On April 11th, Tron: Identity will release on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Developed by Bithell Games, the title looks like it could be significantly different from any other take on the franchise. A visual novel, Tron: Identity will feature the same hallmarks fans have come to expect from the genre, while also including elements unique to the Tron franchise. Speaking to ComicBook.com’s Joe Schmidt, director Mike Bithell discussed how players can expect Identity to draw from all of the established Tron lore, while also keeping in mind how long it’s been since the last Tron film.
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“So I think that’s kind of part of what we’re going for is to create this opportunity to just step into this world and inhabit it. I think that’s a really big part of Tron’s pull to the audience. And then of course, all this awesome lore, which as a fanboy, I’m obsessed with every single character who’s ever been in that world. Every single little bit of Easter Eggy, lore-y stuff we can do as well. So yeah. There’s just a lot of really great ways of doing that. And then finally, I guess the other thing is inviting in a bigger audience as well,” said Bithell. “We can definitely reach out to a new audience. Legacy came out 10 years ago. There is going to be an audience playing our game where this is their entry point. And we are definitely conscious of that. And we want to make a game that is welcoming in that way and kind of pulls in that audience and is a nice touchstone.”
Visual novels often feature multiple endings for players to experience, but Bithell was cryptic about whether that would be the case for Tron: Identity. Instead, it seems players will have different decisions that will alter how the ending is interpreted by the audience.
“I would say, there’s a lot of branching. There’s a lot of choices, and those choices have massive consequences. What I’ll say is the end point of this story cleanly provides an opportunity for a future story, but the context of that future story can wildly vary depending on what you’ve done, what choices you’ve made. I mean, literally who’s been Derezzed by the end of the game, stuff like that. Big heavy choices. I mean, that’s a really interesting foundation. So while we’re not doing massive different endings in that way, we’re doing massive endings in terms of character arcs and stories, which will, in my opinion, actually feel more meaningful and then hopefully inform what you might see in future games as well.”
It certainly sounds like Tron: Identity will set up a sequel, and it will be interesting to see how the game’s ending will pay off the various choices players will make. Delivering a licensed game that appeals to both longtime fans and newcomers can be a difficult task, but fans won’t have to wait too much longer to see if Bithell Games can do just that with Tron: Identity!
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