Tron is a world that I feel constantly surprised by its perseverance in just flat out still being a thing all these years later. And yet, I never feel upset about it given that the vibes of Tron just absolutely rule no matter the context in which they’re being delivered, the upcoming Jared Leto led film notwithstanding because of that guy’s whole vibe. In terms of what’s actually next for the fictitious video game world, there’s Tron: Catalyst from the folks over Bithell Games, and as it so happens, there’s a demo out for it today!
The demo, available on Steam, apparently makes up the first hour of the game, which certainly sounds like a healthy amount of time to suss out its vibes. In case you missed the announcement on this one, Tron: Catalyst is a top-down, sort of but not quite isometric action game where you play as Exo, a courier whose life gets shaken up by a mysterious package exploding leaving him with unusual abilities.
It’s set in the Arq Grid, a location previously established in Bithell Games’ Tron: Identity, a visual novel set in the Disney-owned universe. Storywise, the Arq Grid is a bit unstable, with glitches causing time to loop, and only Exo can see them. Lots of good stuff to latch onto here, and yes, you do have a Disc to fight with and a Light Cycle to ride around on, everything you’d want from a Tron game is here.
If you’re not the demo type, one, did you never buy a copy of Official PlayStation Magazine in the 2000s, and, two, that’s fine, because it’s due out on June 17th, just a couple of weeks away. I’m sure that’s enough time to get some distance from the launch of the Switch 2, and Summer Game Fest, and tomorrow’s PlayStation showcase, and the millions of other showcases happening in way too short of a timespan.
