Transistor

Transistor is a wildly smart action-RPG that places all of its trust into your intelligence.

With a gorgeous audiovisual style, unconventional science fiction narrative, and empowering combat system, Transistor is a distinctive and memorable experience.

That those challenges are housed in a weird trans-dimensional coastal getaway where you can kick a physics-enabled beach ball about or lie in a hammock is just one of many unusual things to enjoy about Transistor. Enjoy the artful approach to science-fiction, enjoy the hoops Supergiant's jumped through to position you in the right place to engage with its combat, and you can even enjoy the very fact that the game often struggles to get its deeper messages across. After all, if the developer had something straightforward to say, it might not have had to make a game in the first place.

A brilliant and rewarding combat system propels a story that never becomes as interesting as it seemingly should.

Transistor's grace and beauty go far below skin deep

Transistor's clever combat and incredible customization makes for an intensely fun strategy game, but the world and story leave much to be desired. Come for the art and wonderful soundtrack, stay for the ability to freeze time and slash up robots.

From story to gameplay, a sense of wonder and discovery pervades Transistor, but demands the player accept moments of confusion and unanswered questions

I do not believe Transistor is everything it could've been, but it's still close enough that I won't hesitate to recommend it to basically anybody. I critique because I love, and that second part is especially true in this case. Transistor's got brains, heart, and a knack for always knowing just what to say and when to say it. And also, perhaps more importantly, it knows precisely when it's better to say nothing at all.

Still, it's worth trying; the world of Cloudbank is a wonder to behold and the mystery of the Camarata, the Process, and the Transistor itself is something that is really worth exploring.

Expertly honed and original gameplay that supports a moving story delivered in a compelling way. What's not to like?