Transistor is a science fiction action role-playing video game. Published by Supergiant Games in 2014, the game centers around Red. Red is a very well-known singer in Cloudbank, a futuristic city where nothing is as it seems. In an attempted assassination on her life, Red acquires a weapon called the Transistor that is owned by the Camerata and has to combat creatures called the Process in order to survive in the city.
As you explore the city of Cloudbank, you learn more about the Transistor. You also fight the Process using these set of moves called Functions. Red also has a unique ability called Turn() that freezes you in time so you can use your Functions to fight the Process. This ability is one of my favorite combat features in the game because it makes fighting the enemies a little easier.
Turn() is an ability that can really help you. Especially when you find yourself in a serious pinch.
Transistor is such a uniquely beautiful game, completely different from any other game I’ve played. I enjoy playing it because the game takes you immediately into the action and explains the further you progress. It tests out your ability to fight the Process with the set of Functions you start off with, making it enjoyable to fight against your enemies.
I also enjoy playing this game because of the relationship between Red and the Transistor. In the beginning of the game, Red acquires the Transistor via pulling him out of a dead man’s body. You don’t know anything about what’s going on at this point, but it’s perfectly clear Red and the Transistor know each other. While progressing in the game, Red and the Transistor have little interactions with each other that I find to be very enjoyable to hear. Their relationship continuously gets stronger the more of the Process you fight and the more you explore Cloudbank. I enjoy seeing their relationship because I’ve never seen anything like it in any other game I’ve played this year. Its serious but also playful and fun whenever they fight enemies together. I also think it offers a brief commentary on the relationship between humans and weapons, which I find to be a very fascinating thing to think about.
https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/transistor/
While I enjoy fighting enemies in Transistor, there are certain aspects of the battling system I don’t particularly enjoy. I find having to click on the enemies to use your Functions to be very tedious but also hate that once you use Turn(), you have to wait until the bar is all the way full before you can use your Functions again. I understand that in many ways this allows for Red to recharge her abilities, but it also makes it difficult for you to use Functions on their own if you find the Process your battling to be low on health. I also dislike that when an enemy takes your health all the way down, you lose one of your Functions. I find that to be very annoying because you have to wait until you can get to an access terminal to reinstall them.
Besides these two issues though, I really think Transistor is a well-crafted, beautiful game that I can’t wait to play more of as I progress through the city of Cloudbank. I highly recommend it to those interested in a unique gaming experience who love science fiction as much as I do.
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Rainy Day's Books, Video Games and Other Writings 
August 21, 2016 at 2:26 pm
I’ve recently started playing Transistor too and I really do like it. Having to wait to recharge doesn’t bother me so much as it adds tension for me, though I haven’t made it far enough in to notice you lose a function when you’re beaten. O: That does sound annoying.
Great post!
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August 22, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Yeah, and when you loose it you have to wait until I want to say two access terminals before you get that Function back. So that’s pretty annoying to deal with.
But other than that, I do really enjoy playing it because the graphics are pretty amazing and the story is intriguing.
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October 15, 2018 at 11:10 am
Oh, damn. I loved Bastion, and I was really hankering after Transistor, too. I actually started to cry at the end of Bastion, and I was wondering, does Transistor have that kind of emotional payload too? Also, the relationship between people and weapons, yes, so much this. 😀
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October 15, 2018 at 11:44 am
I haven’t played Bastion myself, but I’ve definitely heard good things about it. And I don’t know if Transistor is that emotional or not. Haven’t gotten the chance to finish playing it and my laptop no longer works so I currently don’t have the chance to play it until I get a new one.
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October 15, 2018 at 11:52 am
Ah, too bad! Bastion was great in its way, though maybe not everybody’s cuppa. Click-heavy, and frustrating combat. Also, it depicted what was very much a man’s world – or that’s how it felt like to me. I think that’s why it made me cry, when I heard Zia’s voice at the end. (The only female character.)
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