Review of Tron: Catalyst

Alright, here goes nothing.

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Okay, so let’s talk about Tron for a second. Crazy, right? A franchise that’s become this mammoth in gaming culture, yet somehow it’s missing from today’s video game hall of fame. I mean, more than 10 Trons over forty years—or was it fifty? Anyway, games like… what were they called? Discs of Tron, maybe? And Tron: Solar Sailer or something?. They’re relics, or maybe just hiding in the shadows. Tron screams “perfect game world,” all neon and virtual dazzle. But only a sprinkle of games ever truly nailed it. And here we are with Tron: Catalyst, which—brace yourself—did a pretty decent job, maybe the best one in a while.

Now, Tron: Catalyst isn’t trying to be the next big open-world extravaganza. It’s a 2.5D—isometric, mind you—action-adventure cooked up by Bithell Games, teamed with Disney and this other crew, Big Fan Games. Name sounds meta, I know. Unlike the epic sagas we’ve got from Disney titles recently, this one’s like, point A to point B with some spices. It’s 10 hours, tops. Replay value? Meh, not much to write home about. But hey, don’t ditch it just yet. It’s refreshingly fun, not trying to be a mammoth RPG saga. We’ve got enough of those, don’t you think?

Oh, quick sidebar: even if your Tron knowledge library is empty, Catalyst won’t leave you scratching your head. Step in, Exo—our courier heroine, zipping through Vertical Slice, the heart of the Grid. Stuff goes boom, and voilà, she’s in a time loop. Gains “Glitch” powers, because why not, right? She’s off to save the world from Conn, some shady guard. And talk about info dump—there’s this codex packed with lore to keep you afloat, like a lifeline branching you into nerd-dom.

In case you’re wondering, we’re in the Arq Grid, an expansion of sorts from—get this—Tron: Identity, a visual novel from 2023. Completely lost? No sweat. Catalyst doesn’t demand you ace Tron 101. Codex helps, plus it’s all simple enough to follow. So, the plot’s not a masterpiece, but solid. Easy on newcomers, really.

But here’s a curveball—the presentation. Very few animated scenes here, just sprites and static feels. Not a crime, necessarily, but more flair would’ve been fab. Like more expressions or poses. Characters? Decent, but don’t expect to remember them after the credits roll. Voice acting? Surprisingly good for what it is.

Now, gameplay—combat’s a simple pleasure trip. Nothing groundbreaking, but not every game’s out to win awards, you know? You get your Identity Disc, multifunctional thingy—not like Swiss army level, but close enough. Unlock abilities, collect these data shards, and explore a bit. Light Cycle rides are cool too, but long-range combat? Eh, could be better. Parrying’s overpowered—it turns bosses into practice dummies.

As for bugs, not many, but enough to notice. Got stuck a couple of times. Restarted, cursed under my breath, and carried on. At least autosave had my back. So, familiar vibe to the old Xbox 360 classics, if you remember those.

Price tag at $25? Worth it for a couple days’ fun, even if you’re a Tron newbie. There’s charm in its simplicity—or maybe that’s just me being nostalgic. Anyway, give it a whirl if you’re curious or need a break from epic sagas.

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Hope that sounds humanly enough messy!