Transistor Trailer: Recursion Mode Detailed

Supergiant Games’ second project, entitled Transistor, has been in development for some time now, but few details have emerged about the game. With Bastion as its first title, the 5 year-old developer has engendered a lot of fan interest, and gamers are eagerly awaiting new information about Transistor. Today they get their wish, as Supergiant released a new trailer and info about the game’s Recursion Mode.

The first half of the trailer gives us vague hints about Transistor’s storyline and showcases its unique, beautiful art style, but at the 52-second mark, it switches to in-game footage. Here we see the game’s protagonist, Red, traversing a stylized sci-fi world in isometric perspective. Red’s sword, called the Transistor, will be able to perform melee and ranged attacks to clear out enemies. We also get a brief look at a menu screen where Red presumably upgrades her weapon’s abilities.

On the PlayStation Blog, Supergiant Creative Director Greg Kasavin explained Recursion Mode. Once players have completed the game’s main quest, they’ll be able to continue their adventure in Recursion Mode. Essentially a New Game Plus mode, Recursion Mode will allow players to keep their upgraded abilities and skills (called Functions in the game) as they play through a more challenging version of the campaign. Supergiant promises some surprises in the second quest’s content, namely different enemy configurations, and that the quest will be different every play-through.

The dearth of information about Transistor has not been an accident, Kasavin explained; “Our feeling is that the less you know going into a game like Transistor, the more likely it is to surprise you. And we think experiencing genuine surprise is one of the rarest and most pleasurable sensations that games can provide.”

Launching a new title with limited PR is an odd tactic, and one that could hurt sales of the game. It’s a crowded market out there, full of developers and publishers trying to put their products in front of as many eyes as possible before they launch. If Transistor is on the same level as Bastion, however, good word-of-mouth advertising will make all the difference. Transistor launches May 20 on the PS4.