Review of Tron: Catalyst

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So, let’s talk about Tron. Yep, that glowy, neon virtual world that’s been a part of gaming lore forever. You’d think with such a vibrant setting, Tron would be this huge deal in video games today. But nope. Even though there’s over a decade’s worth of Tron games—like Discs of Tron and Tron: Solar Sailer—they’re mostly relics at this point. They’re either ancient or just… forgotten. Kinda crazy, right? But hey, here comes Tron: Catalyst. It’s the latest in the Tron saga, and honestly, it’s doing a pretty darn good job.

Okay, quick rundown: Tron: Catalyst is a, uh, 2.5D isometric action-adventure game. I know, sounds like a mouthful! Made by Bithell Games with some help from Disney and Big Fan Games (they’re linked with Devolver Digital). It’s not this massive, open-world epic. Like, you can wrap it up in about 10 hours. Sure, it’s a short ride but it’s refreshing! I mean, I can’t tell you how many 50-hour game marathons I’ve endured lately.

Apparently, this game doesn’t demand you to have a PhD in Tron to enjoy it. Thank goodness for that. It drops you into the shoes of Exo, a female courier who ends up in a major mess in Vertical Slice, Tron’s buzzing capital. She gets caught in a time loop after a package blows up in her face. Kaboom, right? Now she’s got some wild “Glitch” powers. Along the way, there are friends, foes, and a baddie named Conn with his own evil plans.

The cool part? There’s this codex thingy in the game that helps you get the hang of the Tron lingo. It’s like having a Tron dictionary on speed dial. Very handy if, like me, you’re not knee-deep in Tron trivia.

Catalyst is set in the new Arq Grid—totally different from what the movies showed. Anyway, backtracking a bit, I got through this without really knowing the Tron universe. Between you and me, the storyline isn’t award-winning material but it’s straightforward enough to keep you hooked.

But oh, the presentation! Most of the story unfolds through simple character sprites. Not a bad move, but part of me wished those characters had more, I dunno, emotion? Animation? And while the voice acting is decent, the characters themselves didn’t stick with me long after.

Combat! Yeah, it’s all about the Identity Disc. Think of it as your trusty gadget. Some might say “Why just one weapon?” but turns out, you can use it a bunch of ways—like melee and ranged attacks. And you can beef it up using data shards scattered throughout the virtual world.

But here’s the kicker: combat balance is a bit wonky. Throwing long-range attacks is like tossing popcorn at a bull—it’s just not effective. Parrying, on the other hand, is almost too good. Like, defeat-boss-in-two-seconds good. And I thought I’d found a cheat code.

While exploring, I stumbled on a glitch or two. Got stuck between some furniture, if you can believe it. But autosave had my back, so no stress there.

Honestly, Tron: Catalyst gives off vibes of those classic Xbox 360 games—simple, fun, but with quirks that stop it from being spectacular. It’s selling at $25 and (shockingly) I think it’s worth it. Even if your only exposure to Tron is the guy with the cool suit at Comic-Con, you’ll have fun for a day or two.

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There you have it. A little chaotic but hopefully captures that raw, human touch!