Partly based on the early 1982 CGI film from Walt Disney Pictures, Tron: Deadly Discs places you in control of the titular hero Tron who must use his Deadly Disc to defeat the various enemies who appear on-screen, all the while avoiding their own brand of Deadly Discs. Now, my understanding is that this Atari 2600 game is basically a stripped-down version of the game that appeared on the Intellivision system, but since I’ve never touched an Intellivision in my life (the PS2 compilation disc doesn’t count), I can’t really make comparisons.
What I can tell you is that despite its bland appearance, this is actually a fun game that works rather well given the simple controls and play mechanics. Obviously, your main goal is to defeat your enemies by killing them with your Deadly Disc. You aim your disc by holding the joystick in the direction you wish to shoot and press the fire button. And this actually works well; it’s simple and to the point.
When you clear a wave of enemies, more will appear – each wave being much quicker and cunning than before. Although you have only one life per game, you can take five hits before being destroyed and bringing the current game to a close, but clearing the current wave without taking a hit before any more enemies respawn will restore a bit of your power. Likewise, you can use the portals on the side of the playfield to teleport to the other side, closing off the portals you travel through. It makes for interesting attack strategies and could either help or impede your progress against your many opponents.
While the graphics for Tron: Deadly Discs is bland and boring to look at, the game’s sound effects are actually done rather well and do a good job of enhancing the overall mood of the game. Quite possibly the best part is that there is no music to torture either the player or those watching the gameplay. The 2600 had a few games with decent music, but the majority of those with musical pieces had terrible music. So it’s nice that Deadly Discs avoided that snafu and went the silent route outside of the final death wail, which sounds appropriate to say the least.
Whether or not you are a fan of the Tron film, Deadly Discs is certainly a great game that is actually pretty fun to play and a good challenge to be had for those looking for one. What it lacks in appearances, it makes up for in great gameplay, appropriately programmed sound effects, and pure fun. Recommended.
BREAKDOWN
Graphics: 5/10 (single-color objects, rather bland appearance)
Sound: 8/10 (some decent sound effects on the 2600, no music a big plus)
Gameplay: 9/10 (simple premise, controls great)
Challenge: 7/10 (moderate difficulty based on reflexes)
Replay Value: 6/10 (bland visuals might turn off some, but still fun)
OVERALL: 7/10
dtm666 