After Bastion comes Transistor. The creators of one of the most charismatic RPGs of the past generation return through an even more independent door. Using its own digital distribution channel, Supergiant Games brings us a magical and futuristic journey in which a singer without a voice and a sword that does not stop talking will try to save their peculiar environment. Will you help them?
It is not the first time that the “indie” scene has shown its ability to surprise us with good ideas and few resources. Transistor is another example that with a small team and a lot of talent you can achieve great things, such as an interesting video game. The workers responsible for Bastion (specifically the twelve developers that make up Supergiant Games ) bring us a very personal and charismatic proposal.
The most curious thing is that the secret of the work to differentiate itself is not found in its mechanics, but in its aura. It could be the magical world in which it immerses us, in the powerful narrative that it has or in the psychedelic visual section that it treasures. The point is that the creation of these ex-EA members has magic, all of it contained in an action RPG that despite its short duration (between 5-6 hours), ends up becoming an authentic experience.
It all starts in a rush, with no time for long introductions. The game knows what it wants, to start playing as soon as possible, and that’s what it does, showing us Red , our protagonist, in a mysterious scene. A sword stuck in a man she doesn’t know and a voice that emanates from the same edge. The weapon speaks, and not only that, but it also asks us to holster it to carry out a mission that we will discover as we advance. Intriguing and promising, this is the start of an epic that will lead a singer to regain her lost voice … and something else.
Transistor: Launch Trailer
Alone in the futureOne of the highlights of Transistor is its atmosphere . We walk through a futuristic and desolate world in equal parts where people – for some reason – have disappeared. In this environment, handled from an elegant isometric view of a fixed character, we will have only two companions: our enemies and Transistor, the sword that is responsible for narrating this journey in a similar way – and quite correctly – as it was done in the well-remembered Bastion.
The course of events is linear, and exploration hardly allows us to get away from a predetermined route other than to complete some additional training that helps us gain experience . Although it may seem complicated, the gameplay does not suffer. The work is condescending with its structure, with the limited nature of its proposal and the little time it has to show us its letters. For this reason, he decides to handle the situation at will, bringing us in return a remarkable satisfaction, both on the exploratory and combative sides.
Moving is very Diablo- style if we handle it with a mouse from our PC, and exactly identical to other exponents of the genre if we do it through the PS4 or Switch controller. However, do not expect places to enter to buy items, additional quests or characters to talk with. Rather, the interest of the designers is that we go from one point to another, fight in between, listen to what the sword has to say to us at all times and delight ourselves with the wonderful atmosphere of Cloudbank . Little more … which is not little.
Thus begins our adventure, with the Transistor sword stuck in the chest of a man and a singer who has lost her voice. Do you need more mysteries?
Tactical swordThe combat system is the most interesting global level of Transistor. Battles are presented by default, and we cannot avoid them. We already said that the game controls what we have to see, and here there is no exception. However, it is in the fray that we will find our greatest degree of freedom, the best way to express ourselves. The reason is that at our disposal we have a scheme that combines action by turns and in real time.
It all depends on a bar that runs out as we carry out attacks. The best? That despite the fact that these can be executed at the moment, the ideal is to press the trigger of our pad (or the space on PC) to paralyze the screen and start thinking strategically. A kind of virtual grid will appear to tell us how to move and where to position ourselves in order to better calculate the trajectory of certain offensives. Planning an attack choreography to run automatically afterward is the goal.
Of course, we will not have it easy at all. The enemies – normally robots guided by artificial intelligence – have their routines, and there are many types, from those with greater resistance to those in charge of regenerating the lives of others. Therefore, following a strategy is crucial, making stopping time essential to succeed. Tactic is key in a program where there is no point in pounding buttons. It is required to position well, make attacks from the back if possible and even repel shields in case they obstruct us. You have to act fast, but also think a bit.
The exploration is more of the navigation from one battle to another. Of course, everything in between, starting with the world, is worth appreciating in detail.
Fleeting intensityThe only thing that is wrong with Transistor, which prevents it from going further, is that by its very nature as a limited product it cannot be more interesting. The exploration thus becomes a journey within a gloomy and empty environment, which, although attractive for its intriguing atmosphere, never goes further. That, and the combats, which end up being repetitive in their formula, with little novelty apart from the classic achievement of new abilities. It gives the feeling that Supergiant Games had a great playable structure, but which it has not been able to take full advantage of.
Even so, it cannot be said that the game does not excite, and even more so if we are unconditional of this type of releases, which shine for their undeniable freshness. Also, there are not a few items that deserve to be considered. One is the progression system , supported by the acquisition of new techniques, of which we can assign a maximum of four to our stock inventory.
The possibility of adding improvements, increasing the level and even setting limiters that increase the difficulty of the rivals (in exchange for more experience) says a lot and very good about what we have in this release. If to this we add that, once the adventure is over, there is the opportunity to star in a second round -with more powerful enemies- then there is no doubt that at least some effort has been put into ensuring that this does not end inevitably in 5-6 hours .
The fighting is the most interesting thing about Transistor, a video game where it is important to stop the action and plan our next battery of attacks.
Transistors with a lot of artNo one could say that Transistor boasts the best graphics engine, or that it takes advantage of the latest PC graphics cards or PS4 or Switch hardware like no other game. Nor does he need. His is the artistic section , where he shines with magical sensitivity through an isometry that rides between the futuristic, picturesque and evocative. It’s like an isometric painting in motion, an independent art expression on which basically everything else is built: including mechanics and musical section.
The care given to the few but meticulous animations of the protagonist stands out, as well as the powerful visual effects that follow us in the fights. The whole is solid, only accompanied by minor slowdowns without importance. And the same must be said of the sound section, with a repertoire of compositions (more than twenty) in which Darren Korb demonstrates versatility whether it is to perform guitar chords or to opt for other more electric tones, related to the futuristic theme that is addresses.
This without forgetting the songs sung by Ashley Barrett -very expressive- and the voice-over that gives life to the sword, interpreted by Logan Cunningham (in full English with Spanish subtitles), which gives off gravity in the tone at the same time than a halo of mystery in every word he speaks. These small elements are the ones that combined create a great video game, and although it could have given more of itself with a little more duration, elaboration and variety, the title that comes to us is one of the most special that we have had the opportunity to try in the last years. If you feel like experiencing something like this, don’t keep it waiting …
“Excellent”
Transistor
Supergiant Games repeats the production values applied to Bastion with another even more independent RPG, which maintains the identity of the company and which, above all, becomes another great video game. Its short duration does not prevent it from marveling at its artistic proposal, mysterious journey, powerful narration and strategic combat system. A unique experience that will delight all those looking for something different regardless of small flaws such as lack of variety and elaboration in the proposal.
- The futuristic world into which we are thrown, full of mystery
- Narratively simple but tremendously effective
- Artistically it is a real gem
- The music, evocative and perfect transmitter of the atmosphere of the game
- The battle system loses playable interest throughout the adventure
- Few elements that add variety to the trip, especially in exploration
- Although it is suitable for its purposes, it has few hours of play
