Transistor

Playing a studio's games in order is a very interesting experience. I can see in many ways how Supergiant improved since their previous work, Bastion.

Transistor struck me right away with how it handles new players to the game. Bastion was very candid about giving you explanations on almost everything, down to the tutorials, mechanics, and lore. Bastion's narrator gave tons of exposition. Although his voice acting was great, it told a little too much, spoonfeeding the player to a high degree.

Transistor is entirely the opposite. It explains too little, for better or worse. It doesn't explain almost anything. It does its best at presenting a story without spelling out to you what is going on to its benefit, since I was able to wrap my head around Transistor's plot much easier than Bastion's. As you may expect, the practice of NOT spamming the player with exposition that may or may not be relevant makes the plot easier to digest.

On the flip side, you have to figure out Transistor's gameplay aspects and mechanics on your own. The way Functions, the game's rearrangeable abilities slot in, the way you unlock things, what happens when you hit 0 HP, and etc. You inevitably learn things like how Functions can slot into others as Upgrades, or you can slot them into Passive slots to provide different uses. While I respect this decision to have minimal explanations, it was jarring for the first 30 minutes or so of the playthrough. Inevitably I did get used to it, but I do wish some things were actually explained. Limiters for instance add a debuff in exchange for a positive effect, a recurring feature in Supergiant games, also being seen in Hades and Bastion. However, there's no clear explanation on what they do beyond "+x% Player Level". What's that mean? I had to look it up to know that it meant experience. I also didn't know that Functions with a higher load get disabled first until really late in the game when an alert popped up while I was adjusting Functions in my loadout. I... kinda feel like that would've been nice to know earlier?! Though, it's totally possible this was a bug and it should've popped up sooner, it doesn't change my point that Transistor is very reluctant to explain anything to you about its mechanics.

The game feels incredibly punishing when a Function you're relying on (Jaunt and Breach in my case) keeps getting disabled. When a Function is disabled, it must be 'repaired' for 1 checkpoint. Meaning once you find a checkpoint after it gets disabled, you need to find another checkpoint before it is usable again. I suppose the idea is to make you change up your loadout and get you out of your comfort zone, but it simply doesn't feel that fun, and feels like more of an annoyance than anything. If I knew that higher load caused Functions to get disabled first, I would've strategized better by slotting upgrades into the Functions I don't mind losing as much. I don't mind that, I think that's kinda cool design, to make the player think about what they slot upgrades into. Slot stuff into your best Function for more power but run the risk of losing it first, or slot stuff into other Functions to conserve your best Functions while neutering the potential of them? Most players I feel will naturally slot upgrades into their favorite Functions so it would've been nice to know, is all I'm saying here.

Transistor's combat is not what I expected at all. It's fairly unique and I think that creativity wins Transistor a ton of goodwill in my book. It's a combat system that I struggle finding the words to explain, which I think is a sign that it is indeed unique. What it kind of reminds me of is the VATS system in old-school Fallout (which was also isometric), making the player use some strategic thinking while time is frozen. Red's real-time combat is a bit slow and doesn't feel the best, abilities she uses getting disabled briefly after using a Turn, so it feels like the game is geared towards primarily using Turns. Entering Turns fills an Action Bar for each action you queue up while time is frozen, including movement. When you're ready, you hit a button and Red's actions play out.

When I first engaged with the combat, I was surprised that Supergiant didn't just make another isometric Action game like Bastion, but also impressed. Part of me wondered why they didn't just make it a straight-up Tactics game, but the uniqueness of Transistor's combat really works. It's outstanding to me that a studio experimented like this so early in their catalogue, and not only that, but pulled it off with aplomb as well. It's truly commendable, and it's aged well too since Transistor feels charmingly unique even in 2025, over 10 years later.

Transistor's story is one I can't spoil but I can easily see that Supergiant has improved in the writing department after Bastion. As stated earlier, not spoonfeeding the player with exposition makes the plot easier to understand. I watched a video explaining the game's plot afterwards assuming I missed something, only to say, "Oh, I knew all that already." at the end of the video. That's a really good sign for a game's storytelling if I'm able to say that. Transistor does the lone narrator thing again here like Bastion, where the narrator is one of the only voices you hear through the game, but making the narrator more personal to the character means it works so much better. It gives you someone to latch onto through Transistor's heart-breakingly bittersweet plot and ending.

Red is also an extremely underrated female protagonist in gaming, both when it comes to design and character-wise. Although Red is mute for the entire game, you get bits of her personality whenever she uses a terminal, since she uses the comment section of public terminals to write things to the narrator, giving you bits of her personality and cadence with each one you find. It's extremely clever, and I have to give a lot of credit to that.

Despite some enemies that quickly became annoying, especially late-game (Screw you, "Man"), Transistor respects your time. I finished Transistor in only 4 hours total, despite the Howlongtobeat page reading it as 6 hours. I didn't use Limiters and I didn't indulge in the arena side content, so maybe that's why? Am I just good? I don't know - but I don't think this game is that hard without Limiters, since losing abilities acts as a great cushion, allowing you to avoid death multiple times in a row. There aren't difficulty settings either, although there is a New Game+.

I have to mention that this game doesn't even have a main menu. It really banks on throwing you in. The game autosaves when you enter new areas or hit checkpoints. You can't manually save or reload, and the settings in the menu are minimal. Even when you beat the game, you're asked if you want to play New Game+. If you say no, the game literally just closes itself for you. It's pretty funny, actually, and I don't entirely know the reason why they don't even have a menu, but maybe it's an artistic vision angle?. I couldn't find any info on this, so I'll have to assume that's the reason.

Transistor is a wonderfully unique and bittersweet game. I'm genuinely impressed that Supergiant made something like this as only their second game. I'd highly recommend giving it a shot if you like Supergiant's games in the first place, or if anything I said appeals to you.

Score: 87

quite an interesting experience, though I've liked Bastion more, I think, but not sure

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This game is a vibe, you will either like it or stop playing it in less then an hour, mainly because of combat I feel like. Visuals and especially music are great as always in Supergiant games. Story isn't too deep, it is bittersweet and I need a break after that ending. Good stuff.

At the beginning I was just hooked by the art because it looked amazing -
but at the end - it's such a beautiful game please play it if you want to be pleasantly surprised within just about 6h. It's worth every penny but you can always get it on sale - which you should definitely buy then.
Not just the story but also the gameplay is super creative and fun, it didn't get boring at all especially the way you can combo functions and attacks!

This game is awsome

Love the type of combat, and the story told is very immersive. My favorite was the soundtrack being as impressive as it is. I still listen to this daily, and I havn't played the game in years.

Amazing game, just like all of Supergiant's creations so far.

The gameplay itself is a hack-and-slash but with a tactical mode - think V.A.T.S. in Fallout where you queue Functions (attacks).
You can also improve said attacks by combining them with other attacks for different effects - i.e. "Ping" is a low damage quick shot, and will turn other attacks into a quickshot when combined.

Despite the solid gameplay - as with most of Supergiant's games - the hot sauce is in the story, soundtrack and narration. Which is captivating. Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett smash it out of the ballpark again.

Excellent Action RPG that incorporates a tactical system

If you're familiar with Bastion, you'll likely enjoy Transistor as well. Both are isometric action RPGs with an arcade-like feel and modular difficulty, and both play best with a controller.

Transistor introduces a tactical combat mechanic in which you stop time and program your actions. This is technically optional, but a lot of the mobs are tough to handle in real-time unless you're using very specific builds. That said, the combat feels great, with smooth animations and a satisfying rhythm.

The soundtrack is good, the atmosphere is rich, and the dialogues and narration add a charm. It's fun to experiment with the different builds and tackle the minigames. There's a New Game Plus mode but without excessive difficulty spike. Some achievements can be very challenging but guides help out with those.

All in all, an excellent little game that’s given me a lot of enjoyment over the past few weeks.

Beautiful and fun

I really liked the final boss and the ending. You can create some OP builds towards the end. Really wish I had played it without the limiter that reduces your MEM.

Is good

Really polished, excellent, story and combat driven game. Combat was great, so many ways to approach things, can do it real time or in turn time. You start with crash & jaunt and they can be your bread and butter to the end (pro tip, when you can, put jaunt as a mod to crash and it will work out of turn and you can stun lock elites all day with it, it's amazing to make fights easier towards the end). Mask is amazing, stealth is so useful. Great voice overs. Great music. Gorgeous rendering. What a 50's looking vibe too.

I really wanted to like this game but just couldn't... didn't enjoy the game play and fighting mechanism at all, which was actually quite annoying. I read that it was innovative when it came out with both real time and turn based fighting, but I found it to be not very enjoyable and confusing. Ended up not enjoying neither aspects. Fights are too fast-paced for turn based, but the fighting itself in real time is too slow and annoying.
Graphic and design is nice but gets quite repetitive, and at least for the first few hours I played it all looked and felt the same.
I read that you should give it some time before 'giving up' on this game, but I just couldn't. It was boring and tedious. It's a shame as I LOVE Hades and I can see how this game is in a way a 'pre-Hades' game for the developer. It's just not for me.

Transistor is a well-made game that includes beautiful screens, background music, and unique game systems.
When using a keyboard/mouse, however, stuttering and freezing were severe. I don't find the reason but when I stopped moving mouse and used WASD to move character, the screen stuttered and freezed. This makes the game very uncomfortable to play.
I recommend using a controller for this game, which has no issues like above.

Achievements not functional

One of the most beautiful and memorable games I've ever played.... this is one fun game, no doubt about it.

Probably my favorite of the Supergiant games. Considering Hades that says A LOT.

Look, it's well made, the gameplay is pretty decent, but I could for the life of me not get into this one.

Bawled my eyes out at the ending. Twice.

One of those game that you have to play for an hour for it to start being really good.
The amount of combinations you can do is great, the story on the simpler side, but with a lot of things to say.
Really fun for a couple of hours.

Cringe game, not very interesting and pretty bland.

Short and sweet! Needs more boss fights. Cool and recomended

The music in this game moves me still

Smart, wonderful, simply awesome.

Just realised I never reviewed this classic! It’s been years, but this game still feels impactful in my mind.

Great gameplay, great art, great soundtrack.


Like all Supergiant games, it’s a masterpiece with no reason not to try it!
Easily a 10/10.

not a fun game. but simply among the best of games. feel the dire vibes of the end of the world, amplified by dire need to make space and complex plans in VATS-style combat gauntlets. prepare your mind for all other thoughts and worlds.

for bad girls only :tbpgloomy: supergiant the GOAT in narrative action adventure

10 years later it is still an amazing game.

Visuals and music are really good but the fighting is clumsy and repetitive which just kills an interest for the game

immaculate. sublime. supergiants best work, ever, bar none, hands down. from the OST to the art direction to the small-in-size yet huge-in-impact alterations to a classic isometric action game.

doesn't overstay its welcome. provides a compelling, surreal, and engaging setting, delivered as close to perfect as any narrative could be given.

you owe it to yourself to play this.

I really disliked the game play loop. Combat is not fun. What else is there? Art direction is OK - too geometrical. Story is nonsense.

Amazing soundtrack + innovative action/turn-based gameplay

It's SO PRETTY!!! I *love* the vibes and the art and the music, the style feels slightly cyberpunky but abandoned and also prettier.
I also especially love the idea of merging real time with turn-based tactics. The skills are really diverse and you can mix and match them to create very unique skill sets. The enemies also become stronger at a good pace that feels challenging but manageable, and the fights don't become boring.
The story is beautiful. You get it in bits and pieces and I haven't finished it yet and so I can't really tell you what's going on.
Definitely a strong recommendation from me.

Transistor left such a profound impact on me when I first played it. The story, the characters and, by god, the music were unforgettable. For years I had "Paper Boats" as my alarm song, and I never got sick of it. The relationship between Red and The Boxer (Transistor) was beautiful and they were written perfectly. You would think that only having one of the two being able to talk would make things awkward to listen to, but instead I found it to be the complete opposite. It was endearing to hear The Boxer speak to Red with such incredible fondness, while Red showed her love for him through her actions and determination. The ending of this game is unforgettable.

I am a huge fan of Supergiant Games, and I always will be, and while I love Hades and Hades II, Transistor will always have a special place in my heart. For anyone reading this, even if you don't end up playing the game, please listen to the soundtrack. I promise you will not be disappointed.

This game is beautiful in terms of art, music and story. The gameplay mechanic is fairly unique as well, and it is a TON of fun trying out different builds and finding the ones you like. I definitely recommend it^^

Love the art style, soundtrack and story.

Combat is quite fun for me: you have to mix and match abilities (you may augment one ability with another to "pass on" its characteristics) to figure out your playstyle, which is quite rewarding and satisfying when you nail it down.

And did I mention the soundtrack?

Nice and story, but re-playable.

Typically don't like "cyber-ish" games, but this one was great. really enjoyed it.

so much fun. puzzles, good music, great story

Unique art and combat system (Action RPG with a special stop time planned-move).
The combat system encourages players to try out different combinations.

Like in Bastion, the difficulty is adjusted similarly to the Skulls of HALO series(in the Transistor, it is called the Limiters, which would provide the player more challenge(like increasing enemies' damage), but give more XP in return), and can be modified to each player's liking in each Access point (checkpoint)

Sometimes the enemies are stuck in places the player can't reach, which forces the player to press the restart button.

The music and vibe are on point.
About 10 hours per run (can be completed in much less time if you do not turn any limiters on and do not complete any backdoor challenge. Trying out different combos also takes time, but if you can find effective combos and stick to them early on, it can shrinks the playtime by quite a lot), it takes a little more than 20 hours to 100% complete. (note: most of the segment was completed with all the limiters available turned on(except one part for the 1st run) at that time)
100% achievements.

Wish the story to be a little bit longer to explore the depth of the interesting world setting.

Its an okay action game, at the time I could see how this got awards but playing it now I was entertained for a bit until I got bored. The main gimmick is that the combat uses a combination of turn based combat and real time. It seemed cool at first but the game often devolved into activating your turn then instantly blowing up the enemies without any strategy then you have no option but to run away since you can't do anything after your turn.

The story is okay just like the rest of the game, my main gripe is that you have a character that talks and a character that never says anything, it just lead to dialogue that filled dead air. The rest of the characters you meet are either dead or not interesting in the slightest.

A true diamond in the rough. Great art, beautiful and captivating music, intriguing and subtle story, and the gameplay is surprisingly addictive, with loads of experimentation available. Don’t be deceived into thinking that just because it is one of the old games the developers of Hades made that it won’t be as good. It is a pretty different experience and just as wonderful.

pretty cool!

the good:
- vibes. art, music, world design create a really cool atmosphere.
- the voice acting is really good
- the combat system is conceptually really cool
- nice and snappy, doesn't overstay its welcome. absolutely worth it on sale.

the eh:
- in practice, kind of frustrating to play through. not that it's impossible to use your abilities in interesting ways, but the enemies and bosses kind of encourage a vanilla hit and run playstyle.
- story and worldbuilding weren't bad per se but didn't really stand out to me, i guess.

This game is a mixed bag for me. On one hand, the story and visuals are truly one of a kind and I am so glad I was able to experience it. On the other hand, I found the gameplay frustrating at times. That being said, the gameplay is very rewarding to master. If you pay attention and manage to put together a good build, you can steam roll through all the enemies in the game. I highly recommend this game.

Will remind you of Bastion in its narrative style, but with an innovative combat style. Incredible OST.

Transistor is a very good game, however I don't think it's a masterpiece, nor it impacted me as much as Bastion did. Game mechanics-wise, I feel Transistor is very underrated, as both the mix and match of abilities and the turn planning combat was super fun. Setting, sound design and visuals also top notch,

Thematically and interactively innovative. Optional choices for increasing difficulty leave complete control of the player to enjoy the game in formats catered to you, from casual, to seeing how you perform against the most daunting of enemies. Combat system and how it's applied made theory crafting builds one of the most en. All at the same time, the world you traverse keeps you invested in the environment and the role of your character in the story. If you want to see how Supergiant expanded and continued creating wonderful games across all facets, Transistor is a staple to what they would eventually create. Daniel Korb yet again COOKS with the music and how it's applied.

A história e o visual do jogo são todos muito bonitos, com uma trilha sonora que dá para ficar ouvindo por horas.
As possibilidades de customização permitem uma boa rejogabilidade, que é inclusive incentivada pelo próprio jogo. A campanha principal pode ser feita em oito horas ou menos, sendo possível revisitá-lo para testar diferentes combinações de poderes.
A desenvolvedora de Transistor tem muito carinho pelo que faz e tudo nesse jogo te dá essa sensação.

The asthetics of this game are absolutely outstanding! Super fun gameplay too with very creative mechanics

Amazing history and gameplay. Worth ever single moment !

Kinda wish this one got a sequel, it has a really unique turn based combat system