Transistor

The only of its kind. First time I enjoyed making and experimenting with different builds. The music, style and story are extremely beautiful.

its just ok

playing this I thought wow this game is like bastion but much worse and yep this developer made that game too they tried to have the narrarator be similar like in that game however they did an atrocious job with that because the talking in this game is SOOOO annoying its like having navi from orcarina of time but the talking is literally constant and its like like holy heck just shut up already
not to mention the storyline is basically gobbledegook I have no clue what is going on and that after having beat the game
and lots of the weapons you get feel worthless

honestly its semi close to being a not recommended however I'm giving it bonus points because I've been playing a string of games that have had major software difficulties and the only issue I had was one time the game screen froze for like 5 seconds (audio and gameplay was still moving just the screen froze and I may have (ctrl + esc) around that time which could have caused it)

Wow. Beautiful, emotional, haunting, tragic. The music, the environments, the gameplay, the story. It all sings. Play this game. You should experience it for yourself.

this game is honestly quite a lot of fun to play, the plot is engrossing, and the visuals are very nice. It's also very short. I didn't feel like the gameplay mechanics were quite deep enough for a replay, but they felt perfect for the length of one playthrough. if you see it on sale, definitely pick it up, it's worth a play for sure.

I love the music and graphics this title sports.

The tactical/strategic gameplay, on the other hand, are splendidly huge turn-offs for me. Strategy games are just 100% beyond me, sorry, Transistor. It's me, not you.

Transistor is yet another banger from Supergiant. So far I've played Bastion and Hades, both were amazing and so was Transistor. It features a unique action turn based combat, which seems like a weird combination, but it all makes sense and is fun. I love how through the whole play-through you are forced to craft new builds. Each skill you receive can be either used as a skill, as a passive buff or as a buff for a skill which is decently complex for a game this short. Story-wise Transistor feels a lot like Bastion - you are making you way through a dying world. After having played Hades I appreciate older Supergiant games more, because you can clearly see how the studio grew and which ideas made it into Hades.

Steam Deck

Cool game, neat art, outstanding soundwork. You gotta love those soundtracks. The gameplay is fairly basic and there's no grind to it. Good for relaxing afternoons.

If you want more after your Hades playthrough, this is it.

A very touching game, and surprisingly short and sweet. You can wax this off in 6 hours or so, and not feel disappointed.

Unique, touching, and a soundtrack that you'll go for after the game is done. This studio does great work and you should support them through and through!

Beautiful looking game, standard for Supergiant games in general. A MUST PLAY. The story is beautiful and personnal, the gameplay fun and challenging with limiters and the worldbuilding really interesting.

I loved the beginning. Very exact decisions were made in a narrative that had me excitedly guessing where it was all going. The game kept building up to a grand twist i couldn't yet see, but it HAD to be somewhere. Things were too meticulously arranged to not be building up to... something.

And then the game just rapidly calms midway through. After fighting a big and tough boss that poses the first major challenge, the story flatlines, giving about 2 more hours of (admittedly cool) gameplay and one messy tail of a story. Some fresh ideas are built up and then slightly dusted off just before the end, but the narrative concludes without saying much about the objects of clear focus the game investigated at the start. There is, in my opinion, no deeper meaning for too much of the story for it to be worth your time.

The art and music are plain great. Gameplay is fun and a nice mix of cheesing and thinking. A great game from a design standpoint, and even the writing is excellent. But the story is really really undercooked. This game is pure intellectual blueballing for people who like engaging with stories.
So if you enjoy the gameplay, buy! If you're here for the narrative, don't bother.

This is a neat little game, with a combat system that slightly overstays its welcome, and an interesting enough little story. Great visuals and sound are the highlight.

Pretty fun, obviously as I played it twice. Quite forgiving combat as the same pauses while you plan things out, but at the same time can be quite challenging in the trials. Building and rebuilding your setup as you acquire more skills and capacity kept the game engaging.

Only complain is how vague and confusing the plot was. You kind of just figure it out as you go along.

This game still has to be one of my favorites in 2024. I first heard about this game two years ago and was first drawn to the soundtrack. Why a soundtrack to me is so important is because in a game the soundtrack plays a pivotal role in shaping the emotional and narrative depth of the experience which I think this game did an amazing job in <3 (The Spine, Paper Boats, and Sandbox are my favorite)

The character designs and the game mechanics are also something very unique. Red's design is so beautiful and even The Process was something I thought was so interesting. Overall before I write too much, this game is for sure a 10/10 and a game that is worth playing today still :)

Really really loved this!! I've been a fan of Hades since it came out, but hadnt played any other Supergiant Games so I gave this one a shot! Not very long per playthrough, took me about 12-13 hours? And I was taking my time just trying out different weapon controls, so you could probably get it done in like 9/10 hours if you we're going faster. But replay ability is good, and there's quite a few side puzzles to do after you've finished the game, so it's doesnt feel limited to just the first playthrough. UI is a little wonky, but it's not very complex so its pretty easy to work around.

I saw a few comments complaining how most of the game is narrated by the same voice... but tbh I could listen to that character talking forever! I know that voice actor (Logan Cunningham) has done some other work with supergiant; voiced Achillies, Hades, the Narrator, and some other Hades game folks. But absolutely no complaints on having to hear the same voice most of the game.

If you're a fan of Hades, I'd recommend giving this one a shot! Has the same sort of repetitive boss rush room feel, but a whole new wonderful story! And absolutely GORGEOUS artwork and soundtrack from the studio as always!

Transistor Review

Pros:

• Lovely art style and backgrounds.
  
• Real-time with pause combat implemented in a novel, artistic way.
  
• Difficulty is slotted in using items called limiters. I didn’t use them at all. Their optional nature is much appreciated.
  
• Cool powers and abilities.
  
• Allows us to swap, switch, combine powers in any way we please.
  
• The ending surprised me. It took some retrospect thinking to understand why things happened the way they did. Very thought provoking ending.
  
• Short and sweet length, does not overstay its welcome.
  
• Wonderful background music and the main characters humming voice.
  

Cons:

• Jaunt movement cannot be aimed properly using controller thumbsticks.
  
• No standard difficulty settings. It's a sort of normal difficulty by default.
  
• Backdoors left unexplored as I was punished for exploring the first one. You have to participate in them in order to even exit out of those sections.
  
• For the first half of the game we don’t know what's going on and it's annoying not being in on the secret or having any clue.
  
• Annoying, constantly grating companion voice.
  
• No manual save, save points must be accessed, or must travel to new areas.
  
• Losing full HP means losing powers for a period of time. But losing powers takes away all the fun of combat.
  

Advice:

• You need to push through the 50% mark of this game to figure out what is going on. As such this requires some patience.
  
[*]Once enemies are defeated , pick up the discarded process fast, else they respawn again.

Transistor is a stunning game that paved the way for Hades. With its gorgeous visuals, captivating audio design, and immersive gameplay, it’s a true work of art. Though short enough to be completed in one sitting, its depth, beauty and unique gameplay mechanics left a positive impact on me.

Interesting atmosphere, art-style and mechanics, I like the programming notion.

Supergiant absolutely nailed this one. The atmosphere, the visual art, the voice acting, and my god, THE MUSIC. Beautiful and stunning. The gameplay is innovative and challenging, which is par for the course for Supergiant Games. If you're up for a unique, fast-paced, tactical combat-based experience with a captivating story, give this one a go.

Maybe my hope got too high for this game. IMO its obviously overrated because of its art. The combat seems deep and fun with lots of potential in the first hour cause you could customize your skills in many different ways, but soon I found every encounters more or less feel like the same. You just deal as much damage as you could in turn(), then play hide and seek until the cooldown is back. The encounters are not difficult but quickly feel like a chore. And the bad control handling didnt help at all. The atmosphere and story are okay but not good enough for me to ignore the boring combat.

Forgot to write a review, I enjoyed the game, the music is great, the VA is very good, I like the gameplay mechanics and how you can tweak the difficulty. All-round good stuff, in my opinion :)

just couldnt jive with it. beautiful music and graphics but it just doesnt feel the same as Bastion or Hades imo.

The game is great. See fantastic art and visuals, hear the best of music. Know sorrow, and learn of free will. Win through superior strategy and experimentation. It was always going to end this way.

This one just didn't click for me. The music is simply amazing, and the graphics are as beautiful as ever when it comes to Supergiant games, but the game itself didn't manage to make me interested enough, perhaps it was the gameplay that didn't grab me, or perhaps I lacked interest in the story, but I can't in good conscience recomment Transistor. I'd suggest you consider it like a "completionist Supergiant bingo" step, after having done Pyre and Bastion, and perhaps before starting the titans that Hades and Hades II are.

just finished my 3rd playthrough of Transistor this year and despite its size, the quality of this game never diminishes even slightly with each subsequent playthrough. put simply, this game is a masterpiece. it's art. the visual design, the gameplay, the worldbuilding, the different methods of storytelling and how you can piece together the puzzle of whats happening as you go along, everything flows and synergizes perfectly to create an absolutely unforgettable experience. while Hades was the game that really got me hooked on Supergiant, Transistor has absolutely become not only my favorite Supergiant game, but my favorite game period. thank you Supergiant for this beautiful, evergreen story that has more than held up in the 10 years since its release. I can't wait to play it again.

I finally played it after putting it off on the shelf for a very long time. I'm a big fan of bastion, so i used to be kinda put off by the weird fighting mechanics. But, after finishing it i kinda get why it would get positive review. Even though, i also realized why this game is probably not for me.

I would reccomend buying this game if you seem intrested in how the mechanic works in this game, since that's the bread and butter of this game. You can also treat it like a rogue like, albeit there is no branching paths and randomized "floor". I myself don't really enjoy how the mechanic of this game felt so restricting despite the many choice. But, the artwork and story make it go down easy in my opinion and it's also surprisingly short. So it's not dragged on for too long. If you ask me, this one will be worth it if you bought it on discounted price.

If i would rate it on a quantitative scale, its probably a 2,5/5.

First off, Transistor is gorgeous. Like, properly gorgeous. Not your typical shoot-em-up with explosions everywhere – it's got this watercolor art style that makes it look like someone's spilled their fancy paint set all over your screen, but in a good way. Cloud Bank, this mad futuristic city they've created, looks like what would happen if you let an art student loose after they've had too many Red Bulls.

Now, the combat – Christ, the combat. You've got this massive sword that talks to you, which sounds absolutely ridiculous when you say it out loud. Like something you'd come up with after a night down the pub. "You know what games need? Chatty weapons!" But here's the thing – it actually works. You can freeze time like some pretentious Matrix wannabe, plan out these ridiculously complex moves, and then watch it all unfold like you're some tactical genius. Meanwhile, you're just sitting there thinking, "I can't believe I just pulled that off without dying.

The music, fucking hell, the music. It's got this singer that sounds like she's performing a jazz funeral in space. Should be pretentious garbage, right? But it's not. It's hauntingly beautiful, like someone bottled up all the melancholy in the world and turned it into a soundtrack. I found myself just standing still in the game sometimes, letting the music wash over me like some proper art house wanker – and loving every second of it.

Now, there are some bits that'll drive you round the bend. The UI's about as user-friendly as an angry badger – especially when you're trying to sort out your Functions (that's what they call abilities, trying to be clever). And it's shorter than my patience at a vegan restaurant – about 8-12 hours if you're not arsing about.

But here's the thing that gets me: they've made dying fun. Yeah, you heard that right. When you mess up – which you will, 'cause some of us aren't teenage gaming prodigies – it's not game over. It's more like, "Have another go, mate, see if you can work it out this time." No permanent punishment. Like a really forgiving teacher who actually wants you to learn something.

The customization's brilliant too – starts off simple enough but then goes proper mental. You can turn your basic attacks into something that looks like a physics experiment gone wrong. Want to make your death beam split in three directions and bounce off enemies like a drunk pinball? Go for it. Want to turn your sword into a black hole generator? Why not? It's like they've given you all these toys and said, "Go on then, see what you can break."

Look, here's the thing: I paid 5 euros for this. FIVE EUROS! I've spent more on terrible coffee that tasted like it was filtered through someone's sock. Sure, the combat areas are more repetitive than my ex-wife's complaints, and it's all over quicker than a Premier League diving controversy, but who cares when it's this good?

Should you buy it? Well, if you don't, you're either skint or stupid. And if you're skint, fair enough.

Amazing art direction, unique storytelling, fun game mechanics. I've never played anything like this before. Highly recommended.

Bought this game so many years ago but haven't really gotten down to actually finishing it.
it's no secret that supergiant really knows how to blend gameplay and story together!
the combat system might feel a little iffy, but once you have a handle you have so much freedom on what to do with it
couple that with a hard hitting story, you're sure to enjoy your time with this!

Beautiful, interesting, and offers so many ways to control play. I just love it.

Didn't feel the vibe, after 30min playing - feels boring
Right now just forcing myself to finish story line and put in "finished/never go back games"

Use a controller, it is much easier than keyboard. The music is phenomenal, the Dev team should be pretty proud of this one. The story behind each functions as people, and able to unlock them by forcing you to try new combos is an amazing technique unique to this game.

It threw me through a loop at first, being able to combine every function as either an action, an adjustment to an action, or a passive ability is super fun. The sound design and ambiance feels very nice. I love the home base, I love the voice acting. Playing on ChromeOS with an i3 I just need to make sure my laptop stays cool and it runs fine.

This game is an absolute masterpiece, was great on release and still feels great now years later!

I've replayed this game ungodly amount of times. The pacing, the levels, the MUSIC, the combinations *-*.

Would play again. 11/10 recommend

An incredibly beautiful sci-fi noir story with a clever, highly original combat system. My playthrough took me 8 hours, and I loved every second of it. My only criticism would be that I found the UI a bit clunky, especially when rearranging your Functions. The combat does take some getting used to, but by the first boss you will probably be alright. I highly recommend this game, especially as it's quite often on sale. I paid 4 euros for it, which is just ridiculously cheap for just a brilliant game.

Mersmerizing graphics paired with very climatic music. The story seems relatively linear, but this might be a subjective feeling due to the first playthrough (will update later). Nevertheless, uncovering the strange and not-so-obvious relation between two main characters is oddly satisfying, as well as exploring the matter of existence, death and memories of the past.

Even though gameplay does not forgive any mistakes, it is suprisingly chill and calming. High risk - high reward system, as well as evolving enemies encourage constant experimentation with different combinations of perks/skills available. There is no punishment for failure, at least not a permament one. Will probably remain my go-to game for when I'm totally worn-out.

In a typical SuperGiant fashion this is aesthetically beautiful (the 1920s vibe you get here is stunning), melancholic in terms of the story presented and ultimately thought-provoking.

In terms of the gameplay this was an ouverture for a concept that later became the 2020 GOTY - Hades.

This clocks in at 8 hours, and is a short story that should satisfy any fans of the company's work. That said, it's typical SuperGiant dystopia in medias res, so the plot may be confusing for some.

Pyre is still my favourite of the first three, though.

Short game. Doesnt overstay its welcome. But I think everyone should play this, the story is one of a kind

Such a unique game, the way it looks the story its a little gem a must

Fun short turn based game with a beautiful story. Not too complicated, easy to get into.

The game's visuals and storytelling are good, but oh my fucking god I cannot stand having someone whisper into my ear every 5 seconds. It's actually maddening, and a unique deterrent to completing a game.

I put this game down 7 years ago, tried to give it another chance and yeah... not happening. I'm gonna try to continue with the voice volume set to mute but that also mutes bosses. So that sucks.

Edit: Yeah, can't do it. Not even with the voices muted lol the constant pop up of subtitles is surprisingly just as bad. Oh well. A lesson for me to try games within the 2 week refund period.

El arte, música y diseño es espectacular, pero la historia me pareció sin sentido. El combate tampoco me gusto

Preface

Synopsis

Breakdown:

• Soundtrack. The soundtrack is worth the price of the game, in my opinion.
  
• Art & Character Design. 100 points, nailed the cyber-art deco style.
  
• The "Functions" (aka Combat Abilities) are interesting to mix/match.
  
• Combat is service-able but not great.
  

• Relatively short. I'd be more forgiving if the story were handled better.
  
• Antagonists. Man, what a let down. I really can't say more without spoiling but they may as well not exist. I suppose you could argue it's more "real" the way they chose to handle it, but in the early game they're painted as imposing threats and they just... aren't.
  
• Lack of exposition and protagonist synergy. I apologize, this is long. Red is a silent protagonist. Why you ask? Because that's what the writers wrote. Okay, it's an arbitrary choice, fine, there are plenty of good silent protagonists who let their actions speak for themselves. The issue here is that Red doesn't do much beyond fighting and you have no ability to interact with your partner. You've heard the old quote "show, don't tell" and likely suffered through a lot of media using dialogue as a vehicle for exposition (explanation of an idea or theory) instead of having people talk like people and not ChatGPT. Obviously, we want to avoid that but on the flip-side Transitor's writers do not provide adequate context for the world and it's rules. Perhaps more troubling, is the dynamic between Red and her partner, implied lover. Throughout the game, Red's partner provides very minor exposition and quips about things you encounter but it's just him. Red has the ability to type on consoles, and is the one way she has to talk to him but she does not directly address him until late in the game. She reacts more to the news reporter and that is genuinely shocking to me. Screw voting on what color the sky should be, this is the one place the writer's can have Red emote and they choose to have you vote on what kind of food to deliver to your apartment. Wasteful. Even at times when her partner appears to be suffering, Red's animation makes her appear ambivalent. What few cut-scenes exist, such as the pizza shop, while presumably intended to be funny/lighthearted, reinforce this idea for me as she appears happy and like... the most important person to you is trapped [spoilers]inside a hunk of metal[/spoilers] and the world is falling apart. The dissonance bothers me greatly.
  
• Locking backstory of characters behind functions (aka combat abilities) to encourage mix-matching is dumb and I spent way more time swapping stuff than I otherwise would in other games just to get these ultimately meaningless bits of information.
  Each "Function" you acquire is associated with a person whose back story you can unlock by using it in different combinations with other functions. This is used to encourage you to mix and match them to reveal different gameplay styles but there is so little combat it frankly doesn't matter nor do the back stories. TLDR, most of them are individuals the antagonists went after for ill-defined reasons and have no impact on the game whatsoever. If you don't like reading or just don't care, mix and match whatever you want and ignore the backstories.
  
• Backdoors. Oh, how I loathe them. They transport you to a "safe place" to practice moves and listen to music but I argue that they ruin the pacing and mood of the story. Throughout the entire game stakes are high, the "city is on fire" metaphorically, but then these doors appear and you stop to go lounge in a hammock next to a virtual beach and listen to tunes. It's jarring. I understand why it exists but there's no good in-game explanation for them and while cute, they frequently disconnect you from the story and emotions playing out. In my opinion, if you want to enjoy the game to the fullest, ignore the "Backdoors", or at least the first few you encounter. They are unnecessary, you really aren't missing anything.
  

First Playthrough Tips:

[*] Once you meet Royce Bracket in the late game, turn on subtitles. I don't know what happened with the audio mixing here but between the quiet nature of the character and the music playing in the background it is impossible to make out what he's saying.

Conclusion:

Nothing like Bastion or Hades, but really good nonetheless

I'm writing this just after I got the ending.
Buy this game. Now. It is worth the full price.

The gameplay is unique and fun. The combinations of different modules all feel fun and fresh. For even the last boss, I still had want to mix and match different moves. The game also rewards you for using modules in different slots with lore, which is a plus.

The story is pretty simple, but it there are several cool moments, and the ending is fantastic. There is also a lot of lore to discover in the modules and in terminals, But to be real, the Narration is what carries the whole thing with two giant buff arms.

Like in Bastion and Hades, narration in this story is really charming, and kept my attention. In this game though unlike the other two, the narrator is constantly talking to you, and they are really sweet and supportive. The narration also gives lot of depth to the world, as they casually commentate about different aspects of the world. It manages to dumb a lot of lore on you without feeling like a exposition. Also, the man is great and sweet and wonderful and light in what otherwise can be rather bleak circumstances.

I still feel a little bit of the high from finishing the game, but right now it is one of the best video game experiences I know of. I played the game through in 9 hours, and although I would have been really glad if there had been more, I also was very satisfied with what I got.

It was an unique experience, that I shall savor for a good while.

A game with unique gameplay, and a great world and intriguing story that oozes atmosphere. Combining abilities is a lot of fun and opens up different playstyles, which works really well with the ability to stop time and plan your moves. It feels very relaxed despite some difficult fights. That combined with the sci-fi soundtrack and world-building, seductive gentle voice acting, and beautiful water colored art gives for some great vibes and great times.

Finally, you'll get a good feel of the game and the possibilities for ability combinations which makes a second playthrough a lot of fun where you can tie up some loose ends, like collectables. It doesn't overstay its welcome.

fun little game. It's neat to see the early trappings of what would become Hades

Love Love Love this. My personal favourite of all of Supergiant's games.

Beautiful soundtrack and intimate storytelling paired with a soft art style.

compelling, novel, you can see the beginnings of Hades here and in the other Supergiant Games, I think what is remarkable is that they consistently build narratively-driven titles which are fun to play. They're not afraid to experiment, each title stands on its own two feet but contributes to future works.