PC Critic Reviews

TRON: Catalyst shows tie-in games don't have to be rushed out the door. They can instead offer some fantastic action combined with a story that feels appropriate, yet also important in its own small way.

TRON: Catalyst is a lot of fun. The mechanics of it mean you don’t have to fear being derezzed (though depending on your difficulty setting it might get frustrating) and the fact that starting again (though not exactly from scratch)… adds a nice twist to what might otherwise be a fairly standard isometric action game. Certainly if you are a fan of TRON and like the idea of the wider TRON universe, give it a look.

I enjoyed TRON: Catalyst a lot, as it feels like a great successor to older titles like TRON: Evolution, while still being able to stand on its own. The story is clever, it has many twists and turns, and the gameplay is simplistic, accessible, with some challenges sprinkled here and there for good measure. Plus, there’s plenty of stuff for completionists to find, if you can get past the lightcycle controls and other issues. TRON: Catalyst manages to deliver on its promise, while offering an enthralling, visually striking and story-focused adventure through the Grid.

While I think TRON: Catalyst leaves a little to be desired, it's still an excellent action adventure and brings the TRON world to life in a way few games have.

TRON: Catalyst is a fun, futuristic game full of disc battles, Light Cycles, neon, and time loops. It’s a title to try out for yourself.

Tron: Catalyst is an enjoyable action adventure experience that allows a deep dive into a compelling futuristic world that’s an alternate look at the Disney-owned universe. While some issues keep it from being a masterpiece, the writing and fun combat experience are worth giving a try, possibly acting as an entry point into the sci-fi franchise.

I feel like there’s not a lot to say about TRON: Catalyst. It perfectly captures the essence of the TRON audiovisual experience, without overstaying its welcome, taking me just about 10 hours to finish. It has a satisfying, if rather formulaic, ARPG combat loop – with even the iconic disc-throwing and vehicle usage. The story is sound, and there’s a quality dub underneath it all. It may not reinvent the wheel, nor hit the heights of the legendary TRON 2.0, but it sure reignites my TRON hype, with hopefully the upcoming movie, TRON: Ares, delivering after the many years of delays as well. If not, well, you can always play this really cool game!

As beautiful and engaging as the world that Bithell Games has built for Catalyst is, and as pleasant as it is to move around in it, there’s just a surprising lack of anything going on in it for Exo to do besides move and fight.

TRON: Catalyst proves that there are still plenty of stories to be told on the Grid, even if it never fully realises this potential itself. Its narrative is well-written and engaging, it faithfully captures the aesthetic of the films and has perfectly function combat and exploration, but its repetitiveness and inability to fully take advantage of the possibilities of TRON’s ‘discfu’ leaves it feeling like version 0.8 rather than 1.0 when it comes to taking advantage of the possibilities of this series.

I have no really strong criticisms of Tron: Catalyst. But I also don't have any great praise to heap upon it. Nearly across the board – from combat, to music, to writing, to area design – it competently gets the job done and calls it a centicycle. It may just become the seven out of ten game I think of in the coming years when someone wants a really good example of a seven out of 10 game. And for what it's worth, that means I had a decently good time with it. In a world of bloated, hundred-plus-hour, obscenely high-budget collectathons, I think a Tron: Catalyst here and there is a nice, restrained palate cleanser. But it does leave me with the vaguely unsatisfied feeling that I wanted it to be a bit more, especially with its rewind mechanic that seemed like it could’ve been something special.