Transistor Reviews
Despite some reservations with the ending, Transistor is captivating in ways that few other games can manage. It creates a place that we wanted to be a part of, learn more about, and most importantly didn't want to leave. Transistor isn't something you'll forget about immediately after finishing it. Instead, it's one that you'll wish you could play again for the first time.
That those challenges are housed in a weird trans-dimensional coastal getaway where you can kick a physics-enabled beach ball about or lie in a hammock is just one of many unusual things to enjoy about Transistor. Enjoy the artful approach to science-fiction, enjoy the hoops Supergiant's jumped through to position you in the right place to engage with its combat, and you can even enjoy the very fact that the game often struggles to get its deeper messages across. After all, if the developer had something straightforward to say, it might not have had to make a game in the first place.
Taking its name from one of the greatest technological inventions of the 20th century, Transistor is unequivocally one of the greatest games this year.
Transistor's grace and beauty go far below skin deep
Transistor is beautiful and engaging with a brilliant combat systems that encourages careful planning before and during battle. It's just a shame the story holds it back from being a true classic. It's a more flawed experience than Bastion was, but it's also a more interesting one. It takes risks. It ditches Bastion's charm and lighter moments for a darker, more somber story. Not all of the risks, however, pay off.
Editor's Note – Check out our interview with Transistor's Creative Director.
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.
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.
With a gorgeous audiovisual style, unconventional science fiction narrative, and empowering combat system, Transistor is a distinctive and memorable experience.
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.
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.
It isn't a bad story, with plenty of intrigue from its setting and characters. The issue comes in when it tries to take a leap into the realm of allegory, where it never ties itself together thematically in a satisfying way. In that way, Transistor is like a virtual croissant. It is layered and delicious, but there is a lingering airy emptiness to it that makes it hard to fill up on just one.
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.
Though it can be vague, strange, and inaccessible, Transistor is one of the strongest games of 2014 so far. Its unique take on standard video game practices make it feel undoubtedly fresh. With strong combat, great enemy design, and a lovely story, Transistor will reward those who put in the time. Its parts are solid, but as a whole, it's a wonderfully sound, beautiful RPG that will stick with players for a considerable amount of time.
Bastion certainly wasn't a fluke. Transistor cements Supergiant Games as one of the sharpest, most stylish, and unique small developers. Though some of its flourishes aren't quite as fresh the second time around, Transistor speaks with a unique creative identity, mostly successfully refreshes solid RPG mechanics, and tells a poignant story worth experiencing.
It may be slightly too complex in parts for the more casual gamers out there, but it's full of clever ideas, and every area has had attention lavished upon it. Transistor is comfortably one of the best games of 2014 so far, and Supergiant deserve the plaudits yet again for a job well done.
Transistor is just one of those games that you have to play. I couldn't cover everything because that would ruin the experience; and believe me, you want that experience. While no game can truly live up to insane amounts of hype, this game comes pretty close. Every aspect blends almost perfectly into the style and story.
Add to this the strengths of the world that has been created, Darren Korb's soundtrack, the charm of Ashley Barrett's voice, and the clever story that unfolds, and Transistor is a near essential game to own on PS4.