Tron: Identity — variables in the program
In recent years, Disney has really been letting publishers go wild making games based on their popular IPs. We’ve seen a lot of the big-name IPs such as Marvel and Star Wars from various huge producers in expected categories such as action games, but we’ve also seen some really unique and unexpected takes. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a perfect example of a game you’d never expect to see (and it rules, go buy it) based on a Marvel property.
Disney is also letting much smaller developers take interesting spins on their IP, the first of what is apparently a multi-game deal with Bithell Games is Tron: Identity, a visual novel where your choices matter.
Tron has always been an underground cult franchise that Disney has tried to force into something bigger in recent years with arguably mixed results. I’m not a fan of the movies but the look and feel of the original Tron has been inarguably hugely influential across movies, television, and games. And Tron has had a number of its own games, some pretty good, some not so much, but never one like Tron: Identity, which instantly makes it one of the most refreshing takes not only on Tron but really on any Disney IP in a very long time.
But that doesn’t amount to anything if the take isn’t executed well. As I mentioned previously, Tron: Identity is a visual novel. There is no disc combat, no light-cycle races, and none of the typical action you might expect. In Tron: Identity, you are a detective of sorts in the world of Tron, and your decisions over the course of one night may alter the future of your server forever. You observe, listen and choose one of several options available to you and that branches off into various possibilities.
And it’s in those possibilities wherein Tron: Identity finds its greatest strength. Many games where you make choices ultimately lead to the same end with some mild variations that really don’t matter along the way. I played through multiple times making very different decisions and coming out with different characters living and dying with completely different endings totally unlike the previous.
It should also be mentioned that a single playthrough of Tron: Identity can be finished in a relatively quick session, you can “finish” the game in under three hours quite easily, sometimes under two. But that is to the game's advantage for sure, as it is not meant to be only gone through once, the different twists and turns the story can take really compels you to see how things can play out differently multiple times. It’s not endless but if you really get into it you could easily go through Tron: Identity half a dozen times and have wildly different outcomes.
If there’s one part where I feel Tron: Identity falters some it is in its puzzle element. This is the one thing you do other than the visual novel aspect, you defrag other programs' memories through this puzzle minigame where you match numbers and/or symbols until there is nothing left with various complexities introduced as you progress such as pieces that can move on their own or you can’t access for a turn. Despite multiple playthroughs, I found this minigame incredibly obtuse and confusing and never really got the hang of it. Luckily there is a skip option so it doesn’t impede your progress if you can’t figure it out.
Tron: Identity is a visual novel through and through and that’s something some people do not like and if you don’t like those this is not going to change your mind. But if you like visual novels and especially are a fan of Tron and its look and world you own it to yourself to check out Tron: Identity and get lost in the possibilities. Tron: Identity is available on Nintendo Switch and PC.
That’s all for today, Disney Speed Storm hits next Tuesday in early access and I might have one more blog post about something else up my sleeve so see ya real soon!
