Transistor appreciation thread

[Vegosiux]

Yaknow with all the talking about what's so wrong with the industry today, it's time to put up a bright example now and then.

Supergiant have again delivered a really neat little game. It might be a bit on the short side but that hasn't stopped me from sinking about 20 hours into it already. It's pretty, it doesn't "cater", the depth of its combat combinations is nothing short of immense.

Again, only a handful of characters, and yet they manage to relay the tale of Cloudbank well, even if it gets a tad surreal towards the end and is vague enough to keep you guessing at just what it was all really about.

And Logan Cunningham returns with the narrative. And the soundtrack is just beautiful.

Really, wonderful game. So let's get some appreciation going.

 

[shrekfan246]

I have to play more of it (been reading a lot lately, and I have a bunch of other games still floating around), but it's already looking to squarely sit on my GOTY throne. Phenomenal world design, amazing soundtrack, and the combat is so much more fun than I found Bastion's to be. More fun than most ARPGs I've played, as a matter of fact. It still doesn't quite beat the visceral thrill I get out of Diablo III, but it provides a much deeper, satisfying tactical aspect as well which puts it into a different category anyway.

I like the world-building more than I did Bastion's as well. I never particularly liked the distinctly separated nature of all the areas in that game (though I understand that was part of the point of the narrative), and everything just feels like it gels together much better in Transistor. And did I mention how drop dead gorgeous the artwork is? Holy blazes. Even just the effects of the Transistor dragging along the ground as you run about are beautiful.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I have to admit, it didn't draw me in quite as powerfully as Bastion's combat system and art style did, but that's like saying the Mississippi river isn't quite as wet as the Amazon. And it doesn't have Bastion's horrendously distracting storytelling method, so I can enjoy Logan Cunningham's voice as if he's actually talking to me (rather than some unseen person on the other end of a cell phone), and about things that are currently taking place (rather than have already taken place and been interpreted strangely), so it more than balances out.

Sadly, I'm not very far in, since I want to finish Dark Souls 2 first (no need for distractions), but it'll get my wholehearted attention soon. And I've already learned a few valuable lessons:

1. More than two attack powers in a loadout is a good idea.
2. Never use Breach up close.
3. Snapshot's photos are distracting, not damaging. Watch for the damaging bits.

I didn't quite die in the middle of learning these lessons, but I became very acquainted with what happens to keep you alive. >_>

 

[Uhura]

I wasn't particularly interested in the game until I watched a Let's Play of it (the first 20 mins). I was drawn in by the haunting atmosphere and I kinda love Red's character design... the artwork in general looks beautiful. I think I have to buy it soon.

 

[IllumInaTIma]

I loved that game. Now, it's obvious that this game has a lot of similarities with Bastion, but in my eyes they only make it better, since Bastion was also amazing. Both games are about grand civilizations falling to the human's mistake. Both games have an incredible world. Both games offer a pretty unique sort of narrative. And both games are freaking gorgeous. But, whole Bastion was essentially about hope, Transistor is, in my opinion, is about love. While Bastion had a whole lot of different orders and citizen classes, Transistor has a whole lot of unique individuals.

I also really enjoyed the battle system. It was simple, yet offered SO much different possibilities so that everyone could find a combination suitable to him.

Oh yeah, and can we also agree that no one makes silent protagonists as good as Super Giant Games? I mean holy hell, just the pure ingenuity with which they use silent protagonist is kind of amazing. When I first saw Red communicating with Transistor through terminal commentaries I couldn't help but applaud a little.

And also that ending... Even though it wasn't as good as Bastion's ending, it was still freaking amazing and touching.

 

[Radeonx]

It was a really solid game. I don't know exactly if I'd place it above Bastion or not, but the fact that Super Giant is establishing such an amazing track record is a great sign.
Everything about the game was really good, and I'd definitely place it towards the top of the list of games that have come out this year, at least so far.

 

[Story]

So there was I thinking I had to wait for a Mac or IOS port before I could play the game then Boom! my grandfather surprised me with his new PS4 and permission for me to play on it.
I'm only half way through the game, but I watched a Walkthrough earlier before I knew about the PS4 because I couldn't stand my excitement.

I didn't find the story as vague as people made it out to be, at least not after the Sybil boss. Simply put: there was an assassination attempt, Red loses her voice, lover is stuck in the Transistor, assassins use a robot hive mind that have gone out of control and is taking over the city, Red and Transistor wants to take revenge on assassins. That's really all I needed to know to get me to continue. I also heard the combat was pretty hard, but I didn't find it hard at all, in fact it was so satisfying. I've been experimenting a lot too in order unlock the bios and so far I haven't had any trouble. Maybe I will once I get toward the end? Who knows. All I know is so far I haven't felt such satisfying gameplay in years!

Also, I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I find the Transistor's voice very attractive. Or just the mysteriousness of Red's lover in general for that matter. I'm such a huge sucker for love stories, it's such a silly weakness of mine. So yeah, that made me love the game even more. >.>'

When Compared to Bastion however, I would call them two very different games. I feel Bastion was more cohesive than Transistor because of how fast the gameplay was which fit more into the narrative structure of the game. Bastion's world felt a bit more open than Transistor too since we only got to know a few people during game play and it only focused on one city instead of two entire nations. I love Bastion and Transistor for very different reasons I don't think it's fitting for me me to compare the two.

Transistor is certainly one of favorite games of this year so far, funny thing is I wasn't too interested in the game before because of the scify elements. Maybe I should learn to open my horizons more often.

 

[Vegosiux]

I didn't quite die in the middle of learning these lessons, but I became very acquainted with what happens to keep you alive. >_>

Hahaha, oh yes. Now turn some mean limiters on and it becomes an exercise in self-flagellation (I've played a good part of New Game Plus with all 10 of them, then decided that's just too evil and toned it down again).

Oh, and another thing? Every now and then, just stop and hold TAB for a minute. It's beautiful.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I finished it and I can personally say that I liked it more than Bastion.

The story and setting and pretty much the whole world were very aesthetically beautiful. The ending was quite bittersweet and it really meshed well with the overall plot.

Also, the music..damn the music really was on a whole different level. It's not like Bastion where it fits for specific zones. In this game it feels like it's part of the world and it comes on perfectly on queue when they are supposed to.

Plus the ending song really got me good.

Overall another fantastic game from SuperGiant Games. I really am looking forward to see what they create next.

 

[Victim of Progress]

I do agree. Transistors play a great role in our modern life, being a semiconductor and such. Along with diodes, resistors, capacitors and other electronic components, they make complete electronic circuits.

Thank you John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley!




Wait, what the hell was this thread about again...?

 

[NeutralDrow]

I didn't quite die in the middle of learning these lessons, but I became very acquainted with what happens to keep you alive. >_>

Hahaha, oh yes. Now turn some mean limiters on and it becomes an exercise in self-flagellation (I've played a good part of New Game Plus with all 10 of them, then decided that's just too evil and toned it down again).

Oh, and another thing? Every now and then, just stop and hold TAB for a minute. It's beautiful.

I've been turning the limiters on as I unlock them. I think I'm up to six so far (enemies' double damage, shielded cells, twin cells, corrupted cells, double overload, and...something else). I will say it's really kind of a trip going into performance tests like that, and suddenly feeling invincible. It's like playing God Hand on hard difficulty and then walking into the arena.

And yeah, I hum every so often, too. Started doing it when the transistor started flaking out and wondering where I was.

Oh yeah, and can we also agree that no one makes silent protagonists as good as Super Giant Games?

Well...with Transistor, I'll absolutely agree. At first, I thought Red was just being indecisive with her forum comments ("no, they'll moderate that out"), until it became absolutely clear that she was speaking to the transistor.

That was one of my minor complaints with Bastion, though. The artwork and gameplay had to do double-duty to immerse me in that game, because the kid didn't really have personality, and the lack of a voice contributed to it. Actually, only Rucks and Zulf had much characterization, and it was the latter I got the most attached to, probably because he was the only one with a line before game's end (not even voiced by him, but still his line).

 

[Gigano]

My immediate impression is that the gameplay is a step down from Bastion. While options for customization is good, combat doesn't flow as well, and enemy behavior isn't as varied. If I wanted to take cover behind walls, I'd be playing another type of game entirely. The ability to plan and execute as string of actions is initially interesting, but eventually loses its novelty.

The narration seem less dynamic, adaptable, and ever present than in Bastion, though it's consequently less samey and more relevant to what's going on, making it an overall improvement. Meanwhile, the OST is even better than Bastion's, which is no small feat.

It should have refined Bastion's gameplay rather than replace it, but otherwise it seems an improvement.

 

[Shinsei-J]

I haven't quite finished it yet because when I heard it was short I decided to draw it out as much as I could.
My impression so far holds nothing but good things and I'm really enjoying using all the different skills that I might not have used otherwise to unlock the stories and profiles of people. It's been a real challenge too as I've been activating every limiter as I acquired them, making me think about every step as I use plan for optimal strategy. The combat system is so diverse too, I've spoken to friends and they've been using completely different things to me.

Every other aspect of the game is just perfect too but this combat system and its integration just fascinate me.
It feels like such a break from the mold for the genre but it also seems like the natural evolution of it too.
It does nothing much not done before (Fallout with the vats system) but it's been executed in such a way it feels fresh.

I've just really enjoyed the time I've spent playing so far.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I think I'm somewhere between a third and halfway through the game. And damn is it good. I don't think I've seen a game where I've enjoyed the combat this much in years. Especially because I'm continually finding new ways to use and combine each of the abilities. I make it a point to completely redo my loadout every couple of access points just because I want to try out new things.

Also, temporarily losing an ability when you die is genius. It forces you to not rely to heavily on one ability, and encourages trying out different playstyles. It's really clever, and it works really, really well.

And yeah, the art, music, setting, story, and everything else is excellent too. But I cannot get over how excellent the combat is.

 

[NeutralDrow]

All right, finished the game. Twice, for the achievements.

Yep, it was pretty damn good. I wasn't expecting that ending, either.

...

Okay, I'll just come out and ask it, did anyone besides me think the final Camerata member looked like a white Prince, and sounded like Bill Clinton doing a Jeff Goldblum impression?

I make it a point to completely redo my loadout every couple of access points just because I want to try out new things.

Oh, fun thing just in case you didn't notice (like I didn't, at first). You really are encouraged to try all the functions in each of the three effect types (active, upgrade, and passive), because each one unlocks more information on the person the function used to be.

 

[deathbydeath]

And also that ending... Even though it wasn't as good as Bastion's ending, it was still freaking amazing and touching.

I disagree with this quite a bit, mostly because nothing makes sense about it. This is symptomatic of my main problem with the story, foremost of which is that it's pretty great (in theory). I'd compare it to a connect-the-dots puzzle, where there's supposedly a great picture there and some of the dots are very damn beautiful, but they aren't connected well if they're connected at all.

Take the ending you mentioned, it's a perfectly valid ending (and if you view it as a metaphor for the game's development it's even more rad), but it never gets fleshed out and doesn't make any sense. It's never explained what the Transistor is, it's never stated that the Functions in the Transistor can communicate with each other, and the relationship between Red and the Transistor is never developed on-screen to the point where that's an obvious choice for her.

That being said, I really liked the story and a few parts in particular, but I can't say it's "good" without adding several "but"s to qualify it.

Also the game is friggin' awesome. Y'all should buy it.

 

[Lord Garnaat]

I really enjoyed it. Very good combat, beautiful aesthetic, excellent voice-acting. That being said, I didn't enjoy quite as much as Bastion, but that's only after one playthrough.

I think my main problem is that the story doesn't spend enough time explaining things, and leaves too many loose ends by the conclusion: I'm still not really clear on what the Camerata wanted, what the Process is, what the Transistor is, how the city works, etc. Being ambiguous works to the game's credit in certain parts (ex. the identity of the man inside the Transistor), but not taking the time to make anything clear just serves to make things confusing.

Still, I loved it altogether, especially the last portion of the game with Royce - he had some spectacular acting behind him, and amazing writing.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Take the ending you mentioned, it's a perfectly valid ending (and if you view it as a metaphor for the game's development it's even more rad), but it never gets fleshed out and doesn't make any sense. It's never explained what the Transistor is, it's never stated that the Functions in the Transistor can communicate with each other, and the relationship between Red and the Transistor is never developed on-screen to the point where that's an obvious choice for her.

Really? Except perhaps for the question of why he's the only one you understand talking in the Transistor (the others just made those computery noises)[footnote]Actually, now that I think of it, he's the only one who was motivated to stay near the surface.

Spoiler

The others were all probably "in the countryside" and no longer cared.

[/footnote], and exactly how it made its user status transfer to Red (not why it did; that was obvious), it made sense to me.

Spoiler

Admittedly, they never do totally explain what the Transistor is, just that it was able to control the Process to some extent, and that it was filled with the personalities and abilities of the people the Camerata either required or feared; the ones shown in "Integrated" status, as opposed to not there or "Recorded." If I understood Royce's stuttering at all, the Process is what makes Cloudbank so endlessly malleable, like a city-contained Matrix, which annoyed the Camerata enough to decry it as chaos and create the Transistor to direct the Process to enforce stability under their rule. They filled it with the personalities of people known for either their civic-mindedness or their talents at population direction or control (the function bios give full details). This was why they targeted Red, whose performances could cause emotional highs to the point of rioting in the audience...but when they attacked, they hadn't expected her boyfriend to be with her.

That's the strongest implication of who the Transistor was. Sure, he was confessing his love during the story itself, but I attributed that to his own awkwardness; the flashbacks, the ending portraits, and Red's own words to him during the story show that there was something between them even before he was killed. The other possibility is that he was a manager or groupie who fell in love with her, but considering he was in Cloudbank completely under the radar (he's the Breach function, for context), that seems a little too open profile, even considering she was on sabbatical.

In any case, I thought they did a pretty good job of developing their love relationship; the Transistor made his feelings obvious, Red made hers through action (hell, she's wearing his jacket the whole game) and those terminal messages, and both of them expressed interest in freeing him from the Transistor. So in the end, it made sense to me that her decision, when they've defeated the Process and the now-empty city of Cloudbank is hers to shape at will, but he's still trapped, that her actions would say "I don't want a city. I want to be with you again."

Not trying to disparage you or anything (I've been receiving more than enough of that attitude myself in the Dark Souls threads, so I figured I should clarify). That's just how I interpreted the ending and why it made total sense to me.

 

[nameless023]

I have mixed feelings about Transistor.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know this is an appreciation thread and I loved a lot of everything of that game. The art style is gorgeous, the music is perfect, the gameplay/combat is fun to mix while trying to find what suits you (Flood[Ping() + Void()] and Jaunt[Get() + Load()] quickly became my favourites) but I can't shake off the feeling that something didn't click on me. As much as I hate to admit it, something was... disappointing.

And I think that something was the Camerata.

Spoiler: Minor and Major Ending Spoilers for those that haven't finished the game

Let's face it. As annoying as the fight might have been, the encounter against Sybil Reisz is one of the highlights of the game. Having Red go back to the place where it all began and fight one of her attackers (or a shadow of one, seeing as Sybil had already been integrated into the Proccess) led me to believe that I would fight the other 3 guys on some other stage.

Then you meet Asher. Sure, he does make a decent job at explaining what went wrong with the Camerata, and it gives you a new perspective and it makes you think "Maybe these people were trying to do something good but something went terribly wrong", it makes you see these people less like the bad guys that killed Red's boyfriend. And Grant, what little is shown pictures him as someone that was obsessed with the Transistor and the potential of its power, as someone that went power hungry and then loses it completely once the Transistor is out of his control. And it all builds up as if you were about to have this big fight against Grant and Asher (and his cat because why not), until they decide it's better to get killed offscreen.

Finally, there's Royce. Fairview was a change of pace. It's less combat and more storytelling, and it shines some light onto the true nature of the process and the Transistor, and even Cloudbank itself. But all throughout that stage I kept thinking to myself "This guy is hiding something, it's going to be a trap". And we get a boss fight that introduces something new to the gameplay but is almost hollow storywise (where are they exactly? are they *in* the Transistor? are they outside? is it a dream sequence?).

And the ending comes and it's beautiful and happy and we all love the ending song as usual on Supergiant Games' games. But it felt empty. Sure, the Camerata is done but what did you achieve? Red had the option to finish the Process and rebuild Cloudbank but she didn't. She doesn't seem like someone that would go out seeking for revenge, and she doesn't. But given the chance to fix things she decides to do nothing.

And that is the problem that I have with Transistor. I love the game and will play it several times again the future, but that is one thing that just didn't work for me.

 

[The Madman]

Just finished the game and really liked it a lot. I also enjoy that the story is never straight-forward and leaves a lot of room for interpretation, especially with its ending. Something which obviously frustrates some people as this topic demonstrates, but for myself I enjoyed the ambiguity of it. Between the little conversation tidbits and the information unlocked from various skills and challenges, there's enough given to imply a number of different interpretations, even the musical lyrics, much like Bastion, have something to contribute to the story and setting.

Me, being the sap that I am, I tend to take on a more happy interpretation of how things went. Y'know, in the country.

But story aside it was just a glorious feast for the eyes and ears and the tactical combat was surprisingly fun. I didn't really enjoy it initially, but later on once you get to really start trying out different skill combinations and tricks while the enemies become more diverse, that's when I found it got really good. Good enough even to encourage some replayability as I try out different combo and unlock the last few bits of information I hadn't in my first playthrough.

And did I mention the soundtrack was great? Because it is. This will definitely be joining Bastion as one of my favourite game sountracks to date.

Very good game. Between this and Bastion Supergiant have just cemented themselves in my mind as one of the best developers in the games industry.