With TRON: Legacy scheduled to be released in theaters next month, Disney is in the midst of an advertising assault to make sure we all know about it. Part of this includes a free iPhone app, which is one part commercial and one part game.
Originally released in July, TRON received a huge update this week that is heavy on the advertising part (the highlights being scenes from a Comic-Con panel hosted by Patton Oswalt and a Daft Punk song from the soundtrack), but also includes a big addition to the game.
Namely, there are now two game modes: a “Tanks” and a “Light Cycles” mode. The existing “Tanks” mode takes place in levels that are reminiscent of the ones you’d see in Dark Nebula, with your goal being to avoid enemies and find a portal to advance to the next level.
It helps that you have cannons and grenades at your disposal, which are controlled via dual joysticks and a toggle button to switch your weapon.
The addition to the game is the “Light Cycles” mode, based on the arcade game. It can best be described as something straight out of a traditional snake game. As you maneuver your bike around a grid you leave a trail, and can set traps. Your goal is to get your opponent to run into one of them.
While this new mode is a welcome addition, playing against the computer quickly gets very, very hard, and probably will frustrate most gamers. Fortunately, there’s also a multiplayer online mode that supports up to six players.
I know I’ve already compared the game to Dark Nebula, but it also bears a visual resemblance to GeoDefense – though, unfortunately, not quite as appealing. It still does look like a TRON game, though, with plenty of bright lights and colors.
There’s plenty of other smaller stuff, as well, such as achievements, leaderboards and friend lists. None of this is a huge deal, but it’s always nice to see a free game cover all the bases.
Of course, calling it a game might be somewhat of a stretch, as I mentioned this is as much of a promotional app as it is a game. But whatever you call it, there’s a lot of stuff here, and it doesn’t cost you anything – that’s always a successful formula, and whether you want to learn more about the upcoming film or waste some time playing games, there’s something here for you.
