Indie Game "Transistor" engages with sleek design and flowing gameplay mechanics. But it is the vulnerable narration which supports and gives heart to the game.
"Bastion" was an unforgettable indie game. It had everything: a creamy narration, a brilliant soundtrack that still runs hot in my music player, artistic design and a subtle story. Developer Supergiant Games’ "Transistor" has a lot to live up to.
Fund for "Transistor" is the futuristic city Cloud Bank - a world where people with a single touch can vote on what the weather will be. But the organization Camerata has a different vision for the city and unleashes a robotic invasion.
The game's protagonist, singer Red is subjected to an assassination attempt, but is rescued by a mysterious man and loses his voice instead. But the weapon that hits him, the shimmering green sword Transistor, absorbs his consciousness. Arm with the strange weapon gives the Red out in search of justice.
"Transistor" is like "Bastion" is an action role playing game viewed from above, with an equally present narrator. But here's the game mechanics a clever hybrid of flashy fights and orderly turn-based strategy.
During the fighting is charging an attack meter up, and when it's full, you can stop the time. I will calmly work out which attack tactics to suit. Under one, I could easily throw an electric charge on an enemy, a bomb on another and cut a third in the back.
But I have only four different attacks available to me at the time. The remaining abilities I pick on me during the game used instead as bonuses. The snag is that if I lose any health during a fight mister, I have an ability temporarily. It forces me to constantly experiment with new combinations and creative strategies. It's a smart, engaging and continuously challenging game mechanics that constantly renews itself. Fighting has a delicious flow that fit well with the game's evocative design.
The world conjured up of opposites with wide brushstrokes: stylized block-shaped buildings woven together with soft watercolor portraits. The design is outstanding, but had been cold, but the game's main characters. The music reflects Reds emotional spectra, and her melancholy humming tells a lot about what she lost.
But above all worn "Transistor" by Logan Cunningham's narration - the man in the bar. He's not a traditional storyteller, without comment on events as they happen from their perspective. Cunningham manages to convey a tragedy and vulnerability of the character, and it makes both the story moving and the world alive.
The story is also a very thoughtful piece in the game. "Transistor" shares much symbolism with programming. The name of the world, Cloud Bank, is strikingly similar to the cloud data storage that is used for example, Dropbox or Google Drive. In addition, see the game title worth looking like a giant circuit board and the big enemy is a corrupt processor. It is evocative, elegant themes woven into a story that contains all the vital ingredients for an engaging story: revenge, love, quest for justice and loss. The story is open to interpretation and it makes it all the more captivating.
"Transistor" is not a new "Bastion" - it is different on almost all counts - but is nevertheless a worthy sequel.
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