Interview And Hands On: Tron Evolution

In 1982, Disney changed the way people view the inside of those new-fangled computers. This year, Tron is back in glorious 3D action and, naturally, there is a tie-in game to broaden the story and the market share. But could Tron Evolution be more than just an adjunct to the film?

We chatted with Vancouver-based Propaganda Studios about the new game and got ourselves some play time.

Tron Evolution is a prequel to the new movie Tron Legacy. There are two versions to the game: Xbox 360 and Wii. We played the former which is more story focused while the latter is more family-oriented mini games within the Tron world.

In Evolution, you’re put in control of a virtual cop (of sorts) who is tasked with figuring out what’s causing such massive destruction in the Grid.

There are two gameplay modes you will enter as you go through the game: parkour-style action fighting and uber-fast light cycle racing. Free-running through the multilayered world of the Grid easy to pick up and it looks great to be quickly chasing down someone as you jump from platform to platform. Once you corner them, you can use your disc weapon (remember Deadly Discs from the ’80s?) to battle with foes by throwing, slamming or simply smacking them with your disk. As an enemy “dies” they dissolve into slow motion nothingness.

Running and fighting looked good and was easy to pick up, but I worry that it might lose its luster as the game continues. As with Mirror’s Edge from two years ago, parkour is fun until you start falling off ledges over and over again. And while the Tron world has a great artistic style, we have yet to see how the environments will change much from the standard metallic and neon towers and platforms.

Light cycle racing is exactly how you want it to be with speed, light barrier trails and disc battle from atop your bike. In the level we played, you race your bike along the highway as the environment crumbles around you. It’s visually epic and a treat to drive. The only problem seems to be that the bike is not as responsive as I’d like it to be forcing wide turns and more brake tapping than I’d prefer. I’ll still give this some time when it comes out, but the handling felt like a downer in this cool environment.

The bottom line for me is that a game about Tron is a given since the movie is about computers and video games. Sure, it’s a movie tie-in, but at least it covers plot and characters that aren’t in the movie. This is more about naturally expanding the IP rather than making a quick and dirty buck. Had the game come out without the new movie, I’d still be keen to give it a whirl.