Review: TRON: Catalyst (Nintendo Switch)
I get the feeling with Tron that no one currently involved with the franchise has a concept of what it’s about. As long as everything looks like a rave is about to break out, Disney will slap their name on it and return their attention to the next Pixar flop. But having resigned myself to that notion, I have to say TRON: Catalyst is one of the better entries since 2003’s Tron 2.0.
Set within the Grid of TRON: Legacy, Catalyst plunges the player into a world where black is the only crayon in the box. Nearly everything’s illuminated in shades of azure or amber, though, faithfully recreating the signature look of the modern installments.
I still argue that the Grid of the original Tron was much more creative and interesting to look at, but that’s not the point here.
The point is that we’re following a courier named Exo who realizes a bit too late that one of her deliveries is a bomb. She tosses it away in time to prevent getting derezzed, but she survived with some interesting new powers that get the attention of Conn. Enticed by Exo’s newfound abilities, he sees her and her newfound “Glitch” ability as a means to accomplish his own goals.
The story is mostly conveyed via static images between gameplay levels. The artwork is barren, but these segments are buoyed by stellar voice acting. Despite the eccentric characters and abundance of nonsensical technical terms used throughout, the dialogue is delivered with a subtle earnestness that makes Exo’s predicaments believable. Of course, that’s all there to serve the gameplay, and this is where TRON: Legacy really shines…until it doesn’t.
Three components carry the game, the first of which is melee combat. This is mostly disc related, of course. Exo can throw her disc at enemies or punch them with it at various strengths, and the controls for doing so are quite easy to master. She can also parry and dodge, the latter of which is easier to time than the former.
The use of discs in the Tron world still cracks me up, as the very device that serves as your ID and basically stores your very existence is also a highly deadly weapon. An ID card or flash drive wouldn’t suffice? It’s like if America started requiring guns for citizen identification (which, now that I think about it, is likely to happen within my lifetime).
Anyway, the combat is slick and fun, and it evolves well. Exo will learn new (and pretty cool) abilities throughout the game, and the player is able to determine how to upgrade them via collected data shards.
However, the fact you barely need any of these upgrades causes the combat to get repetitive. It also gets frustrating when you have to eliminate enemies within a certain timeframe. In a game that’s already repetitive by design, players shouldn’t be forced to replay levels because of time limits.
The repetitiveness is broken up somewhat by the second component: light cycle travel. Unfortunately, this is mainly used simply as a way to get around faster, and the controls feel…slippery. That carries over to when you’re using the light cycles in combat. Gone are the game-like 90-degree turns and the strategy that involved, replaced by behavior more like actual motorcycles. That kills the coolness factor and the fun, and I found these segments to be more frustrating than the disc battles.
The third and final component is the time-travel loop burnt into the story. One of the results of the Glitch brought on by Exo’s delivery failure is her ability to travel back in time to produce different results. If she missed a character she needed to meet, for example, she can just warp back to a defined point and try again, utilizing any routes she opened up on the first attempt. This mechanic works well within the narrative, but it means you’re going to be looking at the same areas numerous times. Thankfully, the game does a good job of letting you know when you don’t need to replay a certain part or access a specific location again.
Ultimately, TRON: Catalyst does a good job of recreating the world of TRON: Legacy, right down to the music. It’s not nearly as distinctive or memorable as Wendy Carlos’ score for the original movie, but it successfully mimics Daft Punk’s ambience from Legacy; disappearing nicely into the background.
TRON: Catalyst also doesn’t wear out its welcome; you can expect to complete it within 10 to 12 hours. Gameplay will entertain and frustrate in turn throughout that time, but it’s held together well by the tight script and quality acting. I’m still waiting on a Tron game that’s able to replicate the visual and thematic splendor of the original film, but honestly? I’m still waiting on that from a movie, too.
