Tron Catalyst Preview: Groundhog cycle

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I’m a big fan of Bithell Games — from John Wick Hex to Thomas Was Alone, the small studio has produced a number of small yet poignant entries. Of the studio’s catalogue, Tron Identity takes top spot for me, a lovely little narrative adventure that takes place in a Disney franchise I’ve always had a fond connection to. The studio must have liked it as well, for Tron Catalyst is its first proper sequel, though with an entirely different core.

Rather than a narrative romp, Tron Catalyst is an isometric action adventure title set in the same universe as Identity. This time around, players will fill the bytes of Exo, a former courier turned super-powered program unknowingly immersed in intrigue and system-destroying stakes. Through actions not of her own choosing, Exo bonds with the titular catalyst, a power that lets her rewind time. 

This notion of looping is integral to Tron Catalyst — accruing knowledge, gaining permanently-held tools, and progressing through the core story until such point that you intentionally rewind time to pursue a new angle or plot thread. While I evoked Groundhog Day in my preview title, comparisons to Majora’s Mask wouldn’t be amiss either.

Groundhog Day is more apt though because Catalyst really is a narrative adventure in disguise. You’re not really investigating multiple leads or learning key characters’ behaviours all at one time like in Majora’s Mask, but following a linear story from start to finish in each loop.

That’s not to say that players are simply running from one checkpoint to another; exploration is incredibly important, either to find resources that will increase your combat skills, or curiously that will help with world-building. Catalyst is awash with NPPs — that’s non-player-programs — that may be mundane or may help to explain bits of the Arq Grid that Bithell first conceived with Identity.

As is Tron, things wouldn’t be complete without identity/combat discs and light cycles. Combat is a large focus of Catalyst — as a member of a rebellion searching for the truth and striving to save the system, Exo finds herself in a continual struggle with the faction that’s oppressing the masses. Exo comes armed with a melee attack, disc throw, dodge, and parry — and all her talents can be improved upon, provided you’ve got the resources to beef ’em up.

I wasn’t the greatest fan of combat, if I’m being honest. At times, there are far too many enemies on-screen and too many prompts to attempt to action at once — that is, three prompts to parry all spaced out one or two seconds apart. The upgrade tree is also very focused on elements of combat that I didn’t enjoy — again, I mean parrying — with options for the things I did buried behind more resources than I could afford.

That all said, you’re able to control the level of difficulty of these instances before you start playing, so this can be forgiven. Don’t like it? Don’t engage with it.

Light cycles become incredibly important as Exo moves beyond chapter 1 of Catalyst‘s story and into the Arq Grid proper. Cycles really help you to shorten the time it takes to get from point to point, though I’ve not encountered any other practical use for them as part of my preview. I’m hoping they’re more than just literal transport as things progress.

All up, I’m incredibly excited for Tron Catalyst after playing through a couple chapters. It’s a great mix of mystery, exploration, and combat — all with a very focused, very narrative core.

Expect Tron Catalyst on Windows PC, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch from 17 June 2025.