4/5 ★ – notyourbro's review of Transistor.

i knew i'd been sleeping on supergiant games for way too long. transistor is brimming with style and personality, but i suspected it would be - what surprised me was just how fun the combat is. it encourages and rewards experimentation, allowing for a wide variety of loadouts that keep the game feeling fresh throughout. the only downside here is that i felt like i had to use jaunt at all times or i got my ass beat. if it feels that essential, then i wish red could move like that on her own, but this is a minor qualm in an otherwise great experience. the story's a little nebulous at times, so while i sometimes wanted to know more, it felt like a deliberate choice rather than the result of half-baked storytelling. i trust that they understand every facet of this story and world, even if they don't share all of it with me. probably the best thing i can say about transistor is that i wanted to restart it as soon as i finished - a rare feeling only a few games have evoked. i can't wait to dive into the rest of supergiant's work later this year.