Transistor Reviews
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Bastion followup has intriguing characters, great gameplay and a murky story.
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.
Transistor is a beautiful, absorbing and well thought out game that encourages you to get creative with its system and carve out your own approach to defeating your opponents. Want superb aesthetics, compelling backstory and tactically engaging gameplay? Look no further.
Is Transistor worth your time? Well, I'm here to say that yes, it absolutely is. Stunning visuals, heart-breaking but well-written narrative (with a few rushed bits here and there), brilliant sound design, and a fun and rewarding battle system are some of the things you'll be signing up for if you purchase this game. And for a paltry twenty dollar pricetag (or your regional equivalent), you could do a hell of a lot worse. Transistor is a moody, atmospheric, tragic love story, and it's absolutely wonderful. A few pitfalls keep it from being perfect, but I'd still recommend it to anyone who loves games.
Like Blade Runner, Transistor may need a Director's Cut to achieve its full potential
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.
Transistor gives players a dazzling world to explore, a customisable combat system that anyone could find pleasure in, and a story that can pull on even the toughest person's heartstrings if engaged with. Transistor is a worthy follow up to Bastion and it shows that Supergiant Games aren't finished with bringing truly jaw-dropping worlds to the videogame industry. The linearity and confusing opening hour do hinder the game somewhat, but as you come to understand Transistor, you'll be swept away by its charm and beauty.
Before playing I didn't expect to be fully enraptured by Transistor, thinking the spectre of Bastion would haunt the experience too much. But neither did I expect Transistor to take that formula and evolve it into something so sublime and handcrafted that tears would roll down my cheek as the credits rolled. From its combat mechanics and customisation, to the narrative and the visually orgasmic art-style, this is an experience to be savoured, to lock yourself away in the confines of your gaming boudoir and revel in its luxurious design and perfection.
Just like the technical artifice in which it's set, though, it never quite feels like home.
When all is said and done, it's a perfect combination of gaming elements done right that you'll want to play again, all the while debating the realities of Cloudbank, its citizens and the Transistor.
Overall Transistor certainly shows how far Supergiant Games have come from Bastion - which was a great effort. Unfortunately, it's missing some essential elements in an RPG (such as the aforementioned grinding) making a few bosses harder than they should be. Yet, as bad as those flaws may sound, I had a great time playing it thanks to the battle system, and the sheer charm of the characters.
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.