On Transistor
Transistor's natural disadvantage is simply that it exists in the wake of Supergiant's previous title, Bastion - an exceptional and enormously popular game. The good news is that Transistor functions as a solid evolutionary installment of the previous game's core design mechanic: experimentation. Like Bastion before it, Transistor actively encourages idea-implementation and abstract thought. The sheer depth of customization is incredible, but it is also a caveat. This game lacks the snappy accessibility that made Bastion so elegant, but with a little time and dedication, its manifold intricacies are revealed. It is rewarding like few games are.
It's also drop-dead gorgeous. The cyberpunk-deco art style is unique and inspired. The level design is relatively linear, but with such density of detail and flourish as to be utterly absorbing. The music is as evocative as you might expect, fulfilling the same folksy tone that Darren Korb nailed so well on Bastion, this time with a distorted electronic flavor.
Transistor is a reserved and methodical experience, never thrusting its brilliance upon you, but inviting you to discover it. When you get there, it washes over you, dumbstruck, spellbound, and possibly even moved.
