Tron: Identity Reviews
Bithell Games has once again demonstrated their prowess in combining storytelling and gameplay elements, following in the footsteps of their earlier successes like John Wick Hex and Thomas Was Alone. TRON: Identity is a delightful package of mystery, engaging characters, and brain-teasing puzzles that will leave players wanting more.
Although my time with Tron Identity was brief, it was nice to return to the virtual landscape that makes up The Grid. The world inside has undoubtedly moved on since the events of Tron Legacy, but the world is as recognisable as ever. Much like how Disney have approached Star Wars by expanding from the small cast of Skywalker family, was a welcome touch that proves there is a real depth to what is essentially the inner workings of an ageing arcade machine. The trouble is that just as Identity was working towards a bigger story and finding its rhythm, I suddenly had the rug pulled and it just ended.
What players are left with is something similar to my experience with Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition. If you love the source material, it’s going to be a grand expansion of the world and, truly, this is a great entry to the Tron pantheon. It’s a very competent if short visual novel, and it’s engaging in a bite sized sort of way. I do wish that Disney had thrown some money at it to get voice work, but I’m fine that there’s just ambient electronica and the proper synthesized sinister feel that carries the read text.
Thanks to its wide variety of choices and unforgiving consequences, Tron: Identity is a surprisingly high-stakes visual novel that draws you in and keeps your attention.
Tron: Identity expands the world of the IP in a modest yet intriguing way, courtesy of Mike Bithell’s imaginative and evocative – if perhaps spare-to-a-fault – writing.
Tron: Identity is a hard game to review. Bithell Games has done an excellent job capturing the look and feel of the brand, and there's a lot to enjoy while it lasts. That said, each play through offers a fairly short experience, and it's hard to say whether longtime fans of the franchise will embrace the visual novel genre; it doesn't help that the game ends on a pretty big cliffhanger! It's an intriguing setup for future entries, and I find myself excited to see what happens next, and where Query's new quest will take him. It won't be for everyone, but Tron: Identity is a bold new take on a Disney favorite, and I applaud the company for being willing to try something different.
Tron: Legacy is a great and fitting return for the sci-fi franchise, providing a gripping neo-noir story that bubbles away on a single moody, rainy night. Foundations of the exciting, futuristic world explored years prior are now realised even further thanks to the highly detailed writing talent at Bithell Games, making you feel like you're there amongst the chaos. Though at times missing some of the typical visual novel conveniences and containing crunchy 3D models, the world laid bare - the world of Tron - is exciting once more. Striking character profiles, eloquent writing and effective puzzles all help in reminding us of the fact that Tron as a franchise is special and a little weird but most importantly here to stay. Remember that.
Some of its endings might leave you feeling a little derezzed, but the branching narrative journey you take to get there makes Tron: Identity an experience worth having. Thought provoking writing and incredible music are coupled with an enjoyable card game in a tale that tackles new frontiers in the world of Tron which will be essential for those the 'fight for the user'.