Transistor Reviews

Transistor is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.8 / 10.0
Oct 18, 2015

Like Blade Runner, Transistor may need a Director's Cut to achieve its full potential

8.5 / 10.0
May 30, 2014

It may start off feeling pompous and arrogant, but give it enough time and you'll start to uncover a deeply sophisticated world, supported by a brilliant story, and solid, dynamic gameplay.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
May 22, 2014

Supergiant Games established itself as a remarkable, highly creative studio with the release of 2011's Bastion, and its sophomore effort proves that the development team isn't running short on worthwhile concepts.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
May 26, 2014

Transistor is a fantastic follow-up to Bastion that features incredible art design, wonderful music, deep, customizable, strong storytelling and one of the best plots in recent memory. It's a thoughtful, beautiful, and well-designed game that should be played by everyone with a passing interest in RPGs. Go buy it. Now.

Read full review

9.2 / 10.0
May 19, 2014

Transistor's nuanced world-building and clever storytelling render its narrative original and intriguing. Its combat system presents a myriad of viable choices but remains indifferent toward how the player chooses to engage them. Its painterly visuals and pitch-perfect use of musical themes call to mind the greatest moments of 90's-era Japanese role-playing games. Its attention is focused on the first time through the game, but not lost on the second or third. Completing any one of these objectives would have been enough to satisfy those with a particular affinity toward a specific style, but watching them succeed as parts of a larger game widens its appeal and makes a declarative statement; Transistor is how games should be made.

Read full review

9 / 10
May 28, 2014

From it's intelligent game design to it's breathtaking art direction, Transistor brings the player into a world bursting with creativity. I found myself immediately entering New Game Plus mode after the credits rolled because I didn't want to leave the world of Cloudbank. Transistor is a game that isn't afraid to go outside of typical video game tropes resulting in a refreshing and fun experience. This is easily one of the best games on the PS4 and one PC gamers should consider.

Read full review

May 19, 2014

Sometimes frustrating in terms of both gameplay and narrative, Transistor manages to be a redolent title with a ton of imagination. While not quite as clever as its presentation suggests, it's a pretty little title that ends on a beautifully bittersweet note.

Read full review

9.6 / 10.0
May 22, 2014

If you can believe it, Transistor surpasses the quality of Bastion in nearly every respect, making it a near perfect game. Easily the best game of the year so far.

Read full review

RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
May 20, 2014

An appealing skill system highlights this gorgeous game

Read full review

9 / 10
Nov 12, 2018

Transistor is easily one of the finest works being made available in the Nintendo Switch catalogue. Fans of action games and of turn-based combat games will be delighted at this work, which will keep players very well entertained for a long time thanks to its long-lasting lifespan and to its fantastic soundtrack.

Review in Portuguese |

May 25, 2014

As in Bastion, you'll gain the option of increasing the difficulty in exchange for more experience, and the soundtrack and narration is surprisingly on par with the previously high bar set by Supergiant Games.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Oct 30, 2018

Supergiant has made it clear that stories are important to them. Players seeking a game with strategic combat and simply a great, unique story need not look any further than Transistor.

9.5 / 10.0
May 22, 2014

Like Bastion before it, Transistor is a pleasure to play and an involving experience from start to finish. Its mature story and evolving combat will keep you engaged to the very end, and have you longing for more.

Read full review

May 20, 2014

Transistor is ripe with potential, but in the end, it just doesn't rise to the occasion, and thus prevents itself from becoming greater than the sum of its parts.

Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
May 21, 2014

The experience of Transistor is lush and enjoyable. It is a beautiful game with some truly excellent mechanics. Unfortunately, its story and lack of character development through gameplay brings the rest of the game down - but not by much.

Read full review

4 / 5.0
Jun 4, 2014

With the emergence of Transistor and Child of Light from earlier this year, it's getting harder and harder to argue that video games are merely there for entertainment and have no artistic value at all. Transistor strikes a fine balance between being an enjoyable video game and a cyberpunk piece of art.

Read full review

8.7 / 10.0
May 22, 2014

My biggest wish is for more of this game, a sequel or some DLC, because I want to see this world continued, and I want to play the combat until my thumbs bleed. I'm disappointed in its short play-length, but it can't be said enough that Transistor is a beautiful and unique RPG that every gamer should play. I can hardly wait to see what Supergiant will come up with next.

Read full review

9 / 10.0
Jun 24, 2014

Transistor is one of my favorite games of the past year, easy. Without being weird and unrecognizable as a video game, Transistor turns many video game tropes on their heads—subtley. It also features an excellently written and likable narrator, a fully realized and meaningfully motivated female protagonist, a twist on the tired old tech tree of yore, a soundtrack that's integral to the storytelling fabric of the game, and a complex enemy composed of cowards, contemporaries, and anything-but-bloodthirsty rivals. There's not a note, pixel, or line of dialog out of place.

Read full review

90 / 100
Jun 4, 2014

While it has the capabilities, it probably won't appeal to those looking for twitch-action or puzzles. Still it deserves a chance to steal your heart, just as it stole mine. The only thing missing is more content.

Read full review

9 / 10
May 19, 2014

Transistor is an absolute triumph: a stunning sensory experience that buoys its lofty ambitions on a rock solid strategic core. It spins a tale of love, technology, and political and social unrest that speeds confidently towards a magnificent crescendo. What's more, the razor sharp combat remains thrilling throughout, and the visuals and music display an almost superhuman level of polish. While niggling complaints can certainly be levelled at the gorgeous indie, a trip to Cloudbank comes highly recommended.

Read full review