Tron (video game)
1982 arcade game based on the Disney film Tron.
In 1982, Bally Midway released *Tron*, an arcade action game based on the Disney movie of the same name. Bill Adams led the programming, while Earl Vickers handled the music. The game was a hit, selling about 10,000 arcade cabinets and earning the "Coin-Operated Game of the Year" award from *Electronic Games*.
The gameplay is built from four minigames, each tied to events or characters from the film. Players control Tron—either on foot or in a vehicle—using an eight-way joystick for movement, a trigger button to fire or slow a Light Cycle, and a rotary dial for aiming. The goal is to score points and advance through twelve levels, most named after programming languages (RPG, COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, SNOBOL, PL1, PASCAL, ALGOL, ASSEMBLY, OS, JCL, and USER). Two players can take turns.
Each level starts on a "Game Grid" selection screen split into four quadrants, each hiding a different minigame. The player picks a quadrant without knowing which game it holds. Failing a minigame costs a life and returns the player to the selection screen, where the failed game’s icon is now visible. If the player doesn’t pick before a timer runs out, a minigame is chosen at random. Completing a minigame removes it from the rotation until the next level.
The four minigames are: - **I/O Tower**: Guide Tron to a flashing Input/Output Tower within a time limit, avoiding or destroying Grid Bugs. Based on the film’s I/O Tower scene, with Grid Bugs added as enemies. A bonus bit occasionally appears for extra points. - **MCP Cone**: Break through a rotating shield wall to enter the MCP cone without touching any shield blocks. Based on Tron’s final battle with the MCP, but the shield works differently. Bonus points are given for destroying every block. - **Light Cycles**: A player-versus-AI Snake-style game where Tron’s blue Light Cycle faces yellow opponents. The aim is to make enemies crash into walls, jet trails, or each other while avoiding the same. This is the only minigame that doesn’t use the rotary dial. It’s based on the film’s Light Cycle Arena, though the colors are swapped. - **Battle Tanks**: Drive a red battle tank through a maze, destroying all blue enemy tanks by shooting each three times. The tank can warp by moving into a central diamond, and shots bounce off walls until they reach their limit. On harder levels, enemy tanks are replaced by faster red Recognizers tha
- developer
- Bally Midway
- release_year
- 1982
- lead_programmer
- Bill Adams
- music_programmer
- Earl Vickers
- genre
- Action
- platform
- Arcade
- cabinets_sold
- approximately 10,000
Quick Facts
- Title
- Tron
- Developer
- Bally Midway
- Designer
- Bill Adams
- Composer
- Earl Vickers
- Released
- NA · August 1982
- Genre
- Action, snake
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Arcade System
- Midway MCR-II
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Tron consists of four sub-games based on events and characters in the movie: I/O Tower, MCP Cone, Light Cycles, and Battle Tanks. The player controls Tron using an eight-way joystick, a trigger button, and a rotary dial. The goal is to score points and advance through twelve levels named after programming languages: RPG, COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, SNOBOL, PL1, PASCAL, ALGOL, ASSEMBLY, OS, JCL, and USER. The game supports two players alternating.
Bally Midway had two different design teams submit pitches. One planned a first-person vector graphics game, while the second suggested a collection of four minigames using existing technology; the second proposal was used because it had a better chance of being completed by the deadline. The game was followed by Discs of Tron, which was developed as a separate sequel, not as a cut minigame from the original Tron.
Reader's Guide
Tron was awarded 'Coin-Operated Game of the Year' by Electronic Games magazine. The New York Times reported that 800 arcade cabinets were sold in 1982. By January 1983, it was fourth on the RePlay arcade charts. The book The Naked Computer reported that Tron made $45,000,000 by 1983. In USgamer's estimation 10,000 cabinets were sold and the game made more than $30,000,000 in revenue by 1983. The world record high score was set in July 2011 by David Cruz of Brandon, Florida, with 14,007,645 points. The light cycle segment has led to snake games sometimes being called 'Light Cycle' games. Two clones, ElecTron (1984) and Kron (1983), were released for the TRS-80 Color Computer. The 2004 Game Boy Advance game Tron 2.0: Killer App contains ports of the original Tron and Discs of Tron. Tron was released for Xbox Live Arcade in January 2008, ported by Digital Eclipse. In October 2021, Arcade1Up released a recreated cabinet of the original Tron arcade game.
Did You Know?
- The game's 12 levels are named after programming languages: RPG, COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, SNOBOL, PL1, PASCAL, ALGOL, ASSEMBLY, OS, JCL, and USER.
- The Light Cycles sub-game is the only one that does not use the rotary dial.
- Discs of Tron was originally intended as a fifth segment of Tron but was left out because programming was not finished in time.
- The world record high score for Tron is 14,007,645 points, set by David Cruz in July 2011.
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