Tron: Catalyst Review - A Rocky Revolution

Following up on 2023's visual novel Tron: Identity, Tron: Catalyst is Bithell Games' sophomore outing with the franchise. In this more ambitious game, the team delivers a more direct experience, complete with the action fans expect, with both disc-to-disc combat and light cycle riding. However, this broadening of focus makes it much different than its predecessor-- for better and worse.

TRON: Catalyst - A New Identity

The biggest change from the previous Tron game to this one is the shift from a relatively hands-off visual novel to a more isometric action-oriented approach. This was a change that I felt would really benefit the game. I really enjoyed my time with Identity, but it was hard to push how fun riding a light cycle would be out of my mind.

Luckily, Catalyst delivers the power fantasy that Tron fans would want, from disc-to-disc combat to light cycle riding. Unfortunately, the delivery of this new direction is one of the weaker parts of the game. Watching the game seems like it would deliver, but the reality was a little more clunky.

The bulk of the combat revolves around attacking with one button, and a parry and dodge. There are some additional techniques that unlock as well. The most fun ends up being throwing your disc, which can bounce between enemies and even yourself as it upgrades.

The one button that you end up needing, though, is the parry button. As you upgrade the skill tree, this parry becomes far too overtuned. While playing on the hardest difficulty, I managed to defeat the final boss with a single parry. To have any challenge, it felt like I had to purposely fight with one hand behind my back.

In addition to combat on Exo's feet, she utilizes her light cycle. One of the most iconic parts of the Tron mythos, the light cycle delivers on what you would want from it. It can feel a little clunky to use in crowded streets, but it shines in open areas. Derezzing enemies with its ribbon was one of the most fun things to do during my time in the Grid.

TRON: Catalyst - Grid Greatness

Speaking of the Grid, the world of it is the most compelling part of the game. After proving itself with its isolated Repository area in Tron: Identity, Bithell Games has created a fully realized Grid that feels right at home in the franchise.

The characters that populate the Grid are a bit part of this. Exo herself is compelling enough, but the real standout for me was Conn, one of the antagonists in the game. Seeing him develop was one of my main motivators for continuing to see the story through.

The Automata faction's return was another highlight of this iteration of the Grid. The way they challenge the status quo of the world in Tron: Catalyst is one I found myself invested in. It helps that their pink and white color scheme absolutely shines in the world.

One of the lacking parts of the world was its exploration aspects. It's always easy to find where you're going, but I never felt the motivation to explore the previous areas with new abilities as I got them. These paths mostly only led to skill points, which I felt Catalyst was already incredibly generous with.

TRON: Catalyst - Glitching Pains

One of the biggest gripes that developed for me as I played was the Glitch, a mechanic introduced that allows Exo to repeat a cycle to make different decisions. The thought of this system excited me, as the branching paths of Identity were arguably its strongest suit.

This looping, unfortunately, ended up being mostly a letdown. While it gets a little more open later on, it begins feeling like a chore to extend certain sections.

In addition, going back to change certain decisions was fun, but almost never seemed to have the sort of butterfly effect that I wanted. I repeated decisions with a character to try and help them the best I could, only to never have a meaningful interaction with them again.

Unfortunately, I was also plagued by actual glitches alongside the Glitch mechanic. Frequently, when throwing my disc, it could get stuck, especially on narrow paths. This inconsistency ended up leading me right back to that powerful parry, just to get through the combat, instead of getting more creative.

TRON: Catalyst - Final Thoughts

Tron: Catalyst is a largely uneven experience. It has some great highs, especially in the worldbuilding and story departments. However, the gameplay can be largely uneven and even frustrating at times. Tron fans are sure to have a lot of fun with the story and even the gameplay, despite my hangups.

With this and Strange Scaffold's Ninja Turtles game, it's been fun to see IP owners loosen the grip on certain franchises. Despite my complaints, I do really hope that Bithell Games gets to finish what seems to be a planned trilogy of games. The bones of a great game are here. I would love to see where this story goes and ends. I just hope that the journey to find that answer is a lot more fun next time.

TRON: Catalyst was reviewed on PC using a copy provided by the publisher over the course of 8 hours of gameplay - all screenshots were taken during the process of review.