Reviewed: November 5, 2004
Reviewed by: Loki

Publisher
Buena Vista Interactive

Developer
Digital Eclipse

Released: October 19, 2004
Genre: Action
Players: 4
ESRB: Everyone

8
8
8
8
8.3

Supported Features:

  • Cartridge Save (3 Slots)
  • GBA Link Cable
    • Last summer Buena Vista delivered one of the most visually stunning FPS games of the year with TRON 2.0, an interactive sequel to the 1982 movie that pioneered computer animation. It only took them a year to get around to porting the franchise to the console and handheld markets and now we have TRON 2.0: Killer App invading GBA’s everywhere.

    While the PC version took the franchise to new visual heights, the GBA version returns to a more retro-style vision, due mainly to the limitations of the GBA rather than any type of stylistic interpretations. The full power of the GBA is exploited to bring the digital world of TRON to colorful life in quasi-3D action gameplay with plenty of classic TRON-style games tossed into the mix.

    The ENCOM Corporation is under attack by a malicious hacker, who has broken into the network and is spreading a sophisticated, self-evolving virus. Tron, a legendary security program, awakens to find himself and the system under attack. Elsewhere; Mercury, a champion light cycle racer, finds herself at odds with the system's security programs when they go on high alert. With chaos all around, it's up to Tron and Mercury to free the system of corruption and stop the intrusion at the source. Two programs, programmed to win, against a network full of danger. The battle is on!

    Killer App Features:

    • 3 major modes of game play including platform action and disc combat in isometric mode, Tank and Recognizer battles in first person mode, and Light Cycle battles in classic arcade style top down mode.
    • Includes the classic arcade games Tron (1982) and Discs of Tron (1983).
    • Three new mini-games including Security Hack, Defrag, and Firewall.
    • Multiplayer mode up to 4 players for Light Cycle battles and 2 players for Tank and Recognizer battles.
    • 100 different collectable chips to trade with friends, including upgrades for ISO, Light Cycle, Tank and Recognizer modes.
    • Also featuring the voices talents of Bruce Boxleitner and Rebecca Romjin-Stamos.
    In a brilliant move to extend the life of Killer App, you can choose to play as either Tron or Mercury, a Light Cycle program introduced in the PC game, each with their own style of gameplay and unique challenges. It’s one of the few GBA games that you can actually play through twice and get two very different perspectives of the same story.

    Regardless of the character you choose, most of Killer App’s gameplay revolves around you exploring small digital constructs, isometric levels with ramps, elevators, data terminals, and plenty of hostile programs. Tron is even mistaken for a virus and the computer’s own security forces are out to get him. Of course, only after you defeat the head of security can you finally prove your true identity as the savior of the system.

    Gameplay reminded me of Spryo: Season of Flame, only a bit more awkward. The 4-way D-pad of the GBA does not lend itself to the angular movement required to navigate the levels. You can slightly remedy this problem by using a third-party clip-on joystick attachment like the one that comes with the Pelican GBA starter kit. Otherwise, your thumb is going to get sore with all the diagonal movement.

    Throughout the game you will acquire upgrade chips used to enhance your abilities. You have slots to install four chips at any given time, so depending on the situation you will want to tweak your configuration between combat (melee and ranged), security, and energy (health). It’s handy to max your health or increase your combat abilities, but when it comes time to hack that terminal you will want to boost those security skills. It’s a nice attempt to flesh out the gameplay but it quickly becomes a nuisance as you frequently have to micromanage these chips several times per level.

    Other chips you can acquire will boost the performance or attributes of your Light Cycle or Recognizer (those giant hovering horseshoes). The Light Cycle and Recognizer levels are great fun and a welcome break from the tedious exploration levels. It’s a shame there weren’t more of them.

    There are also some other mini-style games included to keep things fresh. The hacking game is one of the most challenging parts of Killer App even though it’s based on the classic “connect points A to B with rotating pipes” game. Basically, you are given a starting point and an ending point and you must connect the two ends using 12-20 pieces of conduit in a hexagon grid. You are on a rigid timer and hotspots can increase or decrease your remaining time. There are also security hotspots that will end your hacking attempt and force you to fight some security programs before you can try again.

    Later in the game you will have to solve two puzzles and if you fail the second you have to do them both again. This is where this part of the game gets a bit annoying, especially since hacking is an overly used component to the adventure portion of the game.

    The Light Cycle game is a total blast and translates well to the GBA. The tank game could have been just as good if they had kept the top-down style of the arcade game, but instead they opted for a 3D maze crawl that just doesn’t translate to the GBA nearly as well. The Recognizer levels are similar to the tank levels only you can control your anti-grav to go up and down as you strafe your way through short but deadly mazes.

    Perhaps the biggest and best feature of Killer App are the bonus games. Both Tron and Discs of Tron are included on the cartridge as playable extras from the main menu. A bold move indeed considering you might find yourself playing these games more than Killer App. And with four-player link support (multi-cartridge), there is plenty of Tron goodness to go around.

    There are so many styles of game packed into Killer App that it’s hard to nail down the visuals. Some things like the Light Cycles look great while the 3D tanks and recognizer levels look really bad. The hex-hacking game is okay and the core game, the 3D exploration is well above average with colorful animated textures.

    The isometric design lends itself to a lot of unintentional deaths due to missteps or bad jumps and it just plain hurts your thumb if you play the game for more than an hour at a time. The menus and static cutscene panels are all very nice as are the chip configuration screens for Tron and anything he can configure with upgrade chips.

    It’s always nice to hear speech on the GBA, even if it is overly compressed dialogue that sounds like it was phoned in with a walkie-talkie. Bruce Boxleitner reprises his original role as Tron and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos voices her PC character of the Mercury program.

    The TRON theme is fully intact in MIDI form, even if it is just a few short repeating bars. Sound effects are suitably electronic and authentic, although they suffer from a bit of compression as well. Considering the amount of data packed onto this cartridge I guess we can’t complain too much.

    Killer App is one of those titles where the parts are greater than the whole. You’ll have fun with the various components that make up the game, but when it’s all over the game itself isn’t as satisfying as each of the parts you played to get to the end.

    You can finish the main adventure in 6-8 hours and take a second trip as whichever character you didn’t choose the first time. The mini-games, and the added bonus of the original Tron games as well as multiplayer support gives this game a lifespan equal to the Tron franchise itself.

    Despite some problematic controls and repetitive gameplay, TRON 2.0: Killer App is one of the better GBA titles of the year and a worthy addition to the Tron legacy. It’s one of those games that long after you have finished you’ll pop in just to tinker with the various mini-games, and if you are lucky enough to have a friend or two with their own copies, the multiplayer component is outstanding.