Coming away from 2+ hrs of playtime with the recently released Tron Catalyst - the latest Bithell Games-helmed Tron game; playing via my Steam Deck & I have to say, I’ve genuinely been enjoying myself and itching to endorse the game.
For any unaware, the game is a semi-open world action game played from a top down isometric perspective similar to Ruiner & Supergiant’s Hades series. Those examples also apply to the gameplay mechanics in particular where fights are hectic & swift encounters of strikes, parries & Identity Disc tossing.
Premise & plot wise (very low spoilers), the game is set within the continuity of Bithell’s previous Tron project: Tron Identity - a mystery solving puzzle + visual novel/adventure game. Despite that however, Tron Catalyst doesn’t require having played Tron Identity previously. In Tron Catalyst you play Exo, a courier program who gets caught up in a serious conspiracy when one of her deliveries explodes nearly derezzing Exo at the same time. Though she survived, the question of her delivery puts major suspicion on her, landing her in the hands of the ruthless security programs gripping nearly the entire Grid in their fist. Aided by the discovery of Exo’s sudden ability to rewind time seeming caused by the strange contents of the exploded package she endured, she manages to escape incarceration and must search the Grid for answers all while being a hunted program.
As I mentioned before, combat in Tron Catalyst is definitely hectic in the same ways as Hades (less overwhelming enemy hordes but still) with the addition of a parry mechanic. So far the parry has been hard for me to proc however there is an upgrade to increase the window which I’m saving points for.
Disc combat is genuinely fun IMO especially with the inclusion of abilities to recall it, ping it off of multiple enemies & parry it on return to smack it back at enemies again.
The plot & VA work are also great so far with the central mystery being earnestly intriguing.
As far as gripes with the game, though I don’t mind the camera distance too much so far, I honestly absolutely see why others might be unable to stand it. If the functionality can be patched in, I truly feel that the devs definitely should prioritize including an option to zoom in or a handful of locked zoom distances for players to choose from.
Overall, I’m personally definitely hooked on Tron Catalyst & don’t regret buying it if for no other reason than being a fan of Tron, Bithell Games & Devolver Digital makes me happy to support the whole. I genuinely feel that any fans of Tron in particular should at least check the game out through some YouTube gameplay vids since sadly, like with so many other games these days, the demo was axed once the game proper launched.
The Arq Grid stands on the brink of collapse. With your Identity Disc and Light Cycle, fight to escape by wielding the power of the Glitch l
