Transistor

[Landis963]

Discuss Supergiant Games' new smash hit here. Beautiful sounds, visuals have grown since Bastion, Turn() mode is an invaluable innovation. However, there is one flaw that has perplexed me since I started playing.

What is the purpose of locking the ability to start a new game, without the new game plus? I could understand the argument that they don't want you to pick up on the foreshadowing until a second playthrough, but why not give us the option alongside recursion mode?

[Weimann]

Well, maybe just exactly that. I can't think of many other reasons than wanting the first-time experience to be uninterrupted, myself.

I've only played up until the end once, and fought a few battle on the first recursion. My impressions might differ once I get around to playing the recursion out, but so far, I think it's a decent game. It's really easy to compare to Bastion, of course, as the genre is very similar and there are many analogies in general between the games.

Spoiler: The Good

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First of all, they've improved some vital areas. The combat system in Bastion wasn't bad, but combat in Transistor blows that out of the water. The way the functions combine into very unique combos is outstanding. It's so much more nuanced, flexible and controllable, and disabling functions instead of just losing a life or similar is a great and thematic consequence of failure. That also gives you incentive to try out other combinations while your old ones are down, which can make you discover all kinds of new ways to play. Awesome innovation.

Also, they really made a job on the world and the atmosphere of the game, but then again, they were already good at that. Bastion was a great rendition of a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, and Transistor oozes noir. Or cyber-noir if you will; they make it really mix together well. I'm in love with the world, just like I was in Bastion, and when I played the game, I felt more for the city than for the characters.

Spoiler: The Bad

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Which kind of brings me to the less than stellar parts of the game. Strange as it might seem, I think that story and characters were the game's weak points. These are things that might improve for me on the second play-through, but I have to admit that sometimes, for all the grittiness and atmosphere it created, things were just vague. Sometimes, I went where the game led me because that was the way I could go, not because I knew what I was looking for. And that's kind of bad, but it might improve with a second play-through.

When it comes to the characters, though, I'm less optimistic. Particularly Red just isn't a character for me. Supergiant Games seems to like their mute protagonists, and I'll admit that it does help the atmosphere and feeling of Red. The Kid was mute in Bastion as well (or well, he wasn't, as it was stated that he talked to many people; we just never got to hear it), but at least, the narrator would tell you about the Kid, what he was doing, what he was feeling, his history. Here, the narrator mostly talks about himself. And it isn't enough. Red gets overshadowed. Without a voice of her own, and with no one to speak for her, Red's character remains distant. I don't know her. And I think that's a damn shame.

Also, can I just take a minute to talk about how dumb that ending was? Maybe it's because I was mostly interested in the setting, not the characters, but seriously, don't god damn kill yourself when you have a city to rebuild. Now, I don't want to get excessive in my feminist criticism here, but I can't help but notice that the entire game seems to be about a silenced woman who does all the work while a man complains about his problems, and the proceeds to kill herself because life's not worth it without her man. I mean, sure, she doesn't really die, but it's uncertain if it's that much better than being dead, and if it is, then it's decidedly just because her man is there. I don't know. It's just impossible for me not to see that.

Spoiler: Conclusion

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Conclusion is, I thought it was a good game, and I'll play a second round at some point soon. Gamewise, it was better than Bastion, and that promises much for the future from Supergiant Games, but if they want to continue with the narrator thing, they need to work on it. Also, not write stupid stories.

[banthesun]

Weimann, you might wanna spoiler some of that in case people who haven't finish the game drop in.

And I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to disagree with you on pretty much every point. I actually preffered the combat in Bastion because of how well it flowed (though Transistor does have better character customisation), and I found Bastion's world more interesting because of how varied it was.

Transistor's story was much more interesting though, even though Red's involvement seemed limited. With Bastion the main theme I noticed was pretty much "racism is bad", while Transistor explored questions about democracy as a concept and the value of change. Transistor gave me a lot to think about, which is something I felt Bastion lacked.

Personally, I found Red to be a much more developed character than the Kid. Stuff like her interactions with the OVC terminals gave me a feel for her character, and I felt like her choices through the story spoke volumes about who she was. Some small animations (like her getting up from the hammock) and the handful of CGs through the game helped too.

Spoiler: Ending and Sexism

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While the ending wasn't as satisying as Bastion's escape ending, I felt it was a fitting ending to the story. The rest of Cloudbank had been processed, and there was no indication that she could restore any of the people. If she'd stayed to rebuild the city in what manner she pleased it would have implied that the Camerata's desire to control Cloudbank wasn't necessarily wrong. As for the idea of it being sexist, when she was presented wtih the choice of staying in the empty city under his protection, she chose instead to come and meet him face to face. What 'the Country' is is left unclear, but it's possible the rest of Cloudbank's population is there, not just Logan Cunningham's character, and it's implied that it's somewhere people generally choose to go (though this could just be a metaphor for suicide). I also have to object to describing Red as a "silenced woman" in any sense other than her that her literal voice has been taken. She's the one in control of all her actions throughout the game, and she has more power than any other character.

All in all I loved the game, and while the entire soundtrack hasn't had as much time to grow on me as Bastion's has, In Circles and Paper Boats are still totally amazing.

[huttj509]

Spoiler: Ending and Sexism

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What 'the Country' is is left unclear, but it's possible the rest of Cloudbank's population is there, not just Logan Cunningham's character, and it's implied that it's somewhere people generally choose to go (though this could just be a metaphor for suicide).

Spoiler: The Country

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I think it's the recycle bin. Pretty sure Transistor takes place in a computer, and The Transistor gives the wielder access to the code of sorts.

Heck, what happens to your computer programs when something big's using most of the processor? They lag and skip. What happened to The Transistor when the giant Program was flying around?

[Landis963]

Well, maybe just exactly that. I can't think of many other reasons than wanting the first-time experience to be uninterrupted, myself.

I ask because I wanted to record it as my first LP. The in medias res beginning didn't give me a chance to turn on Fraps, and once I played through the whole thing, there's no option to start again fresh.

As for the story, the only thing I found weak was, ironically enough, the voice acting. Logan Cunningham was still in Rucks mode, despite the different needs of the character of the Transistor. Likewise, Asher was as flat as they come. Royce was interesting, in that "Oh my god what is wrong with you" way, and was one of the highlights of that section.

[Weimann]

Weimann, you might wanna spoiler some of that in case people who haven't finish the game drop in.

Good point. Fixed.

And I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to disagree with you on pretty much every point. I actually preffered the combat in Bastion because of how well it flowed (though Transistor does have better character customisation), and I found Bastion's world more interesting because of how varied it was.

I can see that, sure. I loved the Turn() mechanic, but I can totally see preferring Bastion's more upfront fighting. Particularly as they really don't explain combat all that much; I knew what to do mostly because I watched some YouTube introductions first.

Transistor's story was much more interesting though, even though Red's involvement seemed limited. With Bastion the main theme I noticed was pretty much "racism is bad", while Transistor explored questions about democracy as a concept and the value of change. Transistor gave me a lot to think about, which is something I felt Bastion lacked.

Yeah, I might have expressed myself unclearly. What I meant was that the cohesive ties that made me understand what went on from one scene to another was bad. I was often lost as to why I was doing what I was doing. I will readily admit that the issues raised by the story may be interesting and worthy of contemplation (I've not really thought about them on a deeper level yet), but I still think they could have been stated more clearly. It's okay for the themes to not be entirely obvious, but here it feels like they were hidden behind a veil of unfinished sentences.

Personally, I found Red to be a much more developed character than the Kid. Stuff like her interactions with the OVC terminals gave me a feel for her character, and I felt like her choices through the story spoke volumes about who she was. Some small animations (like her getting up from the hammock) and the handful of CGs through the game helped too.

Yeah, we're just not going to agree here, because I didn't think the OVC terminals did crap.

Spoiler: Ending and Sexism

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While the ending wasn't as satisying as Bastion's escape ending, I felt it was a fitting ending to the story. The rest of Cloudbank had been processed, and there was no indication that she could restore any of the people. If she'd stayed to rebuild the city in what manner she pleased it would have implied that the Camerata's desire to control Cloudbank wasn't necessarily wrong. As for the idea of it being sexist, when she was presented wtih the choice of staying in the empty city under his protection, she chose instead to come and meet him face to face. What 'the Country' is is left unclear, but it's possible the rest of Cloudbank's population is there, not just Logan Cunningham's character, and it's implied that it's somewhere people generally choose to go (though this could just be a metaphor for suicide). I also have to object to describing Red as a "silenced woman" in any sense other than her that her literal voice has been taken. She's the one in control of all her actions throughout the game, and she has more power than any other character.

Spoiler: The Ending

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This reasoning always becomes hard to apply to individual games, but for me, it's less a question of if it's fitting for Red to die and more the fact that a lot of women tend to die in video games. I don't dispute that Red's suicide might have been in-theme: noir is a rather dangerous genre for protagonists in general and females in particular. She might have had her reasons. I still claim that from another perspective, it's a very stereotypical event in a medium which doesn't need more of those events.

Of course, it's not Transistor's fault that so many others do it as well. But I find that pointing it out when it happens is useful.

Spoiler: The Issue of Voice

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Upon second examination, I will admit I might have reacted to quick, seeing an issue that might not actually be there. I apologize. It's clear that Red does have agency, she's a full-fledged protagonist and a straight-up baller. It's not adequate to call her silenced as it is used in feminist criticism, at least not in all aspects.

I still think that her lack of voice makes her character less that it could have been, though.

[Dumbledore lives]

I enjoyed the game tremendously, playing it through twice in about three days, and getting all the achievements. The only thing I wish is that the player had some agency towards the ending, like a personal choice more than Red's, but I respect the developers for telling a specific story. I actually thought one of the strongest elements of Bastion were the choices, the two near the end but also the progression throughout.

[banthesun]

Spoiler: The Country

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I think it's the recycle bin. Pretty sure Transistor takes place in a computer, and The Transistor gives the wielder access to the code of sorts.

Heck, what happens to your computer programs when something big's using most of the processor? They lag and skip. What happened to The Transistor when the giant Program was flying around?

Spoiler

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That's one interpretation. I do like the idea that it literally takes place in a computer because that supports the theory that Mr Data Unrecoverable is a hacker from the outside who entered Cloudbank to save Red (that's still a little shaky though). On the other hand, the idea that it's just a world styled after a computer program keeps a certain degree of strangeness that I like.

The Transistor lagging around the Spine was flying around is a cool idea, but to me that seems to support the Country being a sort of digital afterlife instead; a simulation inside a simulation perhaps. That seems to make more sense for it to be lagging when Red isn't than a recycle bin lagging.

Good point. Fixed.

I can see that, sure. I loved the Turn() mechanic, but I can totally see preferring Bastion's more upfront fighting. Particularly as they really don't explain combat all that much; I knew what to do mostly because I watched some YouTube introductions first.

Yeah, I might have expressed myself unclearly. What I meant was that the cohesive ties that made me understand what went on from one scene to another was bad. I was often lost as to why I was doing what I was doing. I will readily admit that the issues raised by the story may be interesting and worthy of contemplation (I've not really thought about them on a deeper level yet), but I still think they could have been stated more clearly. It's okay for the themes to not be entirely obvious, but here it feels like they were hidden behind a veil of unfinished sentences.

Yeah, we're just not going to agree here, because I didn't think the OVC terminals did crap.

Spoiler: The Ending

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This reasoning always becomes hard to apply to individual games, but for me, it's less a question of if it's fitting for Red to die and more the fact that a lot of women tend to die in video games. I don't dispute that Red's suicide might have been in-theme: noir is a rather dangerous genre for protagonists in general and females in particular. She might have had her reasons. I still claim that from another perspective, it's a very stereotypical event in a medium which doesn't need more of those events.

Of course, it's not Transistor's fault that so many others do it as well. But I find that pointing it out when it happens is useful.

Spoiler: The Issue of Voice

Show

Upon second examination, I will admit I might have reacted to quick, seeing an issue that might not actually be there. I apologize. It's clear that Red does have agency, she's a full-fledged protagonist and a straight-up baller. It's not adequate to call her silenced as it is used in feminist criticism, at least not in all aspects.

I still think that her lack of voice makes her character less that it could have been, though.

Okay, I can definitely see your issues with the plot. Sometimes it did feel like I was just following Red around, instead of making choices for her. Perhaps that was intended, with how much she was lugging Logan round despite him initially wanting to just avoid trouble. Either way, it probably could have been handled better.

Spoiler: Ending

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I'm not quite seeing it here, sorry. I can think of a lot more games off the top of my head where the (male or custom) protagonist sacrifices their life at the end than game where female characters give their lives. I can definitely see some issues with constructing a scenario where suicide (or at least something that strongly resembles it) is depicted as the best option, but I'm still not sure it contributes to any sexist trend.

Oh, and I agree it would be interesting to have a game where Ashley Barret gets a full speaking role. I'm starting to wonder if their writer is afraid of writing dialog though.

I enjoyed the game tremendously, playing it through twice in about three days, and getting all the achievements. The only thing I wish is that the player had some agency towards the ending, like a personal choice more than Red's, but I respect the developers for telling a specific story. I actually thought one of the strongest elements of Bastion were the choices, the two near the end but also the progression throughout.

Yeah, this was a bit of a disappointment compared to Bastion. The choices in Bastion could have definitely been implemented better, but I was hoping for something special near the end of Transistor.

Spoiler: Bastion

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I'd always been particularly interested in the choice whether or not to save Zulf in Bastion, in part because it lead into such an amazing scene. I've never heard anyone say the abbandoned Zulf on their first run, which makes the choice more interesting. Rather than giving players a set of choices with no right answer, they were given a choice with a clear right answer. A lot of games these days focus on getting the player to make difficult choices, but this shows that choices can also be useful just to put the player in control of certain dramatic actions.

Just my thoughts on the design there...

[Landis963]

I've found a way to get two files going at once! Under Settings, there's an option called "Profiles." It's hidden surprisingly well, especially in contrast to Bastion where it was literally the first or second option (can't remember which).

[Avian Overlord]

I ask because I wanted to record it as my first LP. The in medias res beginning didn't give me a chance to turn on Fraps, and once I played through the whole thing, there's no option to start again fresh.

If you still want to do this, you should set up FRAPS and then start a new profile from the options menu.

Edit: Well, that was a bit late.

[Landis963]

If you still want to do this, you should set up FRAPS and then start a new profile from the options menu.

Edit: Well, that was a bit late.

I don't believe I've ever ninjaed someone before. Is this what it feels like?

Anyway, what's the biggest amount of damage you've dealt with a single attack?

[huttj509]

Spoiler: Ending

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I'm not quite seeing it here, sorry. I can think of a lot more games off the top of my head where the (male or custom) protagonist sacrifices their life at the end than game where female characters give their lives. I can definitely see some issues with constructing a scenario where suicide (or at least something that strongly resembles it) is depicted as the best option, but I'm still not sure it contributes to any sexist trend.

Oh, and I agree it would be interesting to have a game where Ashley Barret gets a full speaking role. I'm starting to wonder if their writer is afraid of writing dialog though.

Spoiler

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Normally female characters die in the third act to motivate the protagonist towards victory. Which is its own issue.

[Landis963]

I wonder when, in-universe, Red wrote each of the songs? For reference, they are "The Spine", "We All Become", "In Circles", and "Paper Boats." "We All Become" is very clearly to my mind the most recent, as it's essentially warning everyone about the machinations of the Camerata. "In Circles" could be just before that, as it dovetails very closely with how Red might feel about Sybil Reisz. I'm not as certain on the last two, but I believe they are essentially before and after shots of her falling in love with the man in the Transistor.

Thoughts?

[Dumbledore lives]

I don't believe I've ever ninjaed someone before. Is this what it feels like?

Anyway, what's the biggest amount of damage you've dealt with a single attack?

In the sandbox thing I managed to get just shy of 20K by grouping all the drones up with pull and smacking them with a super empowered and stealthed uppercut thing.

[Landis963]

In the sandbox thing I managed to get just shy of 20K by grouping all the drones up with pull and smacking them with a super empowered and stealthed uppercut thing.

Ooh, neat! Did you have any space for a spare Void?

[BRC]

I wonder when, in-universe, Red wrote each of the songs? For reference, they are "The Spine", "We All Become", "In Circles", and "Paper Boats." "We All Become" is very clearly to my mind the most recent, as it's essentially warning everyone about the machinations of the Camerata. "In Circles" could be just before that, as it dovetails very closely with how Red might feel about Sybil Reisz. I'm not as certain on the last two, but I believe they are essentially before and after shots of her falling in love with the man in the Transistor.

Thoughts?

I don't think Red, or anybody really, knew about the Camorata. The Transistor didn't seem to know anything besides who they were (because they all gathered to try to kill Red), and he assumed they were in control of the Process.
"In Circles" certainly seems to have some connection to Sybil.
"Paper Boats" could be specifically about Blue (or whatever you call him), or it could just be a generic love song, of the sort that musicians are always writing.

It seemed like Sybil suggested the Camorata go after Red 1) because she was the kind of influential person the Camorata was trying to collect for the Transistor, and 2) because she was kind of hoping that they would kill Blue instead, leaving Red open for Sybil to pursue.

Of course, that latter interpretation dosn't really work if Sybil showed up to the assassination attempt (Unless Sybil was insane enough to think that Red would turn to her after watching her assist in Blue's death.

Plus, Blue apparently knew the name "Camorata", which is strange. Unless the Camorata decided to introduce themselves beforehand. "Hello, we are the Camorata, would you like to be absorbed into our magical USB sword full of influential people?"

So it's possible Red was already onto the Camorata in some way.

[Anarion]

Spoiler: Story

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I thought it was a spectacular game, with a horrible ending.

Unlike some of the commentary here, I felt that I understood Red's character very well. Just her background bits from using Crash tells you a ton about her, and when you combine that with her initial decision to go back and the messages she writes and deletes on the terminals, I feel like I can understand her mind pretty well. I also had a pretty good idea of where I was going for most of the game.

Royce was particularly enjoyable, I love his voice and his explanations for things are excellent. They made me want to punch him, and then I got to punch him a lot, so that was good too.

I'm torn on the computer program analogy. On the one hand, yeah, duh everything is in program format and the whole game is basically somebody formatting a hard drive. On the other hand, I feel like you have to take the world as it's given to you, and that means real people with real personality, beautiful buildings, clothing, music, food, and all, destroyed by the process.

Spoiler: The Ending

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I played the entire recursion just in the hopes that something, anything would change about the ending. The only way I can find anything redeeming in the ending is to posit that Cloudbank is the whole world and there's nobody else alive at the end except for Red. If there were other people out there, taking her own own life and rejecting the world for some existence with the people inside the transistor just feels like a rejection of reality to me.

I also don't like playing into the Camerata's philosophy games in any manner. Killing yourself because you don't want to prove them right is just as stupid as letting them win. Their problem is that they stopped caring about people and decided that they, and they alone, ought to determine how the world works. The fact that Red ends up with the power to rebuild doesn't make her one of them, and using it to rebuild would have been the right thing to do imo.

I will say, though, that I don't see anything gender specific about the ending. It's about choosing the people over reality: a man could have done just the same. It's saying that walking around alone with a talking sword is such an awful existence that it's okay to abdicate your responsibilities and just go into the sword to join everyone else.

I still see that as wrong, but it's definitely a position that either a man or woman could reasonably take.

Ooh, neat! Did you have any space for a spare Void?

You can do about 20k to a single target with multiple casts of void into a culling coming out of a void-enhanced mask (requires recursion, obviously). If you can get a few grouped enemies or fit in a couple pull casts first (which might be possible if you have an extended Turn() bar), then you can probably get 40 or 60k out of that.

[BRC]

Spoiler: Story

Show

I thought it was a spectacular game, with a horrible ending.

Unlike some of the commentary here, I felt that I understood Red's character very well. Just her background bits from using Crash tells you a ton about her, and when you combine that with her initial decision to go back and the messages she writes and deletes on the terminals, I feel like I can understand her mind pretty well. I also had a pretty good idea of where I was going for most of the game.

Royce was particularly enjoyable, I love his voice and his explanations for things are excellent. They made me want to punch him, and then I got to punch him a lot, so that was good too.

I'm torn on the computer program analogy. On the one hand, yeah, duh everything is in program format and the whole game is basically somebody formatting a hard drive. On the other hand, I feel like you have to take the world as it's given to you, and that means real people with real personality, beautiful buildings, clothing, music, food, and all, destroyed by the process.

Spoiler: The Ending

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I played the entire recursion just in the hopes that something, anything would change about the ending. The only way I can find anything redeeming in the ending is to posit that Cloudbank is the whole world and there's nobody else alive at the end except for Red. If there were other people out there, taking her own own life and rejecting the world for some existence with the people inside the transistor just feels like a rejection of reality to me.

I also don't like playing into the Camerata's philosophy games in any manner. Killing yourself because you don't want to prove them right is just as stupid as letting them win. Their problem is that they stopped caring about people and decided that they, and they alone, ought to determine how the world works. The fact that Red ends up with the power to rebuild doesn't make her one of them, and using it to rebuild would have been the right thing to do imo.

I will say, though, that I don't see anything gender specific about the ending. It's about choosing the people over reality: a man could have done just the same. It's saying that walking around alone with a talking sword is such an awful existence that it's okay to abdicate your responsibilities and just go into the sword to join everyone else.

I still see that as wrong, but it's definitely a position that either a man or woman could reasonably take.

You can do about 20k to a single target with multiple casts of void into a culling coming out of a void-enhanced mask (requires recursion, obviously). If you can get a few grouped enemies or fit in a couple pull casts first (which might be possible if you have an extended Turn() bar), then you can probably get 40 or 60k out of that.

Spoiler: The Ending

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Like a lot of the game, the circumstances surrounding the Ending are not explicitly made, which leaves it open to a TON of different interpretations. Which considering it ends on something as intense as a suicide makes it a rather touchy subject.

The most generous interpretation is that Cloudbank is all that exists. The Process killed everybody else. Red has the power to remake the city, but there is nobody else there.
Thus, while she DOES stab herself with the transistor, she's really just choosing to be with Blue over a miserable life of ultimate power, but lonliness in an empty city.

The least generous interpretation is "Red pulls a Juliet, dying because she can't stand to be without him".

The issue is that everything is wrapped up in metaphor in implication. Does "The Country" refer to the afterlife, (Being Undiscovered in the Shakespearean sense), is Cloudbank some sort of computer simulation? It's hard to get a solid lock on the story. I'm not 100% sure why the Camerata was killing/processing people.

I personally take the more generous interpretation. The rest of the city was gone, Red knew that she could rejoin Blue in the Transistor. Her choice at the end, while physically similar to suicide, was really just choosing companionship over loneliness.

[Landis963]

I don't think Red, or anybody really, knew about the Camorata. The Transistor didn't seem to know anything besides who they were (because they all gathered to try to kill Red), and he assumed they were in control of the Process.
"In Circles" certainly seems to have some connection to Sybil.
"Paper Boats" could be specifically about Blue (or whatever you call him), or it could just be a generic love song, of the sort that musicians are always writing.

It seemed like Sybil suggested the Camorata go after Red 1) because she was the kind of influential person the Camorata was trying to collect for the Transistor, and 2) because she was kind of hoping that they would kill Blue instead, leaving Red open for Sybil to pursue.

Of course, that latter interpretation dosn't really work if Sybil showed up to the assassination attempt (Unless Sybil was insane enough to think that Red would turn to her after watching her assist in Blue's death.

Plus, Blue apparently knew the name "Camorata", which is strange. Unless the Camorata decided to introduce themselves beforehand. "Hello, we are the Camorata, would you like to be absorbed into our magical USB sword full of influential people?"

So it's possible Red was already onto the Camorata in some way.

Apparently the Transistor's voice files are labeled as "Boxer", so that's another name for him (I'll be using that as his last name once I get to that LP I mentioned). Whatever his name, he clearly knows about Sybil (calls her by name before she is revealed as Processed) and "Those two-bit Camerata pieces of trash." Given Sybil's interest in Red, it seems plausible that she would know of Sybil before the processing attempt. Also, these disappearances seem to have been going on for some time now, with 14 such incidents, IIRC, that have already happened. Maybe she connected the dots between Sybil's friends and the disappearances, although what those dots would be I have no idea. Regardless, "We All Become" is far too on-the-nose to be merely metaphorical.

[JBPuffin]

So this is probably one of my favorite games ever. Top 15 for sure. With that said...

Spoiler: Combat

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I got it very early on; the tutorial was almost unnecessary. I've only started the recursion, but it's a completely different game fight-wise. Love the customization, love the tinkering, and love, LOVE Ping+Jaunt. Free machine gun? Yes please!

Spoiler: The Story

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I have no problems with the story - in fact, I enjoyed the straightforwardness of it. As for Red's suicide...well, what would be the point of living without anyone else in the world? I respect her decision.

Lastly, how similar was Bastion to this? I've only heard that it's their other game, but haven't seen any of it.

[Landis963]

So this is probably one of my favorite games ever. Top 15 for sure. With that said...

Spoiler: Combat

Show

I got it very early on; the tutorial was almost unnecessary. I've only started the recursion, but it's a completely different game fight-wise. Love the customization, love the tinkering, and love, LOVE Ping+Jaunt. Free machine gun? Yes please!

Spoiler: The Story

Show

I have no problems with the story - in fact, I enjoyed the straightforwardness of it. As for Red's suicide...well, what would be the point of living without anyone else in the world? I respect her decision.

Lastly, how similar was Bastion to this? I've only heard that it's their other game, but haven't seen any of it.

Bastion is much simpler in terms of customization, mainly because you only get two weapons and your shield. Similarly, while Bastion maps the two weapons onto right and left click, Transistor uses the left click as an automated "go here" function and only allows you to fire off one weapon at a time. Also, Red is much speedier than the Kid ever was, which focuses the combat on out-maneuvering the opposition rather than simply bulling your way through it.

[Anarion]

So this is probably one of my favorite games ever. Top 15 for sure. With that said...

Spoiler: Combat

Show

I got it very early on; the tutorial was almost unnecessary. I've only started the recursion, but it's a completely different game fight-wise. Love the customization, love the tinkering, and love, LOVE Ping+Jaunt. Free machine gun? Yes please!

Spoiler: The Story

Show

I have no problems with the story - in fact, I enjoyed the straightforwardness of it. As for Red's suicide...well, what would be the point of living without anyone else in the world? I respect her decision.

Lastly, how similar was Bastion to this? I've only heard that it's their other game, but haven't seen any of it.

Try drain enhanced with crash+jaunt. Add void, go to town.

Bastion is much simpler in terms of customization, mainly because you only get two weapons and your shield. Similarly, while Bastion maps the two weapons onto right and left click, Transistor uses the left click as an automated "go here" function and only allows you to fire off one weapon at a time. Also, Red is much speedier than the Kid ever was, which focuses the combat on out-maneuvering the opposition rather than simply bulling your way through it.

I'd put Red's speediness as different than the Kid's. Red has very slow weapon execution (unless you use a jaunt enhancement for instant use on stuff), and her movement just walking around is awkward. Turn() changes everything by allowing her to basically cast timestop every few seconds, but she's also perfectly capable of fighting without using Turn() at all with the right setup.

The Kid is much more active. He's got long range weapons and powerful melee, and he can just go at a group and start taking them out and mixing it up with them. Red has to be much more thoughtful because she can get really messed up if you wind up in a bad spot.

[Landis963]

Try drain enhanced with crash+jaunt. Add void, go to town.



I'd put Red's speediness as different than the Kid's. Red has very slow weapon execution (unless you use a jaunt enhancement for instant use on stuff), and her movement just walking around is awkward. Turn() changes everything by allowing her to basically cast timestop every few seconds, but she's also perfectly capable of fighting without using Turn() at all with the right setup.

The Kid is much more active. He's got long range weapons and powerful melee, and he can just go at a group and start taking them out and mixing it up with them. Red has to be much more thoughtful because she can get really messed up if you wind up in a bad spot.

Agreed. The Kid requires much less forethought to play with than Red does. Not that this is a bad thing.

[NichG]

As far as the world itself goes (and whether its in a computer or what), I think that its intentionally murky. I sort of interpreted it as a post-physics nanotech society where the physical world is so mutable that the ability of technology to manipulate it blurs the line between physical reality and the reality that the tech is being told to create. Part of the reason for that is that the Process needs time to grow and spread - it moves locally, it needs to create frameworks and protective fields in order to give itself time to build itself, etc. Another thing is the comment at one point in the game that the Process hates the water - something that doesn't make sense unless it is at least in some fashion a physical process.

At the same time, there's tons of stuff that only makes sense for a virtual world - the gravity-bending stuff at one point, the fact that everyone has a 'trace', all the stuff about how no one leaves Cloudbank, the ability of the Transistor to teleport Red, etc.

Having weird cosmology would not be unusual for Supergiant Games. Bastion's cosmology of the world being defined by the memories of the rocks, for example, is not cleanly 'physical reality' or 'conceptual/virtual reality', so perhaps it should be no surprise that its something unobvious in Transistor as well.

Spoiler: The Ending

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I had to think about it a bit, but actually there's something very important about ending it that way.

If Red goes and rebuilds the city, then her character is just another hero and her story is just another 'villains ruin the world, hero sets it right' story. The fact that she wins, can fix the city, and chooses to throw that responsibility away to seize what she wants means that you have to reinterpret all her actions of the game up to that point not as being the consequence of necessity or duty or an intention to fix the world, but as being the result of more visceral emotions.

And basically, I think that gives her a lot more character than your usual 'save the world' style protagonist.

[Landis963]

As far as the world itself goes (and whether its in a computer or what), I think that its intentionally murky. I sort of interpreted it as a post-physics nanotech society where the physical world is so mutable that the ability of technology to manipulate it blurs the line between physical reality and the reality that the tech is being told to create. Part of the reason for that is that the Process needs time to grow and spread - it moves locally, it needs to create frameworks and protective fields in order to give itself time to build itself, etc. Another thing is the comment at one point in the game that the Process hates the water - something that doesn't make sense unless it is at least in some fashion a physical process.

At the same time, there's tons of stuff that only makes sense for a virtual world - the gravity-bending stuff at one point, the fact that everyone has a 'trace', all the stuff about how no one leaves Cloudbank, the ability of the Transistor to teleport Red, etc.

Having weird cosmology would not be unusual for Supergiant Games. Bastion's cosmology of the world being defined by the memories of the rocks, for example, is not cleanly 'physical reality' or 'conceptual/virtual reality', so perhaps it should be no surprise that its something unobvious in Transistor as well.

Spoiler: The Ending

Show

I had to think about it a bit, but actually there's something very important about ending it that way.

If Red goes and rebuilds the city, then her character is just another hero and her story is just another 'villains ruin the world, hero sets it right' story. The fact that she wins, can fix the city, and chooses to throw that responsibility away to seize what she wants means that you have to reinterpret all her actions of the game up to that point not as being the consequence of necessity or duty or an intention to fix the world, but as being the result of more visceral emotions.

And basically, I think that gives her a lot more character than your usual 'save the world' style protagonist.

As I understand it, The "Traces" are basically the defining quality of each processed person, distilled and reworked into a combat move. Remember Mr. Moyle's body? It was marked "Personality: Elusive," not exactly what you'd expect from a speed demon, but the Transistor interpreted it as Jaunt() (Speaking of which, Jaunt() is clearly a speedboost a la Dishonored's Blink, except with the ability to go through Process-walls that haven't been finalized yet). Likewise, Ms. Platt's body was marked "Personality: Explosive," and she gives us the Spark() function. The one exception to this is Breach(), granted to us by the man in the Transistor. His file is, to paraphrase TV Tropes, an exercise in saying "No Data Available" in increasingly convoluted fashions. There's no metadata on him which would inform his Trace, heck, there's no data on him that would inform his Trace. And there's clearly the ability to enter and leave the city; the man in the Transistor comments on how Red specifically did not take a right at a specific intersection, saying that "I thought we would skip town." He's not talking about the euphemistic "Going to the Country," He's talking about coming to a fork in the road and taking the path that leads to safety. As for the gravity-bending stuff, I... got nothing. Seriously, it's trippy and makes about as much sense as the Backdoor does.

Spoiler: The Ending

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Also note that Cloudbank only was what it was - an ever-changing kaleidoscope of a city - because of the people inside it. No amount of Transistor-fu would change the fact that Red is now virtually the only person still alive in Cloudbank. In her position, I'd make a bridge to nowhere and leave too. I wouldn't stab myself like she would, but she's been through a lot in the, what, 24 hours since she was attacked?

[NichG]

Spoiler: The Ending

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Another way to think of how the whole story holds together is, perhaps, that all the events point to a single idea that Red's actions and behavior personify:

"My choices and Your choices are not Our choices"

This holds with the source of the Camerata's discontent (looking for persistent individual identity in a world that exemplified 'Our choice'), with 'We All Become', and with all the points where Red's decision process clearly opposes Blue's (going for vengeance/understanding/resolution instead of safety). Even the combo system vaguely points at the idea that while there may be patterns in the overall player behavior, it also encourages each player to find their own style of play that works particularly for them.

Essentially, when it comes to the end of the game, no matter what the player wants, Red has a course of action that is her Choice. Bastion played with putting choice in the hands of the player as a narrative tool, and Transistor played with taking it away.

[Dumbledore lives]

Spoiler: Ending

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I will admit I played through the game again so rapidly because I wanted to do anything I could to change the ending. It wasn't exactly that I was unhappy with it from a story perspective, or character perspective, I just wanted there to be a different result. As for the country I'm pretty sure it refers to heaven, or at least the place that people go to after death. "See you in the country" used as basically an insult seems to confirm this in my opinion.

[Inyssius Tor]

Okay, I can definitely see your issues with the plot. Sometimes it did feel like I was just following Red around, instead of making choices for her. Perhaps that was intended, with how much she was lugging Logan round despite him initially wanting to just avoid trouble. Either way, it probably could have been handled better.

How would you making choices for Red increase her agency? She's making choices all throughout the game, usually against other people's commands or suggestions.

As I understand it, The "Traces" are basically the defining quality of each processed person, distilled and reworked into a combat move. Remember Mr. Moyle's body? It was marked "Personality: Elusive," not exactly what you'd expect from a speed demon, but the Transistor interpreted it as Jaunt() [...] Likewise, Ms. Platt's body was marked "Personality: Explosive," and she gives us the Spark() function. The one exception to this is Breach(), granted to us by the man in the Transistor. His file is, to paraphrase TV Tropes, an exercise in saying "No Data Available" in increasingly convoluted fashions. There's no metadata on him which would inform his Trace, heck, there's no data on him that would inform his Trace.

Yeah. But even then, the one thing the Transistor knows about him is that he showed up at what should have been a closed occasion and interrupted its "processing" of Red by forcibly jamming himself right in there. And that's what his function is, an exercise in defying boundaries and ruining your day.

Spoiler: The Ending

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The most generous interpretation is that Cloudbank is all that exists. The Process killed everybody else. Red has the power to remake the city, but there is nobody else there.
Thus, while she DOES stab herself with the transistor, she's really just choosing to be with Blue over a miserable life of ultimate power, but lonliness in an empty city.

Spoiler

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And, of course, remember also that she is a singer who minored in linguistics. Her passions are using her voice and listening to other people use theirs, so, you know, being mute in an uninhabited city...

[Landis963]

I'm currently working on the "all 10 Limiters" achievement, and I am realizing 3 major sticking points.

1st: F**k the creeps. Especially the ones with beams that push and pull you around. Gah.
2nd: F**k the cluckers. Stupid catapults with their stupid bombs that blow up into stupid anti-Turn() fields.
3rd: F**k the "Permanence" limiter. That would be the one that overloads your functions when you uninstall them. It makes it extremely difficult (if not nigh-impossible) to adapt to changing circumstances, which means that any hard encounter turns into a brick wall.

EDIT: Also, after reading through all the files (for another achievement ) I realized that you're not turning "on" the limiters. Those limiters are on the Process themselves, turning them on would make them easier to deal with. Instead, you are turning "off" the limiters. Which begs the question of whether the rest of Cloudbank got wiped out by the basic Process, or the souped-up version you face with the limiter buttons activated.

[Anarion]

I'm currently working on the "all 10 Limiters" achievement, and I am realizing 3 major sticking points.

1st: F**k the creeps. Especially the ones with beams that push and pull you around. Gah.
2nd: F**k the cluckers. Stupid catapults with their stupid bombs that blow up into stupid anti-Turn() fields.
3rd: F**k the "Permanence" limiter. That would be the one that overloads your functions when you uninstall them. It makes it extremely difficult (if not nigh-impossible) to adapt to changing circumstances, which means that any hard encounter turns into a brick wall.

EDIT: Also, after reading through all the files (for another achievement ) I realized that you're not turning "on" the limiters. Those limiters are on the Process themselves, turning them on would make them easier to deal with. Instead, you are turning "off" the limiters. Which begs the question of whether the rest of Cloudbank got wiped out by the basic Process, or the souped-up version you face with the limiter buttons activated.

There's a really tedious way to do this and a really cool way that fails sometimes. I'll spoil it in case you don't want help.

Spoiler: Fun way

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Life drain with sprint and crash. Never caught out, guaranteed to get anything around, usable repeatedly in Turn(). Add on one or more masks and ideally void so that you can kill any one thing during a single Turn() no matter what. I find this super fun because you can run around spamming and get huge damage combos, and your Turn() is incredibly strong due to multi-void.

Spoiler: Tedious way

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Ping with the range increaser (I forget which one that is) and charm. Add a mask, life regen passive, and one strong ability for use in Turn(). Enjoy very slowly killing everything with single pings that make them turn away and go fight each other. Guaranteed to work on basically every encounter ever. Just stand in a corner, ping anything in range and don't move. Use Turn() to kill the frond things that heal the others.