> It’s been a while, but finally the chat transcripts are ready for people to peruse! Please thank @idreim and @venhediss for being a massive help in getting everything compiled!
> As a quick note, these logs are over 6,000 words long. I’d recommend that if you’re looking for anything specific that you do Ctrl-F to search for buzzwords.
first of all, the good from the gameplay side. [this is just a slight edit of an old post, but whatever] transistor uses a sort of turn system, which lets you take things at your own pace…to a point. when you activate your turn, you can lay out a bunch of movements and attacks, which will then be executed without the enemy’s being able to move much. this is countered by the fact that you’re very likely going to get your ass kicked when NOT using a turn, and almost completely vulnerable during the [short] time it takes to ready another turn. a lot of the fun [and sometimes pain] of this game is figuring out how you want to strategically lay out your chosen moves for max damage on enemies and a safe escape for yourself.
it has A LOT of options and customization to be had. some moves penetrate multiple enemies, some stun or weaken, some home in, some have splintered blast radiuses, etc—but the cool thing is you can upgrade any move with the effects of up to 2 other moves, or apply a move as an upgrade directly to yourself! the best part is, pretty much anything you could try has some kind of niche, so trying out new combinations is rewarding. you may THINK you got your ultra power combo, but switch it up and suddenly you’ve got a whole new way to blast through enemies, maybe even better than before. also, moves are tied directly to characters, and using them in different ways will show more of their story, encouraging you to switch it up for worldbuilding reasons as well. outside of combat there’s minimal exploration; this is probably the most linear game i’ve ever played, though there’s not ever really a reason to go back, and they’re super generous with save points so it’s not inherently bad. ‘losing a life’ just kills one of your attacks for a few save points, and should you manage to lose all of them, you just restart from the last save point.
there’s also little bonus skill areas you can stop in at certain points to do tests and get extra EXP [and play with a dog!], but you really don’t need to ever grind. oh, uh. yeah, levels are a thing. when you level up you gain access to either new attacks, expanded ways to equip your moves, or trade-off difficulty boosters for better EXP yield. the reward is your choice each level! [and once you hit the level cap [which will easily happen during new game+] you’ll have everything anyway, so you don’t need to worry about passing up stuff you’ll never get access to again]
anyway, while transistor’s gameplay certainly makes it fun, that’s by far not why i’m still so in love with it a year later.
everything about the aesthetic of this game is thoroughly enthralling. the characters, the setting, the gameplay mechanics, and the music are all deeply intertwined with eachother and it makes the game so, SO vibrant. while the plot itself isn’t huge or incredible, the way it’s presented is really something that will stick with you for a long time.
before i start with this part, a warning: transistor is definitely a niche game.
all the reasons i adore it could very well be all the reasons it’s frustrating or underwhelming to someone else!! these next bits are absolutely written as praise from me, but they’re also a warning to others who may not be into its style.
to start off, let me be clear here: you’re not going to know what the fuck is happening in this game. there is no tutorial, there’s not even a title screen. transistor does not ease you into its world, it drops you right on your ass in the dead center of its destruction. or at least, the prelude to that. transistor comes on really strong and doesn’t ever let up, and while it won’t beat you over the head with its world, the atmosphere it creates is consistently, unbelievably dense.
that being said, supergiant is notoriously vague about their worldbuilding. not vague in the sense that they didn’t put effort into it, but that they clearly put a LOT of effort and depth into the world and characters, and then don’t tell you anything but the most subtle hints. red and swordfriend are rather detached from the big picture as protagonists, and there’s very little concrete material to go on in this game, but those hints they drop are enough to speculate on and theorize about for ages. special note: this kind of worldbuilding is exactly why i love the shit out of OFF, so if you played and enjoyed that game, please please go ahead with transistor.
tldr: you’re not gonna know what the fuck is going on in Transistor apart from your protagonists unless you put the effort into thinking it out. [[and even then you’ll have questions, but that’s why you gotta drag your buddies into sad sword hell and discuss it with them ;p]]
i think my only real complaint with this game is its length. it’s really short! like, shorter than OFF and undertale. [but only barely]. and its pacing is pretty weird too; knowing it’s short helps, but…uh…let me put it this way: on my blind run, everything suddenly felt very endgame-y right after i guessed i was about quarter of the way through. now that i’ve completed it, i can say that that was roughly the game’s midpoint. i don’t want that to detract from how great this game is though! what it packs into those hours is really really potent.
as for more general stuff… >it’s fucking gorgeousholy shit???this isnot a cutscene. the entire gamelooks like this. [tumblr seems to be fucking with the urls; just open them in a new tab sorry] >you’re going to fall in love with the sword, maybe a little, maybe a lot, but it’s a guarantee you will fall to his soothing voice and undying support for red [even if she doesn’t really need it…] actually, that’s an important boon to this game overall: incredible voiceacting. >Red’s songs are wonderfully written and her voice makes them even better. and you’ll listen to them again and again as you figure out their place and meaning in the grand scale of the game. the rest of the OST’s pretty cool too. she hums along with them in a new melody during turns, but you can also hold a button to hum at any time. > YOU WILL FEEL PAIN. YOU MAY VERY LEGITIMATELY CRY OVER THIS SILENCED SINGER AND HER SAD SACK SWORD BOYFRIEND. ANY TRANSISTOR FAN WILL TELL YOU THIS. >briefly mentioned before but new game+ is a thing; it’s pretty fun as difficulty-boosted reruns go. also, new places in the challenge area unlock.
in closing, let it be said my two favorite ways i’ve ever seen this game described are “audiovisual artgasm” and “you kill the gays with a laser sword because everyone you love is dead”, which are both completely accurate.
Guys, Bastion and Transistor, two fantastic RPGs by Supergiant Games and some of my favorite games of all time, are on a great sale on gog.com! Transistor is $4.99 and Bastion is $3.79 – if you think you would be at all interested, now would be a good time to snap these games up, DRM-free!
blacknovelist55 