, more crisp. Any amount of color stands out brilliantly against the dark backdrop, soTRON: Catalyst’s stylistic choices also serve as a built-in source of accessibility. It also helps you immediately pick out threats, without the game having to break immersion through game elements that don’t feel in-universe.
The environments are also perfectly sterile in a way that would feel strange for a game set in the real world, but are perfect for one set inTRON’s Grid. Although this minimalist style does have me wondering how the game will manage to differentiate its areas as the game goes on, I didn’t find it to be an issue during my preview of the game.I’m interested to see howTRON: Catalystmanages to create unique areas given the somewhat limiting design ofTRON’s world.
TRON: Catalyst’s Story Hooks Players With Its Mysteries
TRON: Catalyst Made Me Interested In A TRON Story For The First Time
I’ve never had a strong affinity for theTRONfranchise. I’ve seen both movies, but would struggle even to recount the basic plot of either because they left such a weak impression on me.TRON: Catalystdoes not have the same issue. In fact,I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the game’s story hooked medespite having no real interest in its source material.
TRON: Catalystexpertly applies what J. J. Abrams refers to as “mystery boxes” to hook the player. This starts in the prologue when one of your deliveries explodes, leaving you to wonder who sent you to deliver a bomb and why. Shortly after, you experience your first time loop, leading you to wonder what exactly is going on and how you obtained this strange but useful power.Seeking answers to these questions was just as much of an incentive for me to keep playing as the engaging combat mechanics.
The game allows you to interact with the story to some extent through dialogue choices. Some of these have an impact, though, from my experience, you’re able to retry certain conversations that matter several times if you mess up the first time. It’s also unclear how much of an impact your dialogue has on the game. Seeing as characters sometimes forget you after you go back in time, I wouldn’t expectAvowedlevels of meaningful dialogue choices, though this could change later in the game.
The Final Word On TRON: Catalyst
TRON: Catalyst Has A Lot Of Potential And I’m Eager For More
My brief time withTRON: Catalystsucceeded in making me hungry for more. I want to see how deep its combat system goes, I want answers to its mysteries, and I really just want to drive the Light Cycle some more. As someone without a strong attachment to the franchise, I went in with a curious mindset and came out excited about the full game.
Of course, it’s hard to know exactly what the finished product will look like. If, for example, I’m wrong about the skill tree being more extensive, and combat stagnates where it is in the preview, then I’m not sure if I’d want to play through the whole game. Likewise, the full game will need to find a way to add variety to its locations so they are memorable and distinct. That said, my initial impressions of the game are largely positive, and I’m willing to giveTRON: Catalysta chance when it releases in full.
