'TRON RUN/r' Video Game Lets You 'Temple Run' Your Way Through The Grid

Almost a year ago, it was revealed that Disney was secretly working on a Tron video game and imaginations got fired up. Between this video game, Tron characters joining Disney Infinity, the new Tron Lightcycle Power Run ride at Shanghai Disneyland, and the hazy existence of Tron 3 on the horizon, it was a good time to be a fan of this fascinating, but wounded film series.

And then Tron 3 was canceled. And now, that video game looks to be a pretty straightforward "runner," albeit one that makes good use of the series' stunning visuals. Weep, Tron acolytes! For this is not the best time to be fan of this franchise.

Disney has released two new trailers for the awkwardly titled TRON RUN/r and they can't be embedded so you'll have to click that link and leave this page like some kind animal if you want to watch them. But if you're in a location where watching a video game trailer is am impossibility, here's what it looks like: take  the running game of your choice, like Temple Run or Subway Surfers, place it in the world of Tron, and make it look really, really pretty.

Maybe "pretty" is an understatement. Although the Tron films struggled with telling coherent stories, both of them are serious feasts for the senses, using the blank canvas of "the Grid" to create a science fiction landscape of unparalleled beauty. And since the films have an intrinsic link to the world of video games, this may very well be the best medium for additional stories set in this universe. The gameplay on display in these trailers looks simple (you keep moving forward while dodging stuff), but the visuals are snazzy and colorful and do a good job of reminding you why so many people continue to be dazzled by Tron. Still, it's hard to look at this and not wish that there was something a little meatier on display.

In any case, a straightforward action game like this will surely be better than the totally lackluster Tron Legacy video game that accompanied the film back in 2010. TRON RUN/r may look like a juiced up mobile game, but its limited scope will hopefully help transform it into a more meaningful experience worthy of your time and money.

TRON RUN/r will be available on February 16, 2016 on Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. You can check out a gallery of images from the game below.