Tron: Catalyst’s Shift To Isometric Action Feels Like A Nice Change In Perspective

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2023’s game Tron: Identity offered an exclusive glimpse into Disney’s tech-rich universe, with Bithell Games weaving a tale of deceit and intrigue in a visual novel format emphasizing player choices and their subsequent outcomes. The narrative revolved around the decisions made by the player and the impact of those choices on the storyline, creating a fresh take on the Tron franchise. While not without flaws, this innovative approach successfully added depth to the universe’s lore.

This year, Bithell Games will transport us into their interpretation of the Tron universe in Tron: Catalyst. It serves as a continuation to the story presented in Identity, but with fresh characters and an innovative approach. The visual novel style has been swapped out for an isometric action-focused style, allowing players to interact more actively with the game world. This change carries some risk, but from my initial 90 minutes of playtime, it seems to be a gamble that could potentially yield positive results in the long run.

A new identity

People who have experienced Tron: Identity might approach Catalyst with certain assumptions, but it is crucial to discard those presuppositions. Catalyst presents a distinct gaming experience, emphasizing exploration and combat rather than dialogue and puzzle-solving, which were more prevalent in Identity. In essence, while Identity was reminiscent of the Ace Attorney game series, Catalyst shares a resemblance with Supergiant’s Hades or Neon Giant’s The Ascent, given its comparable environment.

In the storyline of Catalyst, the protagonist, Exo, navigates different areas within the city, either by walking or summoning the well-known Light Cycle. Throughout her journey, she will encounter adversaries from The Core, a group characterized by their neon-orange hue, who aim to rule the Arq Grid. The battles against these opponents may appear straightforward: Exo can execute a three-hit combo using quick taps on the attack button with her disc, amplify her melee attacks by holding down the attack button for a more powerful strike, and defend herself through skillful dodges and strategic parries at opportune moments.

As a devoted fan, I’d say, “Guiding with the right joystick and pressing the launch button unleashes Exo’s disc in an adversary’s path, inflicting harm before its return to me. By bouncing it off walls to strike from behinddealing more damageand ultimately, I can swiftly boot the disc back at a cluster of enemies when it comes back to me for a rapid disc throw sequence.

Mastering the art of throwing discs will be crucial for victory in Catalyst’s battles, and it’s well worth the effort; nothing quite compares to the thrill of landing a hit after selecting the perfect angle for a disc throw, especially when your foe is near defeat and the strike proves fatal. Basic melee attacks are serviceable, if somewhat dull, but combining them with disc throws adds an exciting layer to battles against Core enemies, making each encounter unique.

Thrown through a loop

In the revised approach of “Tron: Catalyst”, while the emphasis has shifted towards action, dialogue with crucial characters remains a significant aspect. You will still encounter conversations and be required to make decisions. However, what sets this game apart is its innovative branching dialogue system, named “Restart”, which adds an engaging twist to the narrative.

If Exo encounters an impasse in her mission, Catalyst grants her the power to “restart” the ongoing operation, preserving all the data she has gathered up until that point. This feature essentially erases any advancement made, but it offers a chance to tackle the mission with renewed insights. For instance, if you initially took a left turn in a corridor during your first playthrough, now you know to take a right. Or, if during the initial run, you selected one dialogue option from a character and weren’t satisfied with the result, this time you can opt for the opposite choice.

In the sneak peek version, two chapters heavily relied on the Restart feature, demonstrating its full capabilities right away. During a mission, I accidentally tipped off the Core in my initial chat, which forced me to keep battling them as I advanced in the narrative. But just when I was about to hit a roadblock, a character granted me the power to cloak critical data on Exo’s disc from detection. This allowed me to bypass the loop and interact with the NPC without triggering any alerts when I restarted.

This looping feature is quite clever because it lets you thoroughly examine a level from a new perspective each time, since it smoothly takes you back to the beginning of the area. Plus, if your primary task necessitates restarting the loop, the game doesn’t beat around the bush in informing you – which is useful as it eliminates the chance of you meandering aimlessly around the city before figuring out that you need to restart. It’s simple to lose track of time in this neon-lit metropolis, so the heads-up is always welcome.

In less than 90 minutes, the Tron: Catalyst preview build left a strong initial impact. While some might have been taken aback by Bithell Games deciding to abandon the interactive novel style of Tron: Identity, the action-oriented approach in Catalyst appears to be working well. The looping mechanic stands out as unique and engaging, and the combat is enjoyable due to its strategic disc-throwing element. Although the dialogue isn’t as expansive, it effectively sets up future loops within each level.

Bithell Games appeared to establish their unique style within the Tron universe with their past game; this upcoming title appears poised to serve as the spark that launches a premier series for the studio.

Tron: Catalyst is set to launch for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch, and PC on June 17.

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2025-04-24 17:41