Yeah, Transistor is still my favorite Supergiant game.
I worried that time wouldn’t be as kind to it as my memories, something that colors this whole endeavor honestly. I also played Hades and Pyre in the time since I first played Transistor. I’ll freely say that I think both those games are more ambitious and more coherent than their older sibling. However, I don’t think that anything can match the commitment that Transistor has to its tone.
Story & Atmosphere (One and the Same)
The story is not straightforwardly told. However, I do consider the gist relatively easy to grasp. Red, a singer whose voice has been stolen, is on a revenge quest on behalf of her stabbed partner now reduced to just a voice inside a sword – the titular Transistor. Something has gone very wrong, however, and the digital city of Cloudbank continues to dissolve around her as she traverses its neighborhoods, under attack by strange entities called The Process. The rest of the context must be pieced together. There are clues to discover in unlockable files, news terminals accessed throughout the city, and the few voiced characters in the game.
But while the lore fills in the details, I don’t think you need it to access the core of the story. Everything relies upon the relationship between Red and her unnamed lover. She cannot speak except through typing into the comment system on terminals. On the other hand, he can do nothing but speak. And he does a lot of it. His voice remains a constant presence as he thinks out loud, carrying on a one-sided conversation with Red that she does her best to respond to. The story is felt through their uneven communications. Very rarely do I truly invest in a romance, but Transistor is one of those special stories that hits me in the heart.
Red knows what she is doing, from the very start. She wants to find a way to get her partner out of the Transistor. Failing that, she decides to be in there with him. I can see how the ending might take you by surprise the first time you play. It seems like Red has won, after all. But once you think about it, you can see how Red arrives at her final choice. For being literally voiceless, Red still manages to express herself strongly in her actions and in her songs. She is her own full character, not just an extension of you.
Looking Back from Three Games On
Having played the studio’s later games, it’s fun to see how much of Transistor feels like a precursor to Hades in terms of its combat system and even its structure. It’s not all the same, of course, but there’s an emphasis on trying different builds that very much carried over. In Transistor’s case, you’re able to change your loadout between almost every battle. By setting a function in different slots, you also unlock new information about various figures of Cloudbank.
With the number of encounters in the game, it’s impossible to unlock all of Transistor’s functions and files on a first playthrough, so New Game+ (called Recursion) is built into its structure. A little bit like a roguelike, right? I just did a single run for this purpose, but perhaps on another revisit in the future, I’ll dive into the deep end. I had a lot more fun experimenting with builds this time than I remember the first time through.
The main difference between Transistor and the more straightforwardly action Hades is the Turn system. While functions can be performed in real time, the game encourages you instead to plan actions. When your Turn meter is full, you can use it to enact several functions in a row or move from place to place much faster. I very much enjoy this more tactical approach. It feels unique. I can’t think of a game that’s done anything like it since. Perhaps Witch Time-type mechanics, but that’s a bit different.
Finally, I just have to shout out the dedicated hum button. I remembered its narrative use at the end but using it in different areas can net you various results too. I don’t think I’d heard the part where Red’s partner sings along before this replay.
First One Down
Overall, Transistor has been a strong first entry for this series. Next up, I think I’ll knock a movie out real quick. Not committing to anything though. We’ll see.