Transistor Reviews

Transistor is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Yes
May 20, 2014

Expertly honed and original gameplay that supports a moving story delivered in a compelling way. What's not to like?

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9.5 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

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.

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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.

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8.5 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

Like the saddest songs that call to us from the depths of our emotions — from despair, to longing, to heartbreak — Transistor may not necessarily be the easiest, or most accessible, title to jump into wholeheartedly in a rush. But given time and a chance to shine, its song resonates beautifully when it hits all the right notes.

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Unscored
May 20, 2014

I do not believe Transistor is everything it could've been, but it's still close enough that I won't hesitate to recommend it to basically anybody. I critique because I love, and that second part is especially true in this case. Transistor's got brains, heart, and a knack for always knowing just what to say and when to say it. And also, perhaps more importantly, it knows precisely when it's better to say nothing at all.

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May 20, 2014

Transistor's clever combat and incredible customization makes for an intensely fun strategy game, but the world and story leave much to be desired. Come for the art and wonderful soundtrack, stay for the ability to freeze time and slash up robots.

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EGM
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

Transistor falters near the end by giving players access to a few game-breakingly powerful abilities, but the anticlimax is more than made up for by its touching story, gorgeous presentation, and imaginative take on the action-RPG formula.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

Players looking for a very artistic world with unique narration and an amazing soundtrack, you have just found it. Strategy fans will have a great time taking on the combat, and anyone looking for a great game for $20 should not pass this up. Transistor has the style along with the game play that makes this a must own for many.

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IGN
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

Transistor is a wildly smart action-RPG that places all of its trust into your intelligence.

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9 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

From story to gameplay, a sense of wonder and discovery pervades Transistor, but demands the player accept moments of confusion and unanswered questions

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8.5 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

Still, it's worth trying; the world of Cloudbank is a wonder to behold and the mystery of the Camarata, the Process, and the Transistor itself is something that is really worth exploring. 

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Thomas Hugh
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

Transistor is a rare breed of game where there is not much else to compare it too. It is a shortish adventure but is so well designed that you will most likely want to jump straight back in and unlock that last trophy (yes it has a platinum!). I enjoyed it more than Bastion and can only hope it will lead to a sequel from Supergiant Games.

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4.5 / 5.0
May 20, 2014

Like Bastion before it, Transistor is a lovingly crafted game by a dedicated and tight knit group of developers who strive not only to present us with a technically polished title, but one that keeps us interested throughout the entire journey. Though I personally would have liked more of a two-sided relationship between Red and the Transistor, I acknowledge the direction the designers were aiming for. Beyond that, the combat system is the most flexible and empowering I have seen in any game. Having dashed through the story in a mere seven hours, the New Game+ mode called Recursion allows me to keep my level and Functions intact, which is a good thing because there are still dozens of different combinations I'm eager to test out on the newly updated and tougher Process before me. At a bargain twenty dollars, Transistor is a refreshing and original adventure that every gamer should experience.

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7 / 10
May 20, 2014

Not all of the game's bold ideas are entirely successful but in terms of the visuals, music, and storytelling ambition this is one of the most absorbing indie adventures of the year.

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
80 / 100
May 20, 2014

A brilliant and rewarding combat system propels a story that never becomes as interesting as it seemingly should.

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10 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

SuperGiant has created a world brimming with sophistication, mysteries, and tech-heavy sci-fi charm. It's a world with serious staying power should they decide to revisit it. It meets and then promptly blows right past every high watermark you'd expect a digitally downloadable title to reach.

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RPG Site
Top Critic
8 / 10
May 20, 2014

An appealing skill system highlights this gorgeous game

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9 / 10.0
May 20, 2014

If you'd told me five years ago that a game of this scope, and this level of polish, would come out of a twelve-person indie studio, I'd have thought you were nuts…but here we are. Transistor is easily one of the best things I've played so far this year, and in a field of games made by hundred-person teams and with hundred-million-dollar budgets, that's an extraordinary feat.

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Unscored
May 20, 2014

So yes, Transistor is slow and annoyingly coy. You shouldn't have to play it twice to perceive all of its lovable quirks. Playing it twice, though, is still preferable to not playing it at all.

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Digitally Downloaded
Chris I.
Top Critic
May 21, 2014

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?

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