I really love the energy crystals in Tron: Evolution DS and decided that I needed to do a post on them.
I’ve put it under a Keep Reading, because there’s a handful of screenshots.
The energy crystals are out in the Outlands in an area called the Crystal Conduit. It’s somewhere near Bostrum Colony and contains the source of the energy lakes that power Bostrum.
You fly a Recognizer there and can see a few crystals on the way in.
Inside the Crystal Conduit itself, there’s five different types of energy crystals. Most of their effects are gameplay-related and most of their colors line up with the energy wells that are used for puzzles throughout the game. Some of the crystals need the colors you get from the energy wells for however you need to deal with them.
Some crystals are in the background and cannot be accessed, but they’re the same colors as the crystals you have to deal with.
Purple Crystals - Explode when touched/a disc is thrown at them.
Dark Blue Crystals - Heal you when you stand close to them (with the same visual effect as the health power up Pure Energy).
White Crystals - Absorbs the color of the item that touches them/disc thrown at them and transforms into that color (only used with Purple and Dark Blue Crystal powers).
Black Crystals - Are connected to Green Crystals - whatever you do to the Black Crystal affects the Green Crystal. They do two things: absorb and transfer color to the Green Crystals they're connected to (only used with changing them to Purple to explode them and get them out of the way) and cause Green Crystals to grow when you use a green energy well. Black Crystals connected to Green Crystals are also called link crystals.
Green Crystals - Green Crystals do a lot. I’ve included screenshots of the most interesting-looking ones, but there’s definitely more in the game. They're connected to the Black Crystals so that the Black Crystals transfer color to them. Because of this connection, most of the Green Crystals naturally have some black coloring to them. They also grow to make bridges and ledges if green energy is used on Black Crystals. At several points, they grow behind you on their own to keep you from going back the way you came. Gibson also gets trapped in a Green Crystal, the crystal was draining the energy from Bostrum, when he tried to stop it, it trapped him instead. Gibson says the crystal isn't natural. You use your disc on the Green Crystal to shatter it and free him.
[When you get back to the main city, you're told that an old program has somehow reactivated - its job was to gather and store energy for an emergency, but it was bugged and shut down. Now that it's reactivated, it's unknowingly draining energy from the entire system, which will eventually cause the system to crash, cause the power to go out entirely, and erase everyone permanently.]
It’s been a while since I’ve taken these screenshots, but in these two, it looks like the crystals are growing under the path you’re on, which I think looks super neat!
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SYSTEM MONITOR DEREZZED
The number of people who don't follow the same medias as I but like to see what I write… Thanks guys!
Tron: Evolution is a game set during C. L. U. 2.0 rebellion mentioned in Legacy. Adds some characters and concepts but not much details, the only important thing to mention being the virus called Abraxas. Probably one of the less plot-heavy or plot-relevant things of the full property.
So, Tron: Evolution… Even by Tron standard (should make a meta commentary about this franchise-wide problem), this game has A LOT of interesting idea and unusual concepts thrown everywhere and never used:
That the program's focus on their directives is seen by some as a sign of their inferiority, by others the reason they are superior; rebellious ISO who are a lot less naïve than what we were told, Abraxas (Spoilers, but seriously. If CLU 2.0 could create a whole identity for a three-helix DNA being the day of the coup but had to wait Uprising to be able to let repurposed program keep the ability to just TALK, let alone still struggle to properly rectify Tron by the time of Legacy, The H**k is Alan's level of skill? That one might be a glaring plot hole, still.), Zuse's motives, Flynn who didn't believe in "basic's" free will but saw CLU as a person capable of growing mentally, etc.
Which leads us to the hero of the game: Anon. Helmet, full mute, even in-universe. The idea seems to be that this system monitor (like Tron) written in a hurry doesn't possess abilities not directly related to his job as Grid security. This and quite a lot of elements I've noticed or realized while reading/watching posts/videos about Evolution are almost earth-shattering for the franchise's themes and lore, but not a single scene to focus on the subject (seems the game was a bit rushed anyway).
Something was brought to my attention by this specific post by @the-system-monitor: https://the-system-monitor.tumblr.com/post/646373242011090945/thoughts
And I had to do something. Because the post also doesn’t fully grasp something about the Anon/Gibson dynamic: Anon doesn't show a single regret killing or even fighting him after Gibson is infected by a virus. Heck, one could argue that the reason why Anon went after Gibson is his purpose of eradicating all infected programs and he saw Abraxas infecting the ISO rather than worry.
I do like to imagine Anon is capable of emotions, but I was intrigued by the idea of a program who only thinks by his programming with no emotion, because it's so out of place in the franchise's style and internal logic. Plus, it would be compelling to try to write an emotionless POV character. Haven't done that in years.
So, here came this AU and ficlet. Hope you will enjoy it.
I own nothing. Tron is a Disney property.
Recompliling Program...
Importing backup….
The Grid. Living again.
Scanning surroundings for threats…
“Hum? Hello? We’re here, Mysterious System Monitor!”
“Be more respectful of him! He… He saved my life.”
Combat posture engaged. “Hey! hey! Hey! Hey! Calm down!”
A User? Better disengage, in case he feels the need to derezzes a rebellious program.
Protect the Users.
New sub-directives discovered. Kevin_Flynn must have tried to copy Tron’s programming during conception.
New objective: Discover what happened to CLU and The Grid since derezzing.
Internal clock reveals over 12000 cycles have happened since derezzing.
This program is feeling... shock.
“Are you okay? Anon, is it?”
ISO intruding in personal space. Have to step back to have the room to grab the disc without being stopped if need be.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him talk. I wonder how Flynn, your father, Sam, not you, programmed him. He always had an approach… I would say ‘robotic’, by users terms.”
A group of programs is around the ISO and the User. Scanning.
1)Male Mechanic program.
Defensive abilities: agility
Weaknesses: none
Notes: Seems extremely well-trained. Has adopted a System Monitor defensive stance. To be surveilled.
2)Female Combattant program
Defensive abilities: none
Weaknesses: Corrupted disks
Notes: Detecting traces of Medic program codes, that seems to have been abandoned in favor of becoming a Combat program. Is this possible?
Secondary objective: Learn how a basic program could change directives.
“What is he doing?”
“Shhh, Sam! He must be confused! Oh, how could I have missed his utter lack of expression ability during C.L.U’s coup?!? I’m feeling like such an idiot!” The User is immediately at her side, hugging her.
The Combatant program is murmuring to the Mechanic. What is she doing? Is she attempting to bribe him?
Analysis of her body language… Enhancing hearing to listen to her better…
Result… She is flirting. Nothing to notice.
Detecting a fifth program in the vicinity.
Scanning for threat level…
Tron
Status: corrupted codes
Defensive abilities: Light Shielding, Unique programming making him more resistant and hit stronger. Extreme agility in recorded memory. Might have been weakened by the corruption.
Weaknesses: Stasis disc. Might be destabilized by injecting a second type of corrupted data with the corruption disc.
Tron might be too powerful to take on, but he is a danger to the Grid.
Goodbye, Tron.
“What is he doing?!!?” The Mechanic program is immediately defending him. Those movements… He was trained by Tron. Need to get away to planify a better attack strategy.
The ground’s coding is being modified by the User. Tentacles restraining… What should System Monitor Anon use to refer to itself?
Coding malfunction detected… Impossible to self-diagnostique.
“It is my coding, Sam_Flynn. He considered our previous working relationship less important than his programming.”
The Mechanic program is trying to… Analysis... comfort Tron: “Tron. I know you’re feeling guilty with everything you did as Rinzler, but this wasn’t you. Okay?” His face softens in a sign of.... Support?
Was Tron turned into a Virus like the ISO Jalen?
He needs to be derezzed for the safety of the grid, if so.
“I’m sorry”, the User’s voice, Sam_Flynn, unknown connection to Kevin_Flynn, comes from the back. Engaging 360° view. He is approaching the disc.
Protect your disc or your programming will be modified.
“Oh boy. I’m, I’m sorry. My dad seems to have written you off in haste. I will try to do something about it. Tron is getting repairs, but all those cycles of being infected by Malwares and other things make the process slow.“
“Don’t worry. I won’t derezzes you. But you need to focus on the Grid Bugs and the infighting amongst the remaining commanders of C.L.U’s army.” The combattant program flinch. Spy? Traitor? For whom? How to warn the User and the ISO if she’s a danger? Wait, the disc!
The User quickly puts it back in the support, but…
New programming detected… Engaging Sleep Mode during the reboot process...
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Originally, I wanted to sprinkle in moments that showed Anon being able to detect wherever a program is currently being killed and by who, but it would have been horrendous to name everyone and he never showed this ability in canon, so I dropped it. I also didn’t expect the story to get so dark with the question of HOW could Anon act that way during the game and how unable to empathize with others he is. The latter point should have been the most obvious thing, but I guess it’s in the franchise’s coding to write something and realize the mere concept is existential dread..
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