Gridlocked- TRON: Evolution Review

The concept of a video-game based on the TRON universe is a no-brainer. As the 1982 coin-op, three Intellivision titles (and arguably,  a post-patch TRON 2.0) have illustrated, the bitter struggle that wages inside the ENCOM mainframe is a battle worth fighting. Replete with fatal flying disks, light cycles emitting lethal, glowing exhausts, and devastating tanks, Flynn’s digital world has all the requisite elements to mesmerize any gamer with an appetite for action.

Bridging the narratives between the original film and upcoming sequel TRON: Legacy is TRON: Evolution, a game which incorporates all the requisite hardware the franchise is known for. Players step into the luminous boots of Anon (short for Anonymous). He’s a mute protagonist thrust into the middle of an escalating battle between the real world Flynn and his digital doppelganger Clu- who has now gone rogue and vying for control of the Grid. Much like 2003’s Enter the Matrix, which had players taking control of Ghost and Niobe- two  negligible characters from the film series, not guiding a recognizable protagonist is a perplexing decision for a licensed game. The choice means developers are tasked with forging a lead which rivals the appeal of a well-known hero. With Evolution, Anon is a bland pawn bolstered only by his inspiring athletic prowess.

Luckily, the title’s landscape permits for plenty of parkour-inspired platforming. With a repertoire which includes wall-runs, vaults, and chasm-clearing sprints, Anon feels sufficiently nimble thanks to controls which are generally spot-on, as long as the camera is keeping pace with players. Much like the Prince of Persia series, missteps are nearly inevitable when circumnavigating treacherous pathways. While players aren’t able to rewind CPU cycles- the game does present a liberal amount of checkpoints, making an wayward hurdle wall-spring slightly less frustrating. Additionally, Evolution allows Anon to recharge his health by scampering across an illuminated wall-strip, which adds a defensive tinge to combat.

While Anon can strike adjacent foes, successful players will master disc throwing to eliminate the recurrent clusters of enemies. As players defeat opponents they’ll be rewarded with memory, where players can apply their hard-fought megabytes to upgrade their loadouts. Heavy and Bomb Disks cause additional damage, Stasis Disks slow the opposition, while Corruption Disks continually sap health from antagonists. With RTS-like blatancy, TRON lets players know what weapons are most effective against each enemy, and suggests attacks for the more challengers. Ideally, this information would have been offered after several failed confrontations, allowing players to discover the nuances of the Grid for themselves.

Rounding out the single-player campaign are light-cycle stages which task players with escaping from a crumbling environment. Gamers expecting the gripping Surround-like showdowns of the original film may be disappointed; these sequences are merely a reprieve from TRON‘s cycle of navigation and confrontation. The game’s light tank levels fare better, with gamers lumbering forward obliterating oppositional programs with riotous abandon.

Whereas the solo experience only infrequently captures the visceral allure of the source material, Evolution’s multiplayer mode will likely satisfy TRONatics. Here, players can engage in gripping light cycle duals which mirror their cinematic counterpart, as gamers turn to trap their rivals. With support for up to ten combatants- each hurling disks, commandeering tanks, or zooming around on the bikes, the action can get wonderfully frantic, and is easily the best interactive realization of the TRON universe thus far. As a bonus, any experience in the online arena will carry over to Anon’s single-player expedition.

Visually, Evolution captures the austere minimalism of the TRON world, with open environments tinted the signature vibrant blue glow of the films. While there’s the sporadic texture which shows a hint of intentional pixelation, the game does offer the intermittent graphical perk. From orange-hued corruption code overtaking parts of the landscape to a competent derezzing effect, the title hints at proficiency. Voice-over work from Bruce Boxleitner and Olivia Wilde further links the game to the upcoming film; although the voice of Jeff Bridges isn’t heard, the developer procured a remarkable facsimile.