Shining Sunshine
Banned
Grace Chen plz ;_;
Well, as long as it's up when I get home from work.
Well, as long as it's up when I get home from work.
-
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Transistor |OT| Super Giant Sword
- Thread starter LiK
- Start date
super-famicom
Member
Deep, complex combat? Grace Chen cannot wake up fast enough.
RedAssedApe
Banned
9am pst
CheesecakeRecipe
Stormy Grey
Review Embargo Lifting in:
WadiumArcadium
Member
Think I'll treat myself to this. Absolutely loved Bastion.
Review Embargo Lifting in:
With no pre-order discount available there is really no incentive for me to buy the game now or after release.
Might as well just wait for reviews.
Review Embargo Lifting in:
36 mins to knee jerk reactions and preorder cancellations!
Get Hyped!
GribbleGrunger
Dreams in Digital
I'm impressed.
Unless you pre'd on PSN!
Garrett Hawke
Member
I can't wait to play this. Pre-ordered it on the US store, but I live in the UK. So it's going to be a bit of a wait 
I waited for the full version of this song to come out since the reveal last year. Absolutely amazing!
More_Badass
Member
Seems like the Gamereactor review was removed but you can still see the score on Google. They gave Transistor an 8/10
Jimmyfenix
Member
From the review.
+
Beautiful visuals, Wonderful sounds, Deep and addictive combat system, Built with replayability in mind, Well told story.
-
Plot lacks dramatic highs and lows, Combat system takes some getting used and the game is off to a slow start as a result.
RedAssedApe
Banned
I wasn't as big on bastion as some here but intrigued about this one.
On the fence about getting this, outlast, or child of light so I have something to play before watch dogs
On the fence about getting this, outlast, or child of light so I have something to play before watch dogs
Confused Cheeseburger
Member
If you want a story, if you even a serviceable story, you won't find it in Child of Light...
Google Cached Transistor Review from Game Reactor
As we embark on our second playthrough of Super Giant Games's sophomore effort Transistor we do so with much more enthusiasm than we felt during our first hours of the initial session. Not because we weren't excited to experience the adventures of voiceless singer Red in Cloudbank City, but rather because Transistor is a game that it takes a little getting to know well before it lets you in on its secrets. In an effort to innovate and change many of the principles we've grown accustomed to, perhaps Super Giant went a little too far and forgot about making the player feel in full control.
It's not that the game is overly challenging. We only died once during that first playthrough (mainly, because we went overboard with the limiters - more on that later), it's rather that the complexity and depth of the systems aren't fully revealed until we're half-way through the game and when we've really warmed up to it the game is over. Then again it's a game that was always designed for multiple playthroughs. It's even built into the narrative and theme of the game.
There is something almost postmodern about Transistor. There is no main menu. You simply start the game from the start screen, it autosaves as you go along and you cannot manually save a file or load it. At the start of the game we find the main character - Red - a singer who has lost her voice next to a body with a giant talking sword sticking out of it. You pick up the sword and off you go. Cloudbank City is being wiped from existence courtesy of the Process, a viral infection brought down by an elusive group known as The Camerata. Red won't take the sword's (Transistor) advice to leave town, but instead sets out to find the members of The Camerata as the city is crumbling to exact revenge. There is no rollercoaster of a plot here, it's pretty straight forward story of revenge and you learn more about the characters involved as Transistor absorbs their essence or soul if you will.
If you've played Super Giant Games' first title Bastion you'll be familiar with the narrative technique. Transistor comments on certain things you do, while leading you on your way. If you happen to stray or take a wrong turn, he'll let you know. In addition to the narration that takes place as you journey through Cloudbank City there is also additional tidbits you find at terminals throughout the place and you unlock background files on the characters by using their associated functions (skills) in various ways.
The narration is accompanied by wonderfully jazzy tunes that makes for a soundscape that ranks among the best in video games. Even if Transistor is a visual tour de force, we'd go as far as saying you're better off playing this game blindfolded rather than with the sound muted.
It's a predictably dark story, but it's one that never offers any dramatic highs or lows, we're sort of just jogging along at the same pace throughout the journey. That said we really appreciate the narrative technique and how everything feels carefully thought out. If the story is somewhat uneventful, it's the combat that will keep you coming back for more. While it's difficult to get into at first, there's tremendous depth as the combat evolves with each function you unlock. There are 14 functions in total and you can place them in an active slot (an attack or skill you use either in real-time or queue up during the tactical phase), a passive slot providing you with a boost or as an upgrade to an active skill that tweaks how this skill works. This allows for tremendous variation between four active slots with two upgrade slots each and four passive slots. Add to this a system of limiters that allow for quicker XP gain, while giving up distinct disadvantage in combat.
Another reason why it's difficult to get into Transistor is the fact that it doesn't make use of the traditional HP and Mana bars. Sure there is HP, but you never see the actual numbers and the main concern in losing health is that one of your functions will overload if it hits zero, severly crippling your offensive efforts.
Super Giant Games clearly opted against forcing the player to start out the game with a tutorial, instead there are Backdoors spread out in the city that lets you access some sort of dreamy vacation island with doors that lead to challenges. As these challenges are unlocked you'll be introduced to a number of upcoming functions and you're also given tasks that require precise actions (speed tests, planning tests), when you reach your third backdoor you're given access to a test room where you can freely switch around your functions (typically you have to do this at terminals inside the game world) and so you can come up with new combinations. We would have preferred to have been free to switch functions around on the fly, but seeing as overloaded functions are your penalty for not doing well it makes sense even if it's a little cumbersome.
Super Giant Games avoids the dreaded sophomore slump, and Transistor is certainly a game any fan of turn-based tactical RPGs should take a closer look at. It's beautiful, memorable, highly replayable, deep, stellar from a sound perspective, but ultimately falls just short of the high bar set by Bastion. Maybe it will grow even more on us by the time we set out on our third playthrough, but this is where it lands today.
We played Transistor on PlayStation 4 for review purposes. All review screens have been captured with the built-in "share" functionality.
As we embark on our second playthrough of Super Giant Games's sophomore effort Transistor we do so with much more enthusiasm than we felt during our first hours of the initial session. Not because we weren't excited to experience the adventures of voiceless singer Red in Cloudbank City, but rather because Transistor is a game that it takes a little getting to know well before it lets you in on its secrets. In an effort to innovate and change many of the principles we've grown accustomed to, perhaps Super Giant went a little too far and forgot about making the player feel in full control.
It's not that the game is overly challenging. We only died once during that first playthrough (mainly, because we went overboard with the limiters - more on that later), it's rather that the complexity and depth of the systems aren't fully revealed until we're half-way through the game and when we've really warmed up to it the game is over. Then again it's a game that was always designed for multiple playthroughs. It's even built into the narrative and theme of the game.
There is something almost postmodern about Transistor. There is no main menu. You simply start the game from the start screen, it autosaves as you go along and you cannot manually save a file or load it. At the start of the game we find the main character - Red - a singer who has lost her voice next to a body with a giant talking sword sticking out of it. You pick up the sword and off you go. Cloudbank City is being wiped from existence courtesy of the Process, a viral infection brought down by an elusive group known as The Camerata. Red won't take the sword's (Transistor) advice to leave town, but instead sets out to find the members of The Camerata as the city is crumbling to exact revenge. There is no rollercoaster of a plot here, it's pretty straight forward story of revenge and you learn more about the characters involved as Transistor absorbs their essence or soul if you will.
If you've played Super Giant Games' first title Bastion you'll be familiar with the narrative technique. Transistor comments on certain things you do, while leading you on your way. If you happen to stray or take a wrong turn, he'll let you know. In addition to the narration that takes place as you journey through Cloudbank City there is also additional tidbits you find at terminals throughout the place and you unlock background files on the characters by using their associated functions (skills) in various ways.
The narration is accompanied by wonderfully jazzy tunes that makes for a soundscape that ranks among the best in video games. Even if Transistor is a visual tour de force, we'd go as far as saying you're better off playing this game blindfolded rather than with the sound muted.
It's a predictably dark story, but it's one that never offers any dramatic highs or lows, we're sort of just jogging along at the same pace throughout the journey. That said we really appreciate the narrative technique and how everything feels carefully thought out. If the story is somewhat uneventful, it's the combat that will keep you coming back for more. While it's difficult to get into at first, there's tremendous depth as the combat evolves with each function you unlock. There are 14 functions in total and you can place them in an active slot (an attack or skill you use either in real-time or queue up during the tactical phase), a passive slot providing you with a boost or as an upgrade to an active skill that tweaks how this skill works. This allows for tremendous variation between four active slots with two upgrade slots each and four passive slots. Add to this a system of limiters that allow for quicker XP gain, while giving up distinct disadvantage in combat.
Another reason why it's difficult to get into Transistor is the fact that it doesn't make use of the traditional HP and Mana bars. Sure there is HP, but you never see the actual numbers and the main concern in losing health is that one of your functions will overload if it hits zero, severly crippling your offensive efforts.
Super Giant Games clearly opted against forcing the player to start out the game with a tutorial, instead there are Backdoors spread out in the city that lets you access some sort of dreamy vacation island with doors that lead to challenges. As these challenges are unlocked you'll be introduced to a number of upcoming functions and you're also given tasks that require precise actions (speed tests, planning tests), when you reach your third backdoor you're given access to a test room where you can freely switch around your functions (typically you have to do this at terminals inside the game world) and so you can come up with new combinations. We would have preferred to have been free to switch functions around on the fly, but seeing as overloaded functions are your penalty for not doing well it makes sense even if it's a little cumbersome.
Super Giant Games avoids the dreaded sophomore slump, and Transistor is certainly a game any fan of turn-based tactical RPGs should take a closer look at. It's beautiful, memorable, highly replayable, deep, stellar from a sound perspective, but ultimately falls just short of the high bar set by Bastion. Maybe it will grow even more on us by the time we set out on our third playthrough, but this is where it lands today.
We played Transistor on PlayStation 4 for review purposes. All review screens have been captured with the built-in "share" functionality.
Fushichou187
Member
There are a number of reviews already up-- well, cached-- on various sites that you can go check out.
Lot of 8's. A 3/5 here and there so far. Most of the "gripes" center around a steep learning curve of the combat system and that it might overwhelm some casual game players. No button mashing here, folks! Personally, everything I've seen about the combat system makes me smile widely; solid strategic ARPG action. I can't wait until I get home from work this evening and tear into it.
Lot of 8's. A 3/5 here and there so far. Most of the "gripes" center around a steep learning curve of the combat system and that it might overwhelm some casual game players. No button mashing here, folks! Personally, everything I've seen about the combat system makes me smile widely; solid strategic ARPG action. I can't wait until I get home from work this evening and tear into it.
RedAssedApe
Banned
Doh. How'd u read my mind?! Welp I guess I should cross that one off my list.
More_Badass
Member
I said this in the Steam thread, but I'll never understand how being too complex for causal players can be considered a negative.
Robert at Zeboyd Games
Banned
From what little I've seen, it looks like the combat is very reminiscent of Parasite Eve & Vagrant Story. I'm expecting opinions there to be very divisive.
Complaints like this can also be valid if it means that the game does a poor job explaining how to play the game. For example, Resonance of Fate was especially bad in this area - it has a really unusual combat system and it's possible to get into a battle and have no clue how to even control the thing ON YOUR WAY to the tutorial area.
Complaints like this can also be valid if it means that the game does a poor job explaining how to play the game. For example, Resonance of Fate was especially bad in this area - it has a really unusual combat system and it's possible to get into a battle and have no clue how to even control the thing ON YOUR WAY to the tutorial area.
It's not something that should affect a score, in my eyes. But it's something that should be mentioned in the review, I'd say.
RedAssedApe
Banned
Hated vagrant story combat until I figured it out and it just clicked. I hope I just love it from the start. Visuals and sound already got me excited. Now I just hope the story is good.
GribbleGrunger
Dreams in Digital
8/10 isn't a bad start. If that's the average it's bought as far as I'm concerned.
More_Badass
Member
super-famicom
Member
Sounds great to me!
Das Mookid
Banned
Figures the day this releases I'd be on the road 'till Friday. Grrrrrr.
Here's my review, hope it's okay to post it. My game of the year so far: http://www.godisageek.com/2014/05/transistor-review/
10/10 btw.
10/10 btw.
GeometryHead
Neo Member
That doesn't sound too bad.
Meh, seems alright.
Beck
Member
TheKastorian
Member
Eurogamer: 9/10
Looks excellent!
Looks excellent!
super-famicom
Member
Oh, look. High review scores. Supergiant bein' SUPER. I can't wait to download this onto my PS4!
HORRORSHØW
Member
so many beautiful scores. grace chen, hurry your god damn ass up!