Tron: Identity

Cool visual novel for Tron fans. Not a lot going on, some interesting world building, doesn't exactly align with the movies (although there's a nod to it in Ares, brief as it may be), but it's got enough replay value, the puzzle mechanic isn't bad and if you don't like it's skippable and honestly it's just really pretty to look at. If you like the series is worth a go :]

I have been a fan of the Tron franchise ever since I first saw the original movie as a child, but that love grew even further with the release of Tron: Legacy. I bought Tron: Identity in order to experience more of this world in my spare time and, with the release of Tron: Ares just two months ago, I had to revisit the Grid once again. Tron: Identity isn't much of a game, it is actually a visual novel with little to no gameplay. The gameplay that you do have, mainly the defragging minigames, is fun and engaging; albeit quite easy. By the end of my first playthrough, I have to say that I even grew tired of the minigame, but I was very much invested into the story and how it'll pan out. Your choices actually do make a change and none of the characters are actually safe. I was surprised by the end of my first playthrough when only two out of the six characters actually made it through (not counting Query). So, on my second playthrough, I wanted to really save as many as possible. This makes the game fun and engaging, but the replay value is hardly there other than for that. I think that Tron: Identity is a phenomenal experience for a fan of the Tron franchise, but it's an experience which lasts just as long as any of them movies, a good, standalone story which reminds you just how much potential the Grid always held. When it's done, you might remember it fondly and return to it in a few years, when you forget about it, but it burrows its way into the Tron canon quite successfully.

Would i recommend this game to a Tron fan? As much as i want to, NO. SO definitely wouldn't recommend for people who aren't Tron fans. The 'game' part of it is far too repetitive, put that with dialogue and tutorials that you can't skip you have a recipe for a game that gets completely stale at the end of your first play through - which would be fine if all the story lines and character interaction were good and well thought out - which I am sorry , they just aren't. The annoying thing is the achievement actively encourage multiple play-throughs. The art style, music and sounds are cool but apart from that everything else is disappointing.

For what it is, it's an interesting visual novel that certainly follows the mythos of Tron quite well, and despite the game ultimately feeling irrelevant in the overall franchise's narrative, the story contained within is decently interesting and the art is gorgeous, matching the aesthetics of Tron Legacy to a tee. The puzzles are simple and boring, but don't drag the game down too much. Def worth the play you're big into Tron but otherwise, there are better options out there.

it's okay at best

Quick to get through, the mystery is interesting, the story is neat for the world building. Lots of reading involved though and no audible dialogue.

[i]Before You Buy[/i] Firstly, I [b]highly recommend playing this game before buying Tron Catalyst[/b]. This game is currently on sale for [i]sixty six percent off[/i] while Catalyst costs close to [b]forty Canadian dollars[/b] and is made by the same dev team. So if you like this game, [b]buy Catalyst[/b], but if you don’t, [b]don’t buy Catalyst[/b]. I just wanted to say this upfront to prevent people from falling into the hype of new Tron content only to be disappointed and out forty dollars when it could have been ten. [i]Please follow that advice.[/i] [i]What I Didn’t Like[/i] A Tron game as a [b]visual novel is already a red flag[/b] in my opinion. The game is about solving a mystery, but there is [b]no real detective work[/b] on your part. You are just going through the story. The [b]Identity Disk puzzle[/b] takes you out of the story and feels like pointless padding to increase playtime without any logical sense. [b]No cutscenes[/b], just 3D models in sight with ambience, [b]no voice acting[/b], just the bare bones of a visual novel. The story didn’t make sense to me. Nothing really sticks out. Nobody interested me except maybe the automata. I don’t understand why these characters were made. Query, who is the main character in this game and is in the next game as a side character, shows this is a series, so this game is basically a [b]test for Catalyst[/b]. I played through all the endings which just decide who lives or dies, but [b]nothing really changes the story[/b]. You wouldn’t or couldn’t tell the difference. [i]What Could Be Better[/i] It would have been better if the gameplay was [b]real detective work[/b]. Games like [b]Death Mark[/b] with animation and better gameplay work much better for this style. The lack of cutscenes and voice acting makes it feel [b]bare and disappointing[/b]. [i]Final Thoughts[/i] In my opinion, [b]I would not recommend this game to anybody[/b]. I personally think it is a [b]waste of time[/b]. For people saying [i]“support new Tron content,”[/i] I don’t know what to say to them, I really feel for them. But we should [b]not pay for slop like this[/b] with our hard-earned money to a mega corporation who lent out their license to this dev team. I will stand by that even after playing through the Catalyst demo. I think the same problems I saw here apply there as well. [b]Do not defend this slop.[/b]

Nice visual detective novel with a classic whodunnit story. The puzzles are okay and do the job to add a little bit extra gameplay. I always enjoy more Tron. 8/10