Tron: Catalyst (PC)

Two years after the release of Tron: Identity (Identity), developer Bithell Games would return to the Tron franchise with a new game, Tron: Catalyst (Catalyst), as part of the greater buildup to Tron: Ares. Since there was a general drought of Tron content at the time of the announcement, I was excited for it in part due to liking Tron: Identity, but bought it after it came out as part of a Steam sale and only recently got around to it. While the gameplay may be different, the storytelling remains one of the developer’s strong points and made me invested in seeing more.

In the Arq Grid, following the events of Tron: Identity, a courier program named Exo is supposed to deliver a package, only to end up caught in the blast when it explodes on her in the streets of Vertical Slice. While imprisoned, Exo figures out that she now has the ability to rewind time to the beginning of a loop. She later learns that the package she was carrying contained glitch catalyst, leading her to make a prison break and look for a way to the Outlands to find answers. Her warden Conn, however, sees potential in her glitch for his own personal gain.

Building off of the previous game, the Arq Grid feels more fleshed out, even expanding on concepts introduced in Identity that make it feel different from the Grid seen in Tron: Legacy. While Query and other characters from Identity return and have some involvement in the story, they are not the main focus and Exo is given enough characterization to stand on her own. That said, while not required to follow the plot of Catalyst, events from Identity are referenced, which can casually spoil that game for those starting with this one. Some extra world building can also found within side missions, adding some depth to the setting that makes it feel more alive.

 

An oddly relatable moment in the Arq Grid.

 

Catalyst eschews the visual novel style of Identity in favor of isometric combat-focused gameplay, making good use of the Identity Disc having the added utility of both a melee and ranged weapon; dialogue options are still present in places, but they don’t have any narrative significance. The abilities of both Exo and her Identity Disc can be upgraded using Data Shards found across the Grid, either in the open, in boxes, defeating enemies and/or completing combat objectives (ex. using only melee attacks, parrying a certain number of times, etc.) in some encounters. You can even steal code from enemies that apply temporary Modifiers to your Disc, or pick up consumable abilities dropped from defeated enemies. Outside of combat, you can traverse the Grid using a Light Cycle when allowed, though you may still have to use it to battle Cycle-bound enemies in certain circumstances; a Light Jet is also available, but only in a single section and then never again.

 

There's even an upgrade tree.

The main gameplay mechanic is the ability to rewind your current loop at (almost) any time, allowing you to undo mistakes or approach situations differently. While this mechanic is interesting, I ended up using it mostly only when required by the story, though it is useful as a way to get unstuck (even if it means redoing a good amount of progress). Fortunately, it is possible to find shortcuts throughout an area, which stick across subsequent loops to make traversing an area significantly easier. This did make the narrative feel a bit oddly linear, but it really opened up in the second half following a sequence that makes clever use of the medium, even allowing the completion of side quests at one’s leisure before passing the point of no return.

The visual depiction of the Arq Grid is consistent with that of Identity, but now we get to see more of it this time around. The different locations feel distinct from one another, even including the use of a wide variety of colors to help distinguish characters and factions both in and out of combat. This even extends to dialogue, where slight hue differences are used to distinguish between multiple characters of the same faction within a conversation. Unlike Identity, the characters are rendered in more of a comic book style in cutscenes, which come fully voiced with some great voice acting. Dan le Sac also returns as the composer, delivering a score that feels in line with both Identity and the electronic sound of the Tron franchise as a whole.

 

Cutscenes use a comic book style for character renders.

For fans of Tron: Identity, Tron: Catalyst is a well-made sequel that fleshes out the setting of the Arq Grid and its characters. While not for everyone, it’s still worth playing for those starving for Tron content. Here’s hoping the franchise’s third chance in the spotlight doesn’t end prematurely and that we get to see more from this developer’s interpretation of the series.