Time Heals All Wounds--Transistor

I first played Transistor (from Supergiant Games--makers of the fabulous Hades) when it came out in 2014 and had mixed feelings about it.  Lately, I've been opting to replay some games that I played once and then set aside to see if I still feel the same way about them as I did after the first playthrough.  I'm hoping to revisit a few games that I genuinely enjoyed (like Disco Elysium) and see if those feelings still hold up.  Let's start with Transistor though.

What is it?

An action/RPG/strategy game from Supergiant Games.  The story is set in a cyberpunk-esque/futuristic city that is facing annihilation from a mysterious, spreading computer program that is turning it into some sort white cube-filled apocalyptic landscape.  The main character is Red, a popular singer who is trying to figure out what and who is causing Cloudbank to be gobbled up.  Luckily, Red has the help of a mysterious sword called the Transistor.  This sword is able to incorporate the essences of certain individuals who have been slain by the spreading apocalypse and/or the baddies perpetrating it.  Each personality in the sword unlocks special abilities that Red can use in combat as she battles the robotic (and sometimes human) forces taking over the city.  Sadly, the first personality that the sword has absorbed is that of someone who Red loves--that personality of that person voices the sword and guides Red as she navigates Cloudbank.

How long is it?

It's pretty short--probably around 10 hours for a complete playthrough.

Pros:

Red and the Transistor ride through Cloudbank.

+ The artwork in Supergiant's games is always beautiful.  The characters and environments are uniquely designed and manage to portray an aesthetic that fits well with the setting--a futuristic and stylish city.

+ The Transistor soundtrack is one of my favorites and like the art in Supergiant's games, you can always expect the music to be amazing.  Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett are the amazing staple performers on everything from Supergiant...and they never disappoint.

+ The city and characters in the game are fun and interesting.  Cloudbank has a very cool vibe (even despite the fact it's slowly being absorbed by the Process) and players are given a sense of the city from interacting with numerous terminals located throughout the game.  Each new personality that the Transistor absorbs allows you to learn more about the colorful characters who populated the city--daredevil stuntmen, socialites, famous scientists...and many other.  Interestingly, in order to fully unlock the profiles of the characters, you need to install their personalities in different "slots" (you can unlock secondary function slots for each of the four core abilities and passive ability slots).  If you want to read the full profile, you have to freely swap out abilities--in a way, it forces you to experiment.

+ There are special challenge levels with rewards that you can choose to play.  As Red is navigating the city she finds a secret "backdoor" that is a sort of resting place that features a series of doors that offer up several different challenges--time challenges require eliminating enemies within a certain timeframe, stability challenges require facing off and defeating increasingly difficult waves of enemies, performance challenge require you to defeat enemies in one turn.  There are achievements for completing all the challenges under each category.

+ The story ends on a beautifully tragic note.  That's all I will say (no spoilers).

+ The combat is...interesting.  The first time around I was fairly boggled by it.  It's mostly turn-based, but you can also do some light hacking while Red's action points are regenerating.  I don't think the label "hack and slash" is fitting--to be effective at the combat it requires pausing and planning actions.  Red can equip up to four different abilities and each requires a certain number of action points to execute.  Some abilities are found in the game world and others are rewarded for levelling up (you get to choose one ability from two options each time).  The key to successful combat is figuring out which abilities compliment each other--some abilities weaken enemies and allow you to use other abilities to cause more damage.  It's still a bit odd, but I felt like I had a better grasp of it the second time around.  Don't be surprised if it feels weird at first.

+ There's a new game plus sort of mode for re-plays.  You keep all your unlocked abilities when you re-start the game.

Cons:

- There's no way to go back to areas that you miss and it's never made clear when you're moving into a new area.  There's no map in the game, so you just have to hope that you don't pick the option that takes you into a new zone.  This means that it's possible to miss backdoors and lock yourself out of certain challenges.  I wonder if this mechanic isn't intended to encourage players to re-play.

Recommendation:

As a fan of Supergiant's games, it's enjoyable to go back and play their early efforts and see how much their games have improved.  Hades is a regular masterpiece and you can see little pieces of it in all their other games.  I would recommend trying to get Transistor on sale (I still think the $20 price tag is a bit too steep--right now on Steam you can get a package deal with all the Supergiant Games and soundtracks for just $22.50!).  The combat's a bit odd, but the story, art, and soundtrack are great.

Revisiting One of My Favorite Environments--Prey (**Spoilers**)

Despite the fact that there has been a lot of buzz about Cyberpunk 2077 dropping patch 1.5 (which offers up a significant overhaul to the game and next-gen upgrades for some consoles), I've been spending my time re-playing Prey, the fabulous Arkane game that I feel isn't given enough credit.  I just wrapped up another playthrough and wanted to reflect on my enjoyment and try to convince others to give it a try.  (**Please be aware that I will be writing about major spoilers for Prey--there's a pretty big twist at the end of the game that I will ruin...so don't read ahead unless you've finished the entire thing!)

What's great about Prey:

1.) I would rank Talos I, the massive space station that serves as the setting for the game, as one of my favorite environments in gaming.  The BioShock series will always be my absolute favorite, but Talos I manages to capture many of the same feelings--there's this sense of wonder at being in a huge, beautiful space station, but it's masterfully undercut by the dread of being trapped in space with a bunch of aliens whose number one goal is to kill all humans.

My favorite part of the game is exploring the station and slowly piecing together the story of the tragedy that has befallen this magical place.  The game also does a great job of injecting personality and backstory into the crewmembers (dead and alive) who you come across.  There are petty workplace dramas and larger, more serious stories weaved in among the chaos.

2.) Players get to make many choices about who they want Morgan Yu to be.  The entire premise of the story is built upon the fact that Morgan has had their memory reset so many times that the choices you make decide who they really are.  Do you try to save the crew or do you leave them to their own devices (or, even worse, do you kill them?)?  Part of the story hinges on multiple versions of operators that Morgan has created to help them preserve part of who they were before the experiment started--do you try to make Morgan into who they were before it all started?

For me, one major decision that I find it difficult to ignore involves the head engineer Mikhaila Ilyushin.  As Morgan is exploring the station, they stumble across Mikhaila, who is injured and has managed to hide out in an office.  If you snoop around on computers and pay attention, you have previously learned that Mikhaila suffers from paraplexis, a disabling and progressive nerve condition that should've resulted in her termination from TransStar, but for some reason, Morgan decided to keep Mikhaila's condition secret.  There's a strong indication that Morgan and Mikhaila had some sort of relationship, but the memory resetting effects of the experiments have caused Morgan to forget.  Mikhaila asks Morgan to find and retrieve her medication (something that involves a space walk since there was a hull breach near Mikhaila's office)--without it, she will slowly lose the ability to breathe and move... a painful, horrible death.

If you rescue Mikhaila, she recovers and heads to Morgan's office.  It's there that she asks Morgan a big favor--she has learned that her father was one of the "volunteers" brought to Talos I and wants Morgan to try to find out what happened to him.  Finding out the truth about her father involves an adventure into Deep Storage and coming to grips with reality--Mikhaila's father was part of an early experiment with mimics and it was Morgan who gave the order that killed him...and, they were very cold about it, with more interest in the data than the fact that they just watched someone be killed.  Players get a choice about what to do with the audio files--you can transfer them to Morgan's computer so that Mikhaila can listen to them, or you can delete them and lie to Mikhaila about what happened to her father.  Probably the worst part about all of this is that Mikhaila wants to wait for Morgan so that they can listen to the recording together...yikes!  It's a painful moment and Mikhaila is very upset, but the entire scenario paints a picture of who Morgan was prior to the experiments--someone willing to watch another person die in the name of scientific advancement.

3.) Arkane's signature "multiple" ways to navigate every challenge.  Morgan's not exactly gifted in the art of combat (especially early in the game) and taking on every enemy head-on isn't always the best method.  I enjoy the fact that you can find hidden paths and try to avoid enemies or that you can choose to face them head-on.  (Although, I think there is some potential to impact the ending if you opt not to kill many of the Typhon you encounter).

4.) Hidden side missions that are quite challenging.  At one point in the game you learn about a group of people who played a space version of D&D.  Exploring the Crew Quarters reveals the fact that the leader of the group devised a puzzle for the members by giving each of them a map that would lead them to a specific location aboard the ship (which is not easily puzzled out by simply looking at the map).  Finding the location reveals a single digit in a four digit code (also something that must be puzzled out).  I will admit that the firs time I played through it, I looked up a guide, but this time I decided I would try to do it naturally...and I only was able to find one number.

There are also hidden caches around the base that are part of a smuggling ring--I think I only managed to find 2 or 3 this time.

Who is Morgan Yu?

5.) A post-credits epilogue that is quite a cliffhanger (and confusing).  It's revealed that Morgan isn't actually Morgan at all...and is, in fact, a Typhon who has been subjected to simulations to see what it would do if it were in the shoes of the actual Morgan.  This is seemingly all being done as a way of trying to decide how humans and Typhon can co-exist--it's revealed in the cutscene that Earth has been overtaken by the Typhon and is now covered in an alarming layer of Typhon "coral."  Apparently, Alex is trying to see if the Typhon can develop empathy and is trying to infuse them with human traits.  Depending on the choices you made as Morgan (saving or killing the crew), the main crew leaders (who are operators) weigh in on whether the Typhon can be trusted.  You're given the choice to spare Alex or kill him.  This twist adds another layer to the base game...and, it's kind of fun.

6.) Creepy vibes.  I wore headphones this time around and found the music much more intense and anxiety inducing--it has some real horror movie vibes at times and really gives you that skin crawly feeling that something bad is about to happen.  There are also some solid jump scares that I forgot about (they got me!).

The Small, Annoying Things

Even though I would heartily recommend Prey, there are parts of the game that I found myself slightly irritated about this time around.

1.) Loading screens.  There are times where you will be staying in one area to explore for quite awhile, but later in the game you are frequently moving between areas...and there's a loading screen between every one.  Prey would be even better with fewer loading screens.

2.) The Nightmare.  I get that it's a tool to keep players on their toes--you can't just sit back and feel content that you've cleared out an area and that the enemy threat has been mostly eliminated, but why does it need to have a three minute timer (and, a timer that doesn't always end when it should).  Evading the Nightmare isn't exactly overly challenging--just find a room with a door that manually locks or a crawlspace and hunker down until it leaves.  The more irritating part occurs when the Nightmare decides not to leave at the end of the timer and you have to re-load (I'm still not 100% sure why this happens).

Prey is a underrated game in one of gaming's best environments.  I thoroughly enjoyed my re-play and would recommend grabbing it (during sales you can get it very cheaply--possibly for under $10).

Dystopian Video Editing in Full Release!

I'm always on the lookout for quirky games that offer up something different from the usual buffet of shooty/stabby games.  Several years ago, I came across Not for Broadcast, a game where you play the role of a video editor/producer for a fictional British news channel.  Even though it was in early access and wasn't complete, it had novel gameplay and a surprisingly good story.  Thanks to the pandemic, the full release of the game took considerably longer than what was originally intended, but now that the entire game is available, I wanted to update my review.

Pros:

+ The gameplay is deceptively easy, but to be truly good at it you need to be able to multi-task like a master.  Each segment is scored on an A-F scale--earning an A+ means that you have to make sure that you're keeping the shots interesting (by not remaining on one for more than 10 seconds and making sure that you're keeping the camera on whoever is talking), that you've avoided any potential interference, and that you've censored any naughty words that frequently fly out of the mouths of the many colorful guests on the show.

+ The story is well-balanced.  Parts of it are completely silly and they balance out the very serious undertone of the main story--the rise of a new political faction, called Advance, that has instituted a plan to "redistribute" the assets of the most wealthy members of society and create a more "equal" system.  Of course, not everyone is happy about the changes brought on by the new government and a radical opposition group plots to destroy the new system.

+ The acting is surprisingly good.  The main anchors--Jeremy and Megan in particular are a lot of fun and have very different personalities.  There's a lot of over-the-top goofiness and satire in the game, but the more serious moments are what stand out.  My personal favorite moment was with Stacey, the moody, foul-mouthed teenager.  At one point she shockingly defends Advance--it's totally unexpected and oddly powerful.

+ The choices you make impact the story and characters.  There are an amazing 14 epilogues with different endings.  That's a lot of replayability.  There are also text-based interludes between editing segments where you make story choices that have the potential to impact the story (these are much improved and fleshed out in the full release).

+ The full release has added in a challenge mode that offers up collectible items as a reward.  You have to edit specific segments with particularly tough variables thrown in--mega-interference, buttons that zap you (and you can only get zapped so many times), and many others.  I briefly tried it and it was pretty difficult.

+ There are lots of additional, fun features.  After you've completed a segment you can watch the entire broadcast and see your edits or you can view and listen to the "rushes"--everything that was going on off-camera to hear additional commentary and get some additional story elements from the characters in the game.

Cons:

- At the time I am writing this (about 2 weeks after the full release), there have been crashing issues.  I had them several times--the game would randomly crash to desktop at the end of a segment.  This really sucks because of the fact that the game only saves at specific points and you have to go back and replay the entire segment (and some segments can be almost 15 minutes long).  Hopefully with time this issue gets better.  There have already been some small fixes and patches.

Recommendation:

Not for Broadcast is a unique game that offers up challenging gameplay and a choice-filled story that manages to balance seriousness with absolutely zany goofiness.  If you're in the market for something different to play, I would highly recommend grabbing it.  The full release has only seen it get better and offer up even more of what was already very good.

 

More Suffering Please!

I recently saw an article from PC Gamer that asked an intriguing question:  do you actually play the free games that you get from Epic giveaways?  If you're like me, the answer to this might instinctively be "no."  I don't find that answer completely satisfactory though, I do play them...just not all of them.  I find that I like to squirrel them away for times when I feel like playing something new.  The thing I like about the Epic giveaways is that they're a no-risk way to try out some games that you might not traditionally play.  Feeling a tad bored and adventurous though, I decided to dive into one of the games I snagged in a giveaway--Darkest Dungeon--and I've been suffering (in good and bad ways) ever since.

What is it?

Darkest Dungeon is a turn-based dungeon crawler with RPG elements.  One of the tags that immediately stood out to me was "difficult."  I know that there is an entire subset of gamers out there who love being tortured by games that make difficulty a selling point.  I'm generally not one of those people, but I do enjoy the feeling of failing at something and FINALLY being able to get it.  It is somewhat nice to be pushed--I often find myself getting bored with games that aren't very challenging.  Let's just say that Darkest Dungeon takes that to the extreme.

How long can you expect to play?

I've played about 40 hours and have not finished a campaign.  (*I also feel like I'm fairly incompetent, so others might have an easier time).  That time includes the fact that I've started over three times now.  Basically, you need enough time to level up, gear up, and prepare your motely crew of permanently suffering heroes to take on the ultimate "darkest dungeon."

Pros:

+ An array of different classes lets you figure out the best team combinations.  You get to take a party of four adventurers on each trek into a dungeon zone, but you need a full roster to truly be successful.  Part of the challenge in the game is figuring out class synergy--which classes have abilities that work best together.

+ Gameplay is truly challenging.  You're not just simply taking your heroes into a procedurally-generated dungeon and stomping some monsters; you're also having to manage their stress and personality quirks.  Some monsters specialize in stress-based attacks and stress isn't something that you can simply "heal" away (*some characters do have abilities that can reduce stress).  Characters that suffer from too much stress can crack...or, in some cases, react positively to stress.  If a character cracks, they cause other members of the party more stress, and they can even die if they have too much stress.  The only way to reduce stress is for party members to seek out relaxing activities in the hamlet once they've exited the dungeon.

Once your party has exited the dungeon, it's back to the hamlet--a small village that serves as a base of operations.  In the hamlet, you can spend the resources that you've gathered from dungeons to help manage stress, to improve abilities or gear, and recruiting more team members.  It takes a lot of resources to fully deck your squad out...there's definitely an aspect of grinding.

It's basically mandatory to have a packed roster of heroes--you won't be able to take the same party every time thanks to the stress mechanic.  There are also a ton of management decisions to make--characters can earn positive and negative quirks at the end of every dungeon...sometimes a character can wind up with a particularly bad quirk and, if you don't send them for treatment, that quirk can be locked in and be very expensive to treat.

+ Tactical awareness is mandatory--particularly in higher-level dungeons.  They're pretty brutal and require a lot of forethought about the enemies you'll be facing and which classes/characters are best suited.  You also find (or are rewarded) with special trinkets that provide buffs (and debuffs) to your squad--figuring out the best trinkets is an added layer of strategy.  Within the dungeons themselves you also have to strategize about the provisions you take, the route you follow, and when to camp (in longer dungeons).

+ Boss fights provide an extra challenge.  Once you've completed enough dungeon runs in a certain area, you have the chance to face off against a big baddie.  The bosses only get tougher as difficulty increases.

+ You can switch out abilities between battles.  This is a great feature and allows you to easily prepare for boss fights.

+Periodically, special encounters will pop up and give you the opportunity to face off against a new boss.

Cons:

- While the difficulty can provide a challenge, it can also feel a bit crushing at times.  In particular, the move from veteran (level 3) dungeons to champion (level 5) dungeons feels like a huge leap in difficulty.  Be prepared to fail.  Be prepared to have characters die.  Basically, prepare to have your soul crushed.  (*I'm playing it on the easiest difficulty and it's tough)  I've had moments of extreme frustration--just last night I was going up against a champion level boss and had a healer land three consecutive heals for 1 HP (*this particular healer functions off of RNG and can land heals from 0-30 HP)....it still makes me roll my eyes--what luck!  Then, when I realized my party was effed, I tried to retreat and failed.  I lost two of my top level characters.

- If you're not a fan of turn-based games, you'll probably find the combat to be a bit dry.  It's fairly repetitive and there's an aspect of grinding required to gain resources and level up your characters.

Recommendation:

Even though I have had moments of generally feeling frustrated, I always find myself going back for more suffering.  There's something highly enjoyable about the level of challenge in Darkest Dungeon.  You'll find yourself failing, but you'll always want more.  It's a real love/hate kind of thing.