Recent reviews by Spaghetti Man

Very fun demo, excited to see more

doki doki? more like no

When Transistor was first released about a year ago I was rather interested to see what work of art Supergiant would produce outside of Bastion; it wasn't until a few days ago that I actually completed the game in its entirety and am here to say that I am very satisfied.
Transistor has its natural pros and cons like any other game, so let me start with the bad since there only a few. The first and main concern with the game is that the battle system can feel rather repetitive. Once you have acquired the right junctions you can literally one-shot just about anything you come across, and naturally, when given a superior method of disposing of enemies in a game, odds are you will not replace it unless the thirst for challenge comes about. Of course junctions also have a very positive effect on the game. From what I measured through my first playthrough of the game there are 20 total functions and can be combined in hundreds of different combinations which grants this short little work of art a tap of replayability. The fact that this game is so short is the only other con, everything else about this game is just borderline perfect!
I mean, what can I say about the game that hasn't already been said?
-The music is beautiful and sets the tone for how Cloudbank and other areas should be explored
-The atmosphere is vibrant, full of color and stands out like a work of art
-The character bonds between you, Red, and the Transistor is a short experience but builds quickly overtime
-The enemies are unique
-The idea of "shrines" from Bastion are carried over, and are known as "limiters"
-Many different ways to interact with the environment (an incredible amount of detail given to the player indirectly)
-Very fine attention to detail all the way around

As a whole, I really loved this game. The combat in this game may be just as repetitive as Bastion, but ultimately that doesn't really matter. Fighting in this game is still fun, and pulls together a lot of strategy derived from you, the player. As I said though, none of that is truly what makes this game so brilliant. The story is beautifully crafted, the world you travel is breathtaking, and you as the player are given the ability to see for yourself what is wrong or right within. Terrific job, Supergiant, I look forward to see what comes next. :)

Great game; an amazing balance between horror, suspense, and action :)

Eh, TL:DR? It's kinda long. :c

This game has everything you may have already heard about. On the other hand, it also has a few things that it's praised for bringing to the table, but sadly, this game is nothing more than a game which had potential that failed to be pushed forth to something truly "legendary".

Allow me to go over the positives, because this game isn't exactly "terrible". For one thing, the theme of the game is quite intriguing. I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to blast minotaurs with machine guns while griffons are flying overhead trying to combat large helicopters and gunships? Let me tell ya: nobody. This idea may not be "fresh" but it's definitely alluring and fun to try out for just a few bucks. The game sets you right in motion as soon as it begins. You play as a hired thief named Deckard who is assigned to steal the grand Pandoras Box. Upon activating it, however, your body is infused with the power associated with the box and creatures begin pouring out of the box's openings. Before you know it, the entirety of New York is infested with mythological creatures like griffons, werewolves, golems, and so on. Now, allow me to name the main positive factor of this game, the atmosphere and interactions made between the creatures and NPCs or cooperative AI is actually rather fascinating. You'll find yourself stuck in situations where you'll need to fend off against groups of different creatures but luckily with the hand of some helpful army guys. There are soooo many cool ways things can go from good to bad for you and your team, and although the game itself is pretty simplistic, it's pretty cool watching your AI buddies fending off the best they can.

The atmosphere also has nothing to hide. The scenery is gorgeous, but never fully sustained. The opening areas feel repetitious and so does most of the other factors of the game. Once again, this is why this game had a lot of potential. The areas that this game presents strongly and without flaws deem this game something worthwhile, but unfortunately many of the minor details of this game just force it to fall short. Allow me to venture into the negatives now.

Okay, so there's quite a number of things about this game which sour the experience and ultimately weaken the game's value. These flaws are numerous yet tolerable which is why I assume many people thought this was an enjoyable game. The flaws spread around the repetitive feel of this game.

This game has a low variety of weaponry and beasties to fight. There are very few soundtracks in this game and sadly, the fighting experience is very unsatisfying. Fighting werewolves is perhaps the most satisfying feel to this game because in order to kill it you need to land a headshot which feels great to deliver, but it's not too challenging since the werewolf becomes immobile upon taking too many shots. So, all you literally need to do is walk up to it, shoot it in the head, and yay-you killed it. Rinse and repeat. Again. And again. And again. Oh! Maybe with a different gun! Rinse and repeat.

There's only about four or five weapons in the game with less than ten monsters to fight. Now, yes, I understand that the game is short, but you feel the drag occur vividly. About half of the monsters (especially the griffon and minotaurs) feel spongy and only reward you with what you lost while trying to fight them. You see, when you kill monsters in the game, you're given Animus energy. This is the power which you're given upon activating Pandoras' Box in the beginning of the game. You can use Animus energy to either repel monsters or heal yourself. Now, repelling enemies takes a lot of Animus and doesn't harm them, it just pushes them away. So I can already guarantee you'll only be healing yourself with Animus more than anything. So, ask yourself. WHY WOULD I FIGHT MONSTERS, HEAL THE DAMAGE I TOOK, THEN TAKE THEIR ENERGY JUST TO REPEAT THE SAME PROCEDURE?

What? You think there's more to the game? NOPE. There is NOTHING ELSE. Shoot. Heal. Steal Animus. Rinse. Then ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ repeat. *takes a deep breath* Okay, I'd like to also note that it gets worse. Since only the creatures reward you with Animus, human enemies do not. And, sadly, human opponents are probably more infuriating to deal with. They deal a lot of damage, work well in groups, and have access to throwables. So you're probably wondering: "Well how do I heal, especially if I reach a checkpoint?" Heh. Get to cover and conserve your Animus wisely, bud. That's your only option. There are no medkits, no salves, no bandages, no nothin'. You're gonna have to tough it out.

Oh, and now I'd like to mention the throwables. You're only given two throwables in the game: molotovs and grenades. Molotovs cover a very small radius and last maybe two or three seconds. Grenades are more useful but since you'll mainly be using them against human opponents, they're practically useless. Molotovs should only be used against blood spiders which aren't introduced until you get halfway through the game...

Hmm... I feel as though I've covered many of the negatives, but I could ramble all day. I apologize for jumping all over the place in this review guys but honestly, I just hate the fact that I can't enjoy this game, This was a title which I had a lot of faith in. Despite the droning music, bullet-absorbing masses of baddies, frustrating AI, boring plot, and every other little piece of crap smudged together, there might be some type of gem hidden beneath the rubble. Do I think it's worth the few bucks? Sure. Just don't expect a miracle.

This game has a lot of repetitive motifs, but the gameplay itself and plot is simple and quite enjoyable. This is also the only title which allows me to burn, electrify, freeze, hypnotize, enrage, and gust enemies to death while drinking booze to restore my magic! Oh, I forgot about summoning killer insects, too!

Harder than a set of armadillo breasts, but addicting as hell!

A great co-op free-to-play! Beware, this game requires a lot of patience due to the consistent farming, but it's still amazing to play!

Despite this game's large variety of flaws, it still holds a very rewarding and relaxing experience.

Without a doubt one of the greatest puzzle games available on Steam.