Transistor Reviews
Between the somewhat different way that its story and details reveal themselves, the terrific music and visuals, and the custom-catered abilities you’ll use in challenging combat Transistor is a satisfying cyberpunk romp. No matter how powerful you may feel the Process continues to send new enemies and scenarios at you so you’ll need to experiment and adapt, keeping everything engaging throughout. While the story feels like it’s over a bit too soon it’s a satisfying ride and if you want even more challenging combat you then always have the Sandbox and New Game + to indulge in.
With excellent music, beautifully drawn levels, and a story that jerks at the heartstrings, Transistor is a great game that will surely leave you satisfied and wanting to play through it a second time.
Overall, despite my criticisms, Transistor is a game that is definitely worth your time. If you're a person who loves an interesting story, amazing soundtrack, beautiful visuals, and cheap games (it's only $20 on Steam) then there is no reason why you shouldn't be playing this. After you beat it, you could even have some more fun and join the long and vast discussions about the game's story on Reddit and YouTube, to name a few places. Or not, your choice!
Transistor left me floored.
Great combat mechanics and excellent writing help Transistor transcend the familiarity of its individual components. A gorgeous, intriguing, and ultimately moving tale, Supergiant's sophomore effort builds on the strengths that made Bastion so memorable without feeling like a mere retread.
Transistor is a worthy follow up to one of the most revered indie games of the last generation. Supergiant have taken a formula that works really well and applied a truly gorgeous art direction to it, with an incredibly deep combat system to boot. It's a game that is well worth your time, and with the big AAA game drought heading our way over summer, it's a perfect title to sink your teeth into for a few hours and just let it wash over you.
Supergiant Games has done a great job with their follow-up to the acclaimed Bastion by putting out a unique take on the strategy RPG genre that we haven’t seen since Valkyria Chronicles infused third-person shooter controls into the traditional strategy RPG mechanics.
Transistor is a beautiful game with a fun, addictive progression and combat systems.
Transistor is a short game, but intense and very fun. Its playable proposal hooks and its duration is just so that it does not get heavy, although if your combat system catches you (which is very easy to happen) you will be wanting much more. The narrative is very good and is perfectly integrated into the development of the game, sometimes very evident and other times very subtle. It is an excellent game with few buts and really hard not to recommend. It compensates for its short duration with the intensity and quality of its hours.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Transistor, from start to finish, is immersive, charming, emotional, imaginative, the list goes on. This is a true gem, not to be missed. The one real regret is that it had to end eventually. I knew this, but so badly did I want it to last just a little longer. Just one more encounter. One more conversation. One more touching moment. Just one more, just a little longer. As an experience, it would be impossible to forget. Emotionally, few games have left such a lingering impact. It has so much to share and will make your imagination run satisfyingly wild. It pains me to judge this game professionally, giving it a 4.5 (closer to 4.8) instead of the 5 that I so wish to give it. I genuinely want to forget its few tiny flaws; this is how much I love this game. It may not be flawless, but that doesn’t take away from its sheer magnificence. Transistor is an absolute masterpiece.
With Transistor, Supergiant Games created a beautiful, unique and enjoyable world. Unfortunately, the game is so focused that you're not offered the opportunity to really explore or experience this world.
Beautiful, stylised and interesting. In a world of stale games Transistor takes all that was good from the loved Bastion but makes enough changes that it stand out on its own.
But it's so damn short. Red's epic lasts just a few hours. New Game + promises to carry over my progress and beef up the Process accordingly, and the Sandbox still hides challenges, so there's replayability here. Still, I want more time with Red and her endearing sword. Transistor is too good to end so soon.
All in all, the stellar concept and artistic style of Transistor is nigh-on unparalleled. The mystical aura surrounding and permeating the entire game is original and attractive, the blending of real-time and turn-based gameplay is inspired (and yeah, it works exceedingly well), and there's a surprising amount of humanity injected into this otherwise sci-fi presentation. I don't like some of the stumbling blocks they purposely throw in your way, as they speak more to the action side of the game (and I prefer the strategic side), and above all else, the potential of the game is just so much…more.
There's a certain master stroke of genius to Transistor. It's in the way that the city is elaborately dappled to life with dark colours at the onset, yet fades away into a white emptiness. It's an almost Shakespearean-styled tragedy that slowly conjures up catharsis out of the hearts and emotions of its players, and collides with an intertwining of Ayn Rand's ideas around objectivism. Many call Supergiant Games a video game developer, but not me. I call it an artist and Transistor is its work of art. It starts with a oil painting still, filled with beauty, intrigue and mystery. What would happen if you could step inside?
Transistor is a really spectacular experience. It provides a great story, a unique weapon, and a combat system that can be as simple or as complex as you want. Throw in the splendid graphics and the impressive soundtrack and you'll have a great time. While the regular adventures may become a bit tedious, you can always relax in the backdoor area and engage in its different challenges. The boss fights can also feel a bit cheap sometimes, but they're still pretty good.
Transistor is masterful. You'll come for the astonishing art direction and thoughtful storyline, but stay for the sensational combat that continually offers new opportunities and challenges long after your first playthrough comes to an end.
Just as I see Supergiant's uneasiness exercised in the mechanics and themes of Bastion, I cannot help but find Transistor's obsession with performativity a bit telling of its creators' desire to break the sophomore slump.
Everything about the game shows it has been made with love and affection, it has the visuals to impress anyone that lays eyes on it, but also some really well balanced gameplay to dig its claws in and keep you hooked.
Transistor is an early contender for one of the most engaging games of the year. It isn't Bastion 2, since it's more of a straight RPG than an action game, and the tone, characters and setting are quite different. It manages to craft an engaging and exciting RPG experience mixed with a simple but curiously enticing story, and its biggest sin is being over too soon. It won't necessarily appeal to all of Bastion's fans, but Transistor shows that Supergiant Games isn't just a one-hit wonder and is capable of crafting an entirely different kind of game experience that is still exciting and delightful.