Tron: Identity Reviews
Despite its short length, Tron: Identity's visual novel/detective story is well worth playing – and replaying – to unravel the latest mystery of life on the Grid.
While I applaud Tron: Identity’s unique structure, I never found myself drawn in and engrossed in the unfolding story. Everything feels authentic to the Tron universe, and fans like myself should appreciate new wrinkles in the setting. But even with some interesting ideas, I was ultimately a User who couldn’t manage to marshal a lot of interest in these Programs and their problems.
A strong take on a storied Disney franchise is held back by its brevity.
It won’t take you long to work your way through Tron: Identity — two to three hours at most. That said, the nature of the story itself encourages replayability, especially for eagle-eyed Tron enthusiasts scoping out references to the political landscape of the Grid’s inhabitants and the occasional hint to what exactly is going on in the human world of the Users. Truth, as much as identity, is all a matter of perspective. Your Query will likely choose a different path than my own, arriving at a “truth” that itself is only one part of a far greater and inscrutable whole. Whether said truth brings you any closer to the game’s central mystery than mine did will depend on your vigilance, your cunning, and your willingness to adapt and change beyond the duties of your station. Good luck, program.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
Tron: Identity weaves an interesting detective story that expands the franchise mythos. While those invested in the lore will enjoy diving deeper into this universe, newcomers would have benefitted from a bit more exposition. Despite that, Tron: Identity’s branching story, puzzles, and visuals make it quite an enjoyable visual novel.
Tron: Identity is a smart take on the visual novel genre, and does something different with the source material it is based on.
This visual novel spins a passable yarn in a noirish atmosphere, but would benefit from more space to explore it
The team at Bithell Games has an obvious love for their subject. This is true for writers of most fanfic. The challenge is creating an engaging narrative experience for those not on the inside, so the casual gamer can sweep away the jargon and lore, and be swept away by the story. This is where TRON: Identity struggles. TRON fans will probably enjoy spending a little bit of stylish time in their favorite fictional world. For everyone else, the claustrophobic story and lack of a high stakes payoff might be disappointing.
Tron: Identity won't wow anyone with its puzzles, but it does a great job of telling a tight story that changes with each playthrough. The short playtime encourages you to explore the world a bit more and uncover new truths that you missed because of your previous actions. If this is the start of a series of Tron visual novels, which the plot certainly feels like, then we're hopeful we get to continue our journey with Query very soon.
Tron: Identity is a smart and respectful use of the classic series, turning it into a gripping sci-fi detective story.
The game doesn’t feel particularly focused on or interested in the mystery at hand so much as in better establishing the world of TRON for a future sequel, which may or may not come to fruition. Identity is beautiful and brilliant in spots, but more times than not, there’s no weight to the derezzing or freeing of the various suspects, no emotional connection between these digital creatures and their world. That and more leaves the game feeling too much like reading a rulebook—and one that stops just short of letting you actually take it for a hell of a ride.
Mike Bithell's writing, as it often is, remains on point as his team establishes new colours within an already riveting sci-fi world, not by replicating what came before-as appropriate as that may have been thematically-but by taking the franchise in a bold direction. It's a shame this thrilling plot against the archives is derezzed, and perhaps doomed to obsoletion, by a string of confoundingly dull puzzles.
There’s a lot of fun to be had within Identity, from a delightful narrative, engaging characters and brain-teasing puzzles. It’s a small, yet refined package that’s sure to delight those into mysteries. Quite obviously, a bit of knowledge about the Tron universe will help players — and certainly add to understanding of lore — but isn’t necessarily required.
Tron: Identity is a solid visual novel that fans of the Tron property should absolutely check out.
TRON: Identity is a short, sweet, and incredibly engaging interactive novel that perfectly captures the essence of the franchise.
Tron: Identity’s mystery has a strong foundation, but there’s just not enough meat on the bone. There’s a lack of places to go and people to see; this rendition of The Grid looks the part, but it ends up being too one-dimensional due to its short length.
If you are a fan of the Tron universe, you don't have to worry at all, the game can draw you in and brings an interesting story. But it also works the other way around. The world of Tron can appeal to fans of visual novels or detective games, even if they haven't had the chance to experience Tron so far. It's that unique mix where things just clicked. But there are also some shortcomings.
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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'.
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.