I’ve had Transistor for a long time in my library and I’m sad to say, it took until IGN announced it as a potential GOTY to take notice.
It didn’t seem like my kind of game, but when the opening bars to its incredible sound track kicked in and the impeccable delivery of the opening line was over, (“Hey, Red…We’re not gonna get away with this, are we?”) I was hooked
Red, a famous singer in a city called Cloudbank, is attacked by the Process, a robotic force commanded by a group called the Camerata. During the clash, she is transported all the way across Cloudbank and comes into possession of the mysterious Transistor–the great sword-like weapon she was to be assassinated with. The Transistor is buried into the chest of an as-of-yet unnamed man (who seems to be close with Red), now slumped over and dead; though his consciousness and voice seems to have been absorbed into the Transistor itself, along with Red’s voice. The Camerata continues to track Red and the Transistor down with the Process, wanting the weapon for some yet-unknown cause.
Transistor utilises an isometric point of view. The player controls the character Red as she travels through a series of locations, battling enemies known collectively as the Process in both real-time combat and a frozen planning mode referred to as “Turn()”. Using Turn() drains the action bar, which refills after a short delay. At times, the point of view is frustrating, with your view being impaired by scenery, but these are few and far between. As good as the Combat is first time round, the recursion pushes your skills to the limit, in a blasé of neon. The pace increases dramatically and you will find yourself trying every combination of functions possible. An excellent feature to the game is the character of the Transistor and the way the two interact. Even with Red’s voice being stolen, the dialogue is interesting and emotional throughout and the voice coming out of the speaker in the controller was an added bonus to the atmosphere
Transistor’s the kind of game that made me sad to leave it. I wanted to continue exploring the excellent combat in new, more challenging scenarios. I wanted more music and more story, But most of all, I wasn’t ready to leave Red or her world behind. Super Giant deserve all the accolades they have, and will, receive for this game and made me remember why I love to play
Bastion is apparently coming to PS4 in the future and I’m really looking forward to getting back into a Super Giant game
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What was your favourite game of 2014?
9/10
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