Given that I’m someone who grew up in the 80s, and have fond memories of seeing the original TRON in the theater with my Dad, it may not be a big surprise that it has remained one of my favorite properties out there. The fact that I’m a programmer by trade, and have been pretty well obsessed with video games throughout my life, absolutely helped to propel that fascination further. While I adore the old school arcade titles TRON and Deadly Discs, one of the real disappointments has been the lack of games based in that universe, and how middling the majority of them have been. With Catalyst I was hoping things could turn around a bit, but while it at least offers up a unique adventure, it also isn’t without its weaknesses.

Starting with what works, there are elements here that can be fun. Playing out as an adventure that can have an almost metroidvania quality, I’ll give it credit for offering an experience that was unexpected and varied. At times it can feel like an RPG in some ways, at other times a beat-em-up, it has a time rewinding mechanic that feels fresh (at least once you get used to it), and who wouldn’t enjoy getting a chance to ride a lightcycle through the Grid. Pretty well all of these elements then serve a story that feels mostly fresh, certainly helped by the unique setting, and that does help to give the overall adventure a novel feel.

That isn’t to say there aren’t some flaws to be noted though. The first, and possibly the most disappointing, is the fact that given how much disc combat you’ll spend your time on in the game, that it isn’t more varied or interesting. Given the fact that you’re a program who could, in theory, be enhanced in any number of ways with subroutines or other properties, the meager number of skills you’ll be able to unlock to make you more formidable are very disappointing. Given many roguelike action titles out there that have demonstrated ways that alternative weapons, or wildly different upgrade paths, can help keep melee combat interesting over the long haul, here it falls flat pretty quickly and fails to ultimately be satisfying. Another issue I had, though this is likely more personal, is that outside of the setting and general theming, the story failed to really make me feel bound to the TRON universe in a meaningful way. There are some references to things that are nice callouts, but honestly outside of iconic specific elements, much of the overall experience could have happened in any digital universe, so the license feels under-utilized.

Pulling everything together, that makes for a unique adventure that can be fun, but that doesn’t feel like it really sticks the landing either. Once the thrill of playing in the TRON universe starts to fade, no doubt brought on more quickly by the lack of being tethered to the primary stories or characters, the experience can take on a more generic feel. This sense is then reinforced by combat that may work, and will require you to stay on top of your parry and counters, but that also feels underwhelming and that comes up very short of its seemingly unlimited potential. If you’re looking for something that looks and feels a bit different from the norm it does at least do a decent job of delivering that though.