The Impact Factor

TIF’s 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day 3
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THREE

Transistor: Supergiant Games (PS4)

Supergiant’s Transistor is the perfect package: every single element of the game synergizes together, creating an experience that is so focused, so complete, that it should not be missed. Following up on their breakaway 2011 hit Bastion, Transistor had a lot of weight on its shoulders. Bastion is beautiful, artistic, and reimagined tactical RPG combat in a fun and novel way. In some respects, Transistor takes the successes of Bastion and replicates them in a new game world. On the other hand, Transistor is a wholly unique experience that stands alone as an exceptional RPG, and exceptional game, and an exceptional piece of art. I loved Transistor.

Transistor’s charm is immediately apparent, and within minutes I was sucked into its world. Transistor had the greatest initial impact on me in 2014. The art style evokes a cyberpunk future, a la Blade Runner, while simultaneously being whimsical and rife with notes of fantasy. The music is an expert fusion of lounge jazz and synth medleys. The sound design is perfect: from the clangs and roars of the monstrous Process to the blips of picking up loose data cells. Red, the lounge singer turned city savior, is a breath of fresh air as the main protagonist. Her pronounced femininity is not used to detract from her heroics at all, and I would love to see more characters like her in the future. And the voice acting, holy cow. The PS4 had a great feature that allowed you to pump the voice of your talking sword / narrator through the Dualshock4’s speaker. Though in principle a small and inconsequential feature, hearing this character’s voice in your hands perfectly mirrors the physical separation of Red and her talking sword companion. If I wasn’t already transported to city of Cloudbank, I was after hearing my sword’s voice through the controller. If done well, I really hope this feature can find its way into upcoming games.

Transistor's world is an unforgettable work of art. 

The combat is so well handled in Transistor, too. The game gives you cake and lets you eat it. If you want to go fast and hard, all encounters can be ran through in real time. For the old school tactical RPG fan, or in those especially tough situations, time can be frozen and you plan out movement and attack actions that, once time is restarted, act themselves out. Each way to fight is perfectly balanced, and I found myself frequently switching between the two. Combat is determined by your equipped “Functions,” which can be combined and modified in a myriad of ways. If you wanted to, you could use a unique combination of skills in each fight. Sure, there are some overpowered combinations (Bounce(): Crash() + Tap() says hello), but the game encourages you to experiment. Special combat challenges added a new way to play, adding a puzzle-like dynamic that was great to try out whenever I wanted a break from the main story. Speaking of story: it’s not so great, but thankfully, it doesn’t have a huge impact on the game experience. 

Transistor is a game that has stayed with me long after completion and will continue to do so through 2015. One of the things I appreciate the most in a game is a “complete game experience,” where everything from the music to the gameplay to the world feels consistent. Transistor exemplifies this. I can’t be more excited for Supergiant’s next game.