Transistor

I remember hearing about this game for the first time ten years ago. It's been a game I've talked about with friends on-and-off for years now, caught in a tug-of-war between wanting to talk about each favorite detail and wanting to keep everything to a minimum to try and encourage them to play it themselves. No joke, its soundtrack is why Darren Korb has been one of my Top 5 artists on music streaming sites for the past few years in a row now. All that to say, this is a game that's meant a lot to me for years now. And having finally gotten my hands on it for the first time in years, I feel like I fell in love with it all over again. There are two branches of sorts to the story Transistor tells you: the one it tells you upfront as you progress (your quest for revenge and fight back against the rising threats), and the one that's hidden in the weeds if you choose to experiment and dig a little deeper into things (backstory + sections of worldbuilding). On their own and woven together, I always found myself wanting to know more; even now, when I already know what happens, I find it's still so easy to get caught in the heart of everything. Along with this, the game carries a fun balance in tone and emotional beats; this game is known for its tragedy for good reason, though I also want to mention its humor, its quiet beats of horror, and a few moments that still give me the same hit of catharsis I first felt years ago. This catharsis presents itself especially strong, to me, in its combat. The game always encourages you to experiment and strategize with your methods, and while some beats can grow especially complicated, it never feels outright impossible. In both the fights where everything goes off without a hitch or I just manage to push through, the results screen always hits me as something rewarding. While this note is brief, perhaps the biggest praise I want to give is in the voice acting, especially that of Logan Cunningham, whose voice accompanies you throughout the game. Years ago and now, this has always remained one of my favorite points of the game, especially in regards to some of the pieces of dialogue he gives to Red. This game has always been something special to me. On replay, I find that the sentiment has only grown stronger. Without a doubt, if you've found yourself intrigued by the trailers, I would recommend this game.