Before Supergiant Games made it big with Hades, it made several other spectacular indie games. One of those games is Transistor. Transistor is one of my all time favorite games, and I have repeatedly returned to replay it. Everything about this game, from the story to the gameplay, is a masterpiece.
In Transistor, you’ll play as a singer named Red who lost her voice in an attack but gained a mysterious artifact called “the Transistor.” With the game’s titular weapon in hand and the voice of her slain love trapped inside, Red will fight through a deteriorating landscape in a story of love and revenge.
Transistor tells a heartbreaking story with one of the best gameplay mechanics I’ve ever seen in a game. With a playtime of only about 6-8 hours, Transistor requires minimal investment. You owe it to yourself to experience this incredible game.
Transistor’s Story
It would be easy to say that Transistor is a simple tale of love and revenge, but it is more than that. Transistor creates one of the most interesting worlds I’ve experienced. It’s a mishmash world of tech, flapper aesthetics, bright colors, and oppressive administration. There’s a story of individuality being told with Transistor that is central to one half of the dynamic duo of the game – the voice inside the Transistor, Red’s lost love.
The dynamic between Red and “Mr. Nobody” is one of the best parts of the game. The voice inside the Transistor is the primary guide in the game, doing everything from naming enemies to providing commentary and exposition. The way these two communicate is something special, and the love they have for each other comes through in every song and every line of dialouge.
Despite being voiceless, Red is a full-fledged character who drives the plot forward in interesting ways. Some of the best moments of the game were getting to a voting monitor and seeing Red type out her thoughts, or having the voice in the Transistor comment on her actions. Together, these two characters drive the story forward.
Wielding the Transistor
The star of the show in this game is the titular Transistor. This mysterious artifact allows you to fight using unique abilities called functions. The Transistor can have a loadout of four different functions, but the game truly shines when combining functions.
In Transistor, each function can be used in a myriad of different ways. While you can use a function as an active power, you can also use a function to enhance another function or to give you a passive benefit. This allows for an absurd amount of variety in how you can play the game.
Each function you gain gives you the chance to radically alter your gameplay. For example, early on in the game, you’ll gain the Spark() function. As an active function, Spark() will work like a grenade, creating an AOE explosion. However, as an enhancing function, Spark() allows most functions it enhances to create multiple active effects. If you enhance your basic attacking function, Break(), in this way, you’ll make three attacks at the same time instead of one.
There are likely thousands of possible combinations of functions in Transistor. The Transistor has slots for four active functions, two enhancing functions for each active function, and four passive functions. This means that each player’s loadout will be totally unique and gives you a huge amount of freedom that feels amazing.
Go out and experiment with your functions! You might just create a combo that is totally your own! One of my favorite function combinations is using Jaunt(), enhanced by Load() and Crash(). This combination lets you teleport around the battlefield while emitting blasts of damage that also stun enemies. This combo also “crashes” enemies, opens them up for combos once you enter Turn().
The Transistor will Turn () the Game on Easy
Did I forget to mention that the Transistor can stop time? That’s right! Separate from any functions you use with the Transistor, you’ll have access to the signature ability of the Transistor: Turn(). Turn() is a core part of the game and cannot be unequipped, so no need to worry about swapping it out for other functions.
Turn() allows you to hit a button and pause the fight, giving you a set amount of planning space to use your functions. Each function takes up a certain amount of planning space, requiring you to carefully plot out which functions to use.
Turn() is a game-breaking ability that lets you use your functions to create devastating combos and destroy enemies before they ever have a chance to react. When selecting what functions to use, you’ll often be considering how best to use them during Turn(). The possibilities for combos with Turn() are nearly limitless. You’ll feel like a god as you stop time and annihilate your enemies.
Processing the Danger
As you progress through Transistor, you’ll encounter the Process. These foes are strange alien creatures with mysterious powers. They slowly start to consume your world. You’ll have to unravel the mystery behind what the Process are and what they want as you play the game.
Players fight the Process throughout the entirety of Transistor. Each type of Process that you’ll find has a different special ability. These abilities can range from a distortion field that obscures part of the battlefield during Turn (), an ability that can knock you out of Turn () prematurely, or the ability to warp away once you’ve damaged it. As the game progresses, you’ll encounter stronger enemies and more unique abilities.
Like most Supergiant games, Transistor has a robust system that allows you to amp up the difficulty of your fights in exchange for a benefit. As you level up, you will unlock Limiters for the Transistor. Enabling a Limiter will make fights against the Process harder in exchange for more EXP gained from fights.
Playing with the Limiters on the Transistor can be extremely fun and keep the game challenging as you get closer to the endgame. These limiters can be especially useful if you decide to Recurse through Transistor for a new game plus. Recursing through Transistor also allows you to encounter more powerful enemies earlier on, which keeps the game feeling fresh and fun.
The Heart of Transistor
The beating heart and soul of Transistor is music. Following in a grand tradition with Supergiant games, Transistor has some of the most heart-wrenching and breathtaking music you’ll find in a video game. These songs will haunt you, get stuck in your head, and have you listening on repeat even after you finish the game.
Even with Supergiant Games’ focus on music in other games, music is especially important in Transistor, where the main character has lost her voice. Over the course of the game, you’ll discover and hear songs sung by the main character in earlier days. You’ll even get the chance to unlock more songs in a training area in the game.
Each song in Transistor enhances the story and pulls you deeper into the world. These songs are the star of the show. In a story with a voiceless protagonist, these songs are an insight into her and her world. Each song is rich with emotion.
Transistor’s music is mesmerizing and the game allows you to immerse yourself in the music at any moment. You can fill the world with music by holding a button to have Red hum. Some of the most memorable moments I’ve had in Transistor were listening to Red hum and pour out her emotions.
Transistor is a Must-Play
Transistor is a work of art. It is one of my favorite games of all time. The story captured me. The music moved me. The gameplay excited me.
Supergiant Games may be best known for the Hades series, but Transistor is a special game in my heart. If you loved the story of the first Hades, if you like indie games, or if you’re just looking to fill a weekend or a long day off, I can’t recommend Transistor enough.
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I’m glad I inspired you to take a look. I hope you enjoyed!