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A dull detective visual novel set in the Tron universe - Tron Identity Quick Review

4K View2023-04-13

PLAY IT OR SKIP IT

Skip it unless you’re a diehard Tron fan. People with limited Tron knowledge should be able to follow the plot of Tron: Identity, but this visual novel doesn’t have much to offer outside of expanded lore and worldbuilding. There’s some light gameplay, but it’s a basic matching puzzle game that isn’t particularly exciting. It’s a competently made game, but it doesn’t hold a candle to other sci-fi visual novels that have come out this year.

TIME SPENT

I spent a little less than two hours with Tron: Identity, which was more than enough time to complete a playthrough. Since there’s a branching storyline, the game does have some replay value, but you shouldn’t go in expecting a meaty plot. There’s an endless mode revolving around the puzzle minigame, but I didn’t enjoy the game enough to play it on its own.

WHAT’S AWESOME

• Deep Tron lore. As someone who’s only seen the 1982 movie, I’m not particularly invested in the Tron mythos, but fans of the franchise should appreciate this expansion of the universe. I played as Query, a program tasked with finding the truth behind a mysterious explosion. The whole thing is a detective tale with noir undertones, which is a good fit for the setting. While this is a standalone story, it’s very connected to the larger Tron universe.

• Choices matter. Since Tron: Identity is on the short side, it doesn’t have a ton of choices, but the few choices I made had a significant impact on the game’s narrative. There are multiple endings to unlock, and it clearly seems like it’s designed for multiple playthroughs. When I started a new playthrough, I couldn’t find an option to skip through text I’d already read, but I could adjust text speed.

WHAT SUCKS

• Limited appeal to non-Tron fans. I never really got into Tron, but I am a fan of Bithell Games, the studio that developed Tron: Identity. They’ve made some terrific games, like Thomas Was Alone and The Solitaire Conspiracy, and I was hoping Tron: Identity would capture the qualities that made those games great. Sadly, I found the whole thing to be pretty dull. I wasn’t really intrigued by the game’s central mystery, I didn’t feel connected to the characters, and the gameplay segments weren’t very fun. It seems like a game for Tron fans, by Tron fans. That’s fine, but it’s not for me.

• Boring gameplay. During Tron: Identity, I was occasionally asked to defrag a character’s memory, which required me to play a puzzle minigame. While the minigame does become more complex later on, it’s a pretty basic matching game that wasn’t very engaging or challenging. I would have happily skipped these segments if I’d had the option. I like when visual novels incorporate gameplay, but this minigame was lackluster and didn’t add anything to my experience.

• No exploration. All of Tron: Identity takes place in a single building, and there are only a few rooms to investigate. Sometimes, confining characters to a small space creates interesting storytelling opportunities, but here, it just feels restrictive. The short run time and lack of environments make Tron: Identity feel limited in scope. I just don’t think it’s worth $14.99, especially when you compare it to other visual novels in the same price range.

💬 Will you be investigating the digital world of Tron, or would you prefer to stick with the real world? Let us know in the comments!

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