By Adam Smith on March 19th, 2013 at 4:30 pm.
Supergiant made me happy and sad with Bastion, but the only thing that would truly make me sad is if their next game failed to arrive on my PC, your PC and everybody else’s PC. We now know that the game is called Transistor and there’s a trailer below but the release platforms haven’t been confirmed yet. It’ll be playable at PAX East and here’s how the story begins:
…players assume the role of a young woman who gains control of a powerful weapon after a mysterious group of assailants nearly kills her with it.
Studio co-founder Amir Rao recently said that the team felt they could ‘do anything’ and judging by the trailer, they’re doing something not a million miles removed from Bastion, which is no bad thing.
Music with vocals! Isometric action! A big sword! And maybe some side-scrolling action as well! Will there be a narrator?
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee this will come to PC, or anything else for that matter.
We expect Transistor to be released in early 2014. We have not yet decided on which platform or platforms the game will be available for.
It’s a Game Gear game, isn’t it?
19/03/2013 at 16:33 Kollega says:
So… the main thing it means to me is that we are not getting an RA2-style RTS from them, at least not yet. Of course, it’d be stupid to demand it, but still… it kinda blows. I really want one.
19/03/2013 at 16:35 JFS says:
Ahm… Bastion with guns? Oh wait
19/03/2013 at 23:20 The Random One says:
Bastion with swords! Wait that doesn’t work either.
19/03/2013 at 16:39 DickSocrates says:
That music is enough to put me off for life. There was a similar ‘I’m singing serious business’ thing going on in Bastion too.
19/03/2013 at 16:50 Juan Lebedev says:
And the reason it put you off for life is?
Because its… got a song, in the Trailer…. Is that really it? C’mon now.
19/03/2013 at 16:53 Namey says:
That is an odd thing to base your hate on.
19/03/2013 at 16:56 Toberoth_Syn says:
I just don’t even understand how anyone could be put off by the music in Bastion. We’re from two different worlds, clearly.
19/03/2013 at 17:05 Berzee says:
I must be in the same world as you. =P But, there is a sort of funny dissonance between the player smashing up 1,000 animals and 2,000 barrels while big-eyed cartoon characters sing their hearts out in the background…I just loved it and though they sold it marvelously in terms of both talent and sincerity, but I could see some people feeling perhaps it doesn’t fit with such a video-gamey game.
19/03/2013 at 17:54 RaiderJoe says:
Yes indeed, our seriousy art games and our actually fun gamey games must be kept separate. Agree 100%
19/03/2013 at 18:29 Berzee says:
but not with me!
19/03/2013 at 18:12 maximiZe says:
That didn’t really happen during the vocal tracks though. They were deliberately placed at narration-focused turning points.
19/03/2013 at 18:24 hbarsquared says:
The only vocal theme in Bastion’s soundtrack (there are several songs with vocals, but they all share the same lyrics/theme) directly references the story. It personifies the two races, summarizes the backstory, and compliments the setting. It’s (IMHO) one of the best game soundtracks in recent memory, not only because of the quality of the music, but also how it ties in with the story and characters.
Different worlds, indeed.
19/03/2013 at 18:28 Berzee says:
I know — I thought it was excellent too. :D It was also the only game-soundtrack I’ve spent extra money for in recent memory for certain, and perhaps ever.
20/03/2013 at 03:54 KenTWOu says:
I really hate Bastion soundtrack, it’s a tasteless mess for me, I love only one track ‘In Case of Trouble’, I was blown away by it when heard it in demo main menu, but other tracks are really different and they are the reason I hate the demo so much and don’t want to buy/play this game even for $1 (the Humble Weekly Sale, by the way). I guess, I have completely different tastes in music.
19/03/2013 at 16:57 dubusadus says:
“When I left him, I reasoned thus with myself: I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something, although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do. In this trifling particular, then, I appear to be wiser than he, because I do not fancy I know what I do not know.”
19/03/2013 at 16:59 solidsquid says:
Had to google for this because it didn’t follow the right flow for Stranger’s voice, and that left me confused
19/03/2013 at 22:57 dubusadus says:
Ha ha, no, that’s actually Socrates (or Plato depending on your take on the written histories). Figured it’d be a right ol’ snark on the OP’s handle though I suppose if you prefix Socrates with Dick, you probably haven’t read much Plato or really much of anything else.
19/03/2013 at 16:58 Gap Gen says:
I admit the music grew on me after playing the game.
19/03/2013 at 17:16 Post-Internet Syndrome says:
The music in Bastion was delicious. This one did smell a bit of “let’s make another one!” though.
19/03/2013 at 17:37 meatshit says:
It sounds like the same woman who played Zia in Bastion. I loved her voice in that game, but that’s because she only sang in minimalist singing-over-a-guitar type songs where it’s okay to not be a great vocalist. This is not one of those songs and she frankly doesn’t have a good enough voice to carry it.
19/03/2013 at 19:06 Proximity says:
In those types of songs it’s MOST important to be a good vocalist, because you’ve got no vast soundscape to hide behind. She definitely nailed that performance, but I disagree and believe (if it is the same woman, can’t be certain) that she nailed this one too. She has outstanding control of her voice.
19/03/2013 at 17:41 HothMonster says:
supergiantgames.bandcamp.com
I think you are crazy, I had this on repeat at work for about a month, but to each his own.
19/03/2013 at 18:01 TheTuninator says:
But Bastion’s soundtrack was absolutely amazing.
19/03/2013 at 18:42 Malk_Content says:
Of course you could always do what I do when I dislike a games soundtrack/get bored of it after awhile and that is turn the music off and substitute your own. That way you get to play a (hopefully) great game whilst not having to turn it off because of one tiny niggle.
19/03/2013 at 19:29 Jupiah says:
How could you not like the music in Bastion? I loved it, Bastion is the only game I’ve ever bought the sountrack for and just listened to it for hours at a time, months after I’d finished the game.
19/03/2013 at 16:39 squirrelrampage says:
With those visuals, the song, the atmosphere, my first thought was…
Super Giant Games wants to make “Final Fantasy…?
SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
19/03/2013 at 16:58 solidsquid says:
Super Giant Fantasy?
19/03/2013 at 17:10 squirrelrampage says:
Super Giant Fantasy – A Bastion Reborn
19/03/2013 at 21:53 Syra says:
My super giant fantasies involve more explosive bukake
20/03/2013 at 01:59 Dances to Podcasts says:
Thanks for sharing…
19/03/2013 at 16:39 The JG Man says:
Game Gear, eh? Better stock up on all of the batteries. Hands off guys, there’s only enough batteries in the world to power one Game Gear and I called dibs first.
19/03/2013 at 16:40 Harlander says:
Plot sounds kinda like Iji..
Well, not the plot, but the themes
19/03/2013 at 22:48 Bhazor says:
Man I love Iji.
20/03/2013 at 01:37 salgado18 says:
iji by the creators of Bastion? Best combination ever.
19/03/2013 at 16:44 Gap Gen says:
Interesting. Also the side-scrolling bits of the video confuse me. Is it going to be both side-scrolling and isometric?
19/03/2013 at 16:46 kael13 says:
Give it to me. Nao.
I loved everything about Bastion – especially the music.
19/03/2013 at 16:48 TomxJ says:
Huh. These guys should just go make an animated film instead, beacuse that trailer was incredible.
19/03/2013 at 16:57 Toberoth_Syn says:
*as well
19/03/2013 at 16:52 Berzee says:
INTRIGUING!
However, one of the best things about Bastion was the personality of the enemies and the weird tension you got from fighting them while knowing that it was ostensibly For Their Own Good. This game appears to be about shooting robots, which is immediately less nuanced and less interesting to me…of course it shouldn’t make an impact on the actual combat action, which I also enjoyed in Bastion.
I will remain open-minded and hopeful — in particular, waiting to see if there is a personality somewhere behind the robot hordes, that you get to interact with in some way or at least think about while killin’ ‘em.
19/03/2013 at 21:13 JarinArenos says:
Well, if you went off of a Bastion trailer, that would be a game about “hitting blobs with hammers”, so I’m not sure what you’re expecting from a year-before-release teaser.
19/03/2013 at 16:54 wodin says:
Sneaky feeling this will be like the second album after the first went platinum.
19/03/2013 at 16:55 Clavus says:
I really can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to release a PC version along with all other platforms. Bastion sold like hotcakes on Steam.
19/03/2013 at 17:16 Delixe says:
Waiting to see if Sony will drive a dump truck full of money to their office like they did with Johnathan Blow.
19/03/2013 at 17:50 bl4ckd0g says:
No amount of money can grant what they can make by porting and selling. And by the way, The Witness is not a PS4 exclusive, it’s exclusive to PS4 _consoles_, that means no porting on Xbox and Wii, but PC and iOS are a sure thing, Blow cleared that up after the show. They may be coming a little after, but the development appears to proceed in parallel between platforms.
19/03/2013 at 16:56 RedViv says:
This looks very 80s-turning-90s anime, with a dash of iDesign. Very intriguing.
19/03/2013 at 16:57 solidsquid says:
Looks more like a WonderSwan game to me
19/03/2013 at 17:05 Hoaxfish says:
Giant anime-sword, skinny anime-boy, weird (possibly anime) robot things, looking a bit like a re-skinned Bastion… bit off-putting
Still, hope it’s interesting.
19/03/2013 at 17:10 kael13 says:
That’s a girl.
19/03/2013 at 17:14 x1501 says:
With anime characters, you never really know.
19/03/2013 at 18:12 Tams80 says:
No. that’s definitely a girl (unless there is a plot twist).
19/03/2013 at 18:15 TheTuninator says:
That woman has visible breasts. She’s clearly female.
19/03/2013 at 18:24 dE says:
So you folks are assuming the character is cissexual? The game shows the future, so maybe there’s bit more than just boy/girl stuff going on.
19/03/2013 at 18:36 Hoaxfish says:
It’s looks mostly like a partially open baggy top.
19/03/2013 at 18:39 x1501 says:
“That woman has visible breasts.”
So did this guy. Fool me once…
19/03/2013 at 18:55 TheTuninator says:
@dE- If the game devs call her a woman, she looks like a woman and she has the physical characteristics of a woman, I think it’s safe to assume until proven otherwise that she is a woman.
19/03/2013 at 17:10 x1501 says:
While Bastion had its moments (mostly in the art department), I guess I’m getting too old to enjoy simplistic action games like this all by myself. A campaign co-op mode similar to those found in Trine or Magicka would leave me more interested in picking up a couple of copies.
19/03/2013 at 17:15 povu says:
Bit of a dramatic opening line for the article there. That sounded like they specifically said there wasn’t going to be a PC version. Don’t scare me like that.
19/03/2013 at 17:17 Adam Smith says:
Yes, not my best phrasing. Changed it. Thanks :)
19/03/2013 at 17:24 povu says:
Cheers!
19/03/2013 at 17:25 kwyjibo says:
So they’ve reskinned Bastion.
19/03/2013 at 17:29 RogerioFM says:
The Kid just stands stunned by the news, he gets up for a while, before falling on his chair again baffled and amazed. Speechless he ponders, where will Logan Cunningham be on the day of reckoning
19/03/2013 at 17:49 Hoaxfish says:
now come on, you just want to heard Bastion’s narrator complaining about how his bum looks big in these jeans.
19/03/2013 at 17:54 RogerioFM says:
Well yes, the guy could narrate Morgan Freeman narrating my life and it still would be amazing.
19/03/2013 at 18:11 Hoaxfish says:
alos, he has confirmed he’s involved: https://twitter.com/GlancingOnHuman/status/314070746253099008
19/03/2013 at 17:38 Hunchback says:
Stunning visuals, mesmerizing music, cyber-punky back-drop…
TAKE SOME MONEY NAOOO
19/03/2013 at 17:53 bl4ckd0g says:
On the contrary RPS, I think that PC version is a given, after the talk Amir Rao gave at the last DICE that was, surprise surprise, about porting! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMlMIlX5-pc)
He said they were very happy about the ports, that porting is good (if you leverage platform-specific strengths), so why not, since they already have the technology and knowledge to do that.
19/03/2013 at 17:53 derella says:
Looks quite nice! The anime character + giant sword + future city + motorcycle definitely reminded me of FF7.
19/03/2013 at 17:54 Amun says:
Anyone want to know how a transistor works?
19/03/2013 at 17:57 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:
Dark magic and the sacrifice of babies. Next!
19/03/2013 at 18:01 RogerioFM says:
How my beard can be as awesome as yours?
19/03/2013 at 18:06 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:
Same answer.
19/03/2013 at 18:08 RogerioFM says:
Thank you Dark Lord of Beardness.
19/03/2013 at 22:02 MiloticMaster says:
You mean the electronic kind?
Ha- do you think anyone cares what it means?
(…Being an EE major I certainly do)
19/03/2013 at 18:04 aliksy says:
I thought the music was pretty adequate in the trailer.
Also I wonder if they’ll make a strong female lead without any of the BS from the internet I’d expect to follow that.
19/03/2013 at 18:04 Tei says:
I have no idea where the art ends and the game start in this thing. Instantly love it.
19/03/2013 at 18:25 Splynter says:
Gross. I hope she doesn’t go around kissing boys, ’cause that would make me feel real awkward.
19/03/2013 at 22:00 Bork Titflopsen says:
I wonder if playing with a female character will give you cooties :[
19/03/2013 at 18:34 RagingLion says:
So I’m guessing she has a signficant ‘sister’ in the game?
19/03/2013 at 18:43 Hoaxfish says:
(completely unrelated to my other comment):
Kinda reminds me of the Radio the Universe kickstarter visually (give or take a few pixels) and thematically to some degree.
Guess this is another one for the return of the cyberpunk genre.
19/03/2013 at 23:03 ThTa says:
That’s where my thoughts went immediately, too.
For more direct similarities: they both star red-headed ladies who fight robots with very large, red eyes. (And the flickering cuts to some creepy artwork focusing on the protagonist’s face near the end of both trailers are very similar, as well.)
They’re also both takes on the sorta-ARPG genre. (With RtU being Zelda-esque and Transistor seemingly going for hack-and-slash again.)
19/03/2013 at 18:54 zeroskill says:
I’m excite.
Also, the Humble Bundle is doing some sort of Deal Week. First day is Bastion! Grab it! It comes with extra stuff and things.
Promotion, ho! http://www.humblebundle.com/weekly
Also, I believe Supergiant is well aware that their biggest fan base must be on PC. Their Bastion announcer is super popular with Dota 2 players. I think it would be a huge mistake not to bring their next game to the PC, which I strongly believe will not be the case.
19/03/2013 at 19:57 shaydeeadi says:
True dat about the Dota2 announcer. Occasionally I get thanked in chat for having it selected since they are shared in game. It also makes a match of Dota so much more relaxing, even though I occasionally go back to the classic mega kills.
19/03/2013 at 18:55 cyrenic says:
*puts on his excited shoes*
19/03/2013 at 19:36 Randomer says:
Wow. I just got all tingly. But 2014 is a long way away! :(
19/03/2013 at 19:48 Penicillin says:
I think Bastion was one of the most important games of the last few years. Almost every aspect of its design was perfect– the gameplay, art, music, story, coupled with the huge diversity of enemies, weapons, environments all came together in a sum that was greater than the individual parts. And unlike every modern AAA game, the length was short and sweet. There was almost no padding of repetitive tasks and gameplay “activities.” It was just a constant, steady stream of new content as the game progressed.
And I’m not ashamed to say it–the story was actually touching. Can’t wait for this team’s next effort!
19/03/2013 at 21:17 Obc says:
i fear none of whatt you said about the game will stick to ones memory besides the incredible narrator.
19/03/2013 at 22:04 Det says:
Movement looks too slow (I’d say the combat does too but there’s really not much of it at all). Maybe that’s a personal taste for CRAAAAAZY games though.
Nice to see that the story seems to be a (well needed) step above bastion’s story though. Looking forward to that.
19/03/2013 at 22:47 Kamos says:
Not sure why, but that video reminds me a bit of Ghost in the Shell. Which I really like. But it also features a gigantic sword, which reminds me of JRPG-style silliness & drama. Which I don’t like. I’m interested, but confused. Not sure if I will like this.
19/03/2013 at 22:59 malkav11 says:
Atari Lynx.
19/03/2013 at 23:25 The Random One says:
Nah. Reds? Clearly Virtual Boy.
19/03/2013 at 23:24 The Random One says:
I didn’t like Bastion that much, but that was only because everyone was saying it was so great that it would usher me into a new state of existence and wash my dishes afterwards. It was an OK game with the gameplay a bit pants, a cool story and a nice ending twist.
With my expectations properly calibrated I think I’ll enjoy this one though.
20/03/2013 at 02:42 Felixader says:
Has somewhat of Macross and Cowboy Beebop.
20/03/2013 at 06:45 sk0pe says:
gotta get some batteries for my game gear then :)
20/03/2013 at 10:17 ZephyrSB says:
Hmm…for some reason, D/Generation was the first thing to pop into my head while watching this.
Anyway, commence throwing of money at screen until this arrives. :)
20/03/2013 at 14:50 karthink says:
If Greg Kasavin is writing the script again, this is going to be pretty good.
20/03/2013 at 15:06 alms says:
Given that Bastion’s gameplay was drab and the weakest part of the package, it’s not necessarily a bad thing that they’re going at it again, but that isometric sequence with the big robot does look a bit too much like a reskinned Bastion for my tastes.
I’ll just take their ‘we can do anything’ at face value and hope this isn’t simply more Bastion for the Bastion lovers.