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Transistor’s gameplay contains a duality that is unique and challenging. At first, Transistor is simply an isometric beat-em-up similar to Bastion. In combat you command abilities called functions, each of which has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. While you accrue more and more functions throughout the game, you can only employ four of them at a time. Choosing a load out that fits your own style of play is one of the more fun elements of the game, as well as one that’s essential to completing it. Red (the protagonist) and the Transistor (her sword) use functions to hack and slash their way through the monstrous “Process,” who become stronger and attack in greater numbers as you progress through the story. To stand a chance, you must further customize your load out by using the leftover functions to enhance your primary abilities or provide passive upgrades. For example, your basic attack is a mid-range strike called Crash(). When augmented by the Mask() function, the backstab damage of Crash() increases, while adding Spark() turns Crash()’s single blast into three. These boosts not only mean heightened combat prowess but additional customization, allowing Red to adopt your ideal fighting style.
The more esoteric side of Transistor’s battle mechanics is the Turn() system that supplements the typical “run and gun” action. Instead of just running around and wailing on her enemies, Red can use a Turn() to freeze time, plan a series of actions, and execute them at rapid speed. This transforms the twitchy, action-oriented combat system to one that’s more strategy-based, adding further variety to how the game can be played. For me, Turn() was a necessity as the game’s enemies became faster and stronger. The ability to freeze time and plan your attacks could make Transistor too easy, but Turn() comes with a massive drawback: when your Turn() is complete you must recharge for 5 seconds, leaving you helpless. As such, effective Turn()-based combat requires you to both understand how efficient you can be within a Turn() and how you will survive the perilous seconds afterwards. You can further increase the challenges in Transistor’s by unlocking Limiters which, like Bastion’s Idols, increase the game’s difficulty by powering up enemies, diminishing your capabilities, or creating other situations which are hostile to the player. You receive greater rewards for defeating Limited-enhanced enemies, but they make the game punishing as hell. Transistor’s penalties for losing fights are also unique for the genre. When an attack takes you to 0 health, you aren’t immediately destroyed. Instead, one of your functions overloads, leaving you alive but removing one of your abilities. Since you can only add or repair abilities at save points (and you must visit a few before a function is restored), losing in Transistor means you have to adjust your strategies or play handicapped.
Transistor’s gameplay also contains a few small touches that I love. There’s a “backdoor” zone with various challenges that provide experience points and allow you to practice your fighting techniques. Completing challenges also unlocks the game’s soundtrack, which you can access at a jukebox in the “backdoor” area. The backdoor is also a place where you can speak with the Transistor and play with a digital dog, both of which are way more engrossing and amusing than they sound. One button allows you to “flourish,” which has no purpose in the game except to look cool. Another lets Red hum along to the background music, which is also pointless but absolutely fantastic (we’ll get to why in a moment). Finally, for those who want to further explore Transistor’s combat, there’s a New Game+ that allows you revisit the game, retaining the power you earned and fighting against far stronger opponents.
Transistor is as aesthetically pleasing as Bastion. I can give no higher praise. Every pixel of the game’s setting is gorgeous, from the morbidly picturesque Cloudbank to the fearsome Process to Red and the Transistor themselves. Transistor’s Tron-like cyberpunk aesthetic could not be more unlike Bastion’s verdant, western post-apocalypse but it engrosses the player all the same. As a software engineer, I also appreciated the programming themes littered throughout the game from the parameter-less “functions” to the references to the superuser and read/write access. Yet as gorgeous as the game looks its true beauty comes from the voices and the soundtrack. Logan Cunningham is marvelous as the Transistor, providing a companion that helps you discover more about the confusing world of Cloudbank. Like Rucks (the narrator of Bastion, also played by Cunningham), the Transistor’s voice is ubiquitous, but its role is much different than that of a narrator. Transistor’s score is absolutely incredible. Once again, Supergiant composer Darren Korb outdid himself by creating yet another soundtrack I’ll listen to months after completing the game. Not to mention that Ashley Barret’s singing, both in the score and in Red’s toggle-able hum, is enchanting. Whatever reservations you might have about the gameplay or story, Transistor’s presentation alone merits a playthrough.
Not only is Transistor’s story a rather short one, it’s also difficult to discuss because it’s largely based on a mystery. The game opens with Red, the Transistor, and a question: how did the world get this way? (Bastion fans will recognize this concept) That question and the two characters attempting to answer it are the story. You do discover an antagonist in the Camerata, the organization that stole Red’s voice and allegedly unleashed the Process, but calling Transistor a tale of revenge is also inaccurate. There are also a few more high-minded ideas scattered throughout the story, but those don’t all play out perfectly. In the end, the best way to define Transistor is to call it the tale of Red and her sword-ensconsed Stranger. They are (unsurprisingly) the deepest and most captivating characters in the game and going on the adventure with them is a ton of fun. Even though Transistor is quite short (4-5 hours, though I didn’t play with all the Limiters on), but it stays enjoyable throughout and is worth replaying to look at the story in the context of the rest of the tale.
If it wasn’t already obvious, I really liked Transistor. Though it didn’t end up being especially challenging (even with Limiters), I found the Turn()-centric gameplay stimulating and enjoyable. It’s particularly fun to experiment with different load outs to see the various ways one can destroy the Process, which is why I’m excited for my second playthrough. I also want to experience the story again after uncovering the mysteries in my first run. I’m still considering how best to interpret Red and the Transistor’s journey, and games rarely contain stories that are interesting the first time, much less ones that warrant multiple interpretations. I also appreciate that the game has a female protagonist who is strong, active, and compelling even without a voice. She’s the kind of character that should be included by many others in the industry (looking at you Assassin’s Creed).
You owe it to yourself to play Transistor. The game is beautiful in ways that few games match in any way, shape, or form. It’s incredible that a development studio with only 12 employees can create a game this fun, much less one so artistically impressive, much less two of them. Transistor is a wonderful successor to Bastion which will force you to consider which of Supergiant’s awesome games is really your favorite.
You can read this late review and many more at the N3rd Dimension.
