Some very minor notes (more like bits of trivia, as they didn't didn't truly define them) perhaps of interest, evidence that Supergiant Games were making some nods of inclusion: Royce Bracket, the final Camerata member, is likely autistic. It is strongly implied the Camerata member Sybil Reisz was infatuated with Red to the point of unrequited romantic attachment. The tragic Camerata duo, Grant and Asher Kendrell were married, and in the face of their failure, Grant took his own life in despair, leaving his heartbroken lover Asher to follow immediately after issuing a confession to Red and Cloudbank. Bailey Gilande, the Trace containing the "Get" Function, was not gender normative. Finally regarding "Blue," he is referred to as "The Boxer" (Red being "The Muse") in the game files, which matches up both with his aesthetic and the way he carried himself. Given that his Trace data was not intact, one could assume he more or less "lived off the grid," perhaps participating in unsanctioned fighting and out of the spotlight Red reveled in, further increasing their dichotomy. Whereas Red flourished in Cloudbank's hierarchy like wildfire, Blue was aimless, "Still figuring things out.", until finding his purpose in protecting Red. Ultimately his surreptitious lifestyle was all that saved Red's life, and very likely his "unregistered" nature lead him to be an anomaly of sorts in the Transistor as he was throughout the game. PS - Red isn't the only one with musical talent! During Royce's Turn()s in the final battle, the track swaps to a different musical "layer", with a deep, rumbling bass line. I won't ever think back on that "fight" as anything less than a _very_ animated musical duet XD PPS - During the final song, "Paper Boats," the first lines are sung not only by Ashley Barrett (Red's dulcet singing voice), but also by Logan Cunningham himself (Blue's VO). He is later phased out by Darren Korb, the musician and composer responsible for creating both the Bastion and Transistor soundtracks. _Lightning Round~_ - Blue will mumble-sing a bit when he's "drunk" during The Spine, but he'll also do this on loop if you go into your audio settings at this time and scale the Music bar.
TheDeaconErudite For what it’s worth, the Boxer and Muse terms come from a development iteration of the game prior to the team deciding on making Red the main character and Sword Boyfriend a supporting character. Originally, they intended for two active characters in the game. The muse was meant to aid the main boxer character in combat. Boxer’s story was effectively avenging his lost lover, but things got flipped around to what Transistor ended up as when, after E3, the team went searching for a story more appealing and gripping than where it was at the time.
Great video, I think you're right, or as right as you can be with the missing pieces haha. Two things: 1) The Country is NOT inside of the Transistor, just to clarify for you. One of Royce's quotes says that the Transistor is LIKE the Country, as in both are a one-way road. As a side note, I also think the line "See you in the Country" when Kendrall kills himself is important, although connecting the dots is not easy with so many missing pieces. 2) I couldn't tell if you knew this or not, but Red kills herself so that she could be with Blue. The end of the credits shows them together, and they both say hi to each other. When I first saw the ending I was mad since I thought she left him to sit there for eternity, but quite the opposite actually; she's with him now for eternity, which has its own implications.
Thanks for expressing your thoughts on the game! As it's one of my favourite titles of recent years, I always enjoy hearing how others perceived the story and world. Personally, in regards to the ending, I found a really large amount of people didn't like it essentially because it wasn't happy. I remember looking it up after finishing the game because I was pretty blown away and actually loved the ending, only to find thread after thread saying it was disappointing and a let down because it wasn't positive. That kind of shocked me personally that so many complained about it because to them it wasn't the "right" ending they wanted. In regards to what actually happened, I do believe 100% that Red killed herself in the end. When it was found that there was no way to get Blue/Breach out of the Transistor, I think Red kind of just gave up. To me, getting him out somehow was the last thing she was holding onto, with her city and its people getting wiped all around her. Yes, she had the paintbrush, but she couldn't bear to paint with it after everything. In the end, she just wanted to be with Blue/Breach. That was her one desire after everything. So she laid down next to his body, lifted the Transistor in the air, and the rest is history. I do believe that scene after the credits where they did get to be together after everything. alone but for each other. But it was an incredibly sad ending because she gave up her own life to be with him (in whatever way they could be) and contrary to what many think, sometimes true love can just be that powerful. People complained because she didn't do the "brave" thing and restore the city and move on, but to me that's just true to the character and story. She's not the hero here to save the day. It wasn't a choice to her in the end. It wasn't a choice at all. She loved him, and love can mean more than anything in this/their world. I guess it hit me so much because I fully understood why she did it. Anyway, thank you again for your take on it, loved seeing this pop up on your channel.
My dislike for the ending primarily stems from Red, in the face of adversity, after facing the tragedy of losing Blue's (/Boxer's) physical form, and making the hard decision to sacrifice her own body to be reunited with him, there's no true resolution to the horrible events that took place. There was zero closure, aside from a single vision of the two together again. I was desperately hoping that, after powering through a New Game+ playthrough, there would at least be hints that Red and Blue found a way to free themselves, as well as the others trapped within the Transistor, even if it was something of a cliffhanger. After such a journey, and memorable characters and such, it felt really reductive to see Red just check out like that. What about the world they left behind? What the hell is going to happen if someone else comes across the Transistor? All of Cloudbank's "souls," effectively, are stuck inside that thing for presumably an eternity.
+TheDeaconErudite But see, you're looking for the "good" ending where they're heroes and save everyone and everything turns out okay. That was never what this story was about. It was about Blue and Red, and their love and desperate desire to be with each other. They got their ending. Sometimes stories aren't fairy tales with a happily ever after like we want. Sometimes the characters aren't as selfless and brave and courageous as we might expect. We got a perfect resolution, and that was the resolution to the story we were following. I'm sorry it wasn't for you, but maybe something to think about is why does every hero and story need to end so positively? Like Arch said, it's a really sad story. The city and its people are wiped out, Red and Blue are inside the Transistor. There is no, somehow they free themselves and fix everything part, it's just a sad story.
I loved your rumination! Transistor is one of my favourite games and I liked the gameplay a lot. I've never really thought much about the setting, but I guess I always was under a similar assumption as yours. I didn't think of the world being run inside a computer, but rather it just being a world with a different kind of ruleset like you described. I've always attributed this to that civilizations level of technological advancement, but then again, I've never really thought much about it like you did.
+Lorerunner There are actually two songs that you may be referring to: "We All Become" is the (tragically brief) intro song that plays when Red is attacked, losing her voice; this one sets the general tone of where the city is going. "Paper Boats" (one of those that ended up managing to bring a tear to my eye) is the more intimate one, centering around Red and Blue.
"The Country" is, in my opinion, _very unambiguously_ a metaphor for death- at least, once you get far enough into the game. It's been a while since I've seen the log entries in question, but the news reports in particular gradually paint a more and more sinister connotation of the phrase. By the time you're dealing with Royce, he all but says as much. Whether or not it _exists_ is another question entirely. It _also_ gives an interesting meaning to Red's song, We All Become...
+Lorerunner What where your thoughts on Red and Royce being the only ones "alive" inside the transistor during the final fight. my own interpretation was that it was caused by both of them having pieces already inside the transistor. which is how you are able to get Royce's skill despite him still being around in the "real world". I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as it's plauged my mind for quite a long time.
considering possibly how far back you made these, was probably before you finished Minecraft Story Mode, because your idea of a creators society kinda fits into what we saw in that game, plus the "in lore" aspect of game mechanics
This was one of those games that really evoked some memorable emotions, thanks in great part to that wonderful soundtrack, once again. That said.. I disliked the note it ended on. I REALLY wished there was some small additional glimmer in New Game+, but alas...
Great analysis. But I thought the country was like the digital Matrix or Holodeck inside the sword (Transistor). So she killed herself in reality, but only so she could live with him forever in the digital realm. Presumably this happily ever after will end once the Transistor is destroyed, or decays over time like any piece of tech would. But the Transistor does have the ability to move around in reality, so maybe it has ways of sustaining itself, which would mean they truly would get to live together forever in the digital realm.
+artmanxp While the Camerata did "integrate" some people into the Transistor as targets of opportunity (the reporter is a good example), the primary goal was not to "murder" anyone, but to assimilate key voices within Cloudbank into the Transistor, and use them and it as a paintbrush to more or less "perfect" Cloudbank. Red's music was very controversial in Cloudbank society as it was vividly imaginative and emotive, striking a chord with the citizenry and encouraging them to look beyond the traditional mindset of how the city was run. In a city filled with secrets, this was considered dangerous thinking by those in power, yet the Camerata recognized the need for such impassioned creativity to be assimilated into the Transistor, and devised a plan to retrieve her "Trace", as it's referred to. Blue (/Boxer) intervened, and then we got the events of the game.
What Deacon said, but if my memory serves because i've played this a while ago. Sybil Reisz, the camerata member who selects targets was obsessed with Red to the point that she made Red the next target even though she knew it was too dangerous, which causes the rest of the camarata to attack Red at a point where she is not alone and Blue is able to defend her. which does in turn support the theory that Red and the camerata basicly wanted the same thing.
Some very minor notes (more like bits of trivia, as they didn't didn't truly define them) perhaps of interest, evidence that Supergiant Games were making some nods of inclusion:
Royce Bracket, the final Camerata member, is likely autistic.
It is strongly implied the Camerata member Sybil Reisz was infatuated with Red to the point of unrequited romantic attachment.
The tragic Camerata duo, Grant and Asher Kendrell were married, and in the face of their failure, Grant took his own life in despair, leaving his heartbroken lover Asher to follow immediately after issuing a confession to Red and Cloudbank.
Bailey Gilande, the Trace containing the "Get" Function, was not gender normative.
Finally regarding "Blue," he is referred to as "The Boxer" (Red being "The Muse") in the game files, which matches up both with his aesthetic and the way he carried himself. Given that his Trace data was not intact, one could assume he more or less "lived off the grid," perhaps participating in unsanctioned fighting and out of the spotlight Red reveled in, further increasing their dichotomy. Whereas Red flourished in Cloudbank's hierarchy like wildfire, Blue was aimless, "Still figuring things out.", until finding his purpose in protecting Red. Ultimately his surreptitious lifestyle was all that saved Red's life, and very likely his "unregistered" nature lead him to be an anomaly of sorts in the Transistor as he was throughout the game.
PS - Red isn't the only one with musical talent! During Royce's Turn()s in the final battle, the track swaps to a different musical "layer", with a deep, rumbling bass line. I won't ever think back on that "fight" as anything less than a _very_ animated musical duet XD
PPS - During the final song, "Paper Boats," the first lines are sung not only by Ashley Barrett (Red's dulcet singing voice), but also by Logan Cunningham himself (Blue's VO). He is later phased out by Darren Korb, the musician and composer responsible for creating both the Bastion and Transistor soundtracks.
_Lightning Round~_ - Blue will mumble-sing a bit when he's "drunk" during The Spine, but he'll also do this on loop if you go into your audio settings at this time and scale the Music bar.
TheDeaconErudite For what it’s worth, the Boxer and Muse terms come from a development iteration of the game prior to the team deciding on making Red the main character and Sword Boyfriend a supporting character. Originally, they intended for two active characters in the game. The muse was meant to aid the main boxer character in combat. Boxer’s story was effectively avenging his lost lover, but things got flipped around to what Transistor ended up as when, after E3, the team went searching for a story more appealing and gripping than where it was at the time.
Great video, I think you're right, or as right as you can be with the missing pieces haha.
Two things:
1) The Country is NOT inside of the Transistor, just to clarify for you. One of Royce's quotes says that the Transistor is LIKE the Country, as in both are a one-way road. As a side note, I also think the line "See you in the Country" when Kendrall kills himself is important, although connecting the dots is not easy with so many missing pieces.
2) I couldn't tell if you knew this or not, but Red kills herself so that she could be with Blue. The end of the credits shows them together, and they both say hi to each other. When I first saw the ending I was mad since I thought she left him to sit there for eternity, but quite the opposite actually; she's with him now for eternity, which has its own implications.
Thanks for expressing your thoughts on the game! As it's one of my favourite titles of recent years, I always enjoy hearing how others perceived the story and world.
Personally, in regards to the ending, I found a really large amount of people didn't like it essentially because it wasn't happy. I remember looking it up after finishing the game because I was pretty blown away and actually loved the ending, only to find thread after thread saying it was disappointing and a let down because it wasn't positive. That kind of shocked me personally that so many complained about it because to them it wasn't the "right" ending they wanted.
In regards to what actually happened, I do believe 100% that Red killed herself in the end. When it was found that there was no way to get Blue/Breach out of the Transistor, I think Red kind of just gave up. To me, getting him out somehow was the last thing she was holding onto, with her city and its people getting wiped all around her. Yes, she had the paintbrush, but she couldn't bear to paint with it after everything.
In the end, she just wanted to be with Blue/Breach. That was her one desire after everything. So she laid down next to his body, lifted the Transistor in the air, and the rest is history. I do believe that scene after the credits where they did get to be together after everything. alone but for each other. But it was an incredibly sad ending because she gave up her own life to be with him (in whatever way they could be) and contrary to what many think, sometimes true love can just be that powerful. People complained because she didn't do the "brave" thing and restore the city and move on, but to me that's just true to the character and story. She's not the hero here to save the day.
It wasn't a choice to her in the end. It wasn't a choice at all. She loved him, and love can mean more than anything in this/their world. I guess it hit me so much because I fully understood why she did it.
Anyway, thank you again for your take on it, loved seeing this pop up on your channel.
My dislike for the ending primarily stems from Red, in the face of adversity, after facing the tragedy of losing Blue's (/Boxer's) physical form, and making the hard decision to sacrifice her own body to be reunited with him, there's no true resolution to the horrible events that took place. There was zero closure, aside from a single vision of the two together again.
I was desperately hoping that, after powering through a New Game+ playthrough, there would at least be hints that Red and Blue found a way to free themselves, as well as the others trapped within the Transistor, even if it was something of a cliffhanger. After such a journey, and memorable characters and such, it felt really reductive to see Red just check out like that. What about the world they left behind? What the hell is going to happen if someone else comes across the Transistor? All of Cloudbank's "souls," effectively, are stuck inside that thing for presumably an eternity.
+TheDeaconErudite But see, you're looking for the "good" ending where they're heroes and save everyone and everything turns out okay. That was never what this story was about. It was about Blue and Red, and their love and desperate desire to be with each other.
They got their ending. Sometimes stories aren't fairy tales with a happily ever after like we want. Sometimes the characters aren't as selfless and brave and courageous as we might expect. We got a perfect resolution, and that was the resolution to the story we were following.
I'm sorry it wasn't for you, but maybe something to think about is why does every hero and story need to end so positively? Like Arch said, it's a really sad story. The city and its people are wiped out, Red and Blue are inside the Transistor. There is no, somehow they free themselves and fix everything part, it's just a sad story.
I loved your rumination! Transistor is one of my favourite games and I liked the gameplay a lot. I've never really thought much about the setting, but I guess I always was under a similar assumption as yours. I didn't think of the world being run inside a computer, but rather it just being a world with a different kind of ruleset like you described. I've always attributed this to that civilizations level of technological advancement, but then again, I've never really thought much about it like you did.
+Lorerunner There are actually two songs that you may be referring to: "We All Become" is the (tragically brief) intro song that plays when Red is attacked, losing her voice; this one sets the general tone of where the city is going. "Paper Boats" (one of those that ended up managing to bring a tear to my eye) is the more intimate one, centering around Red and Blue.
"The Country" is, in my opinion, _very unambiguously_ a metaphor for death- at least, once you get far enough into the game. It's been a while since I've seen the log entries in question, but the news reports in particular gradually paint a more and more sinister connotation of the phrase.
By the time you're dealing with Royce, he all but says as much.
Whether or not it _exists_ is another question entirely.
It _also_ gives an interesting meaning to Red's song, We All Become...
Hey Lore, which Final Fantasy is that prelude melody from? Also, great rumination, I loved playing this game.
+Lorerunner What where your thoughts on Red and Royce being the only ones "alive" inside the transistor during the final fight. my own interpretation was that it was caused by both of them having pieces already inside the transistor. which is how you are able to get Royce's skill despite him still being around in the "real world". I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as it's plauged my mind for quite a long time.
considering possibly how far back you made these, was probably before you finished Minecraft Story Mode, because your idea of a creators society kinda fits into what we saw in that game, plus the "in lore" aspect of game mechanics
This was one of those games that really evoked some memorable emotions, thanks in great part to that wonderful soundtrack, once again. That said.. I disliked the note it ended on. I REALLY wished there was some small additional glimmer in New Game+, but alas...
Great analysis. But I thought the country was like the digital Matrix or Holodeck inside the sword (Transistor). So she killed herself in reality, but only so she could live with him forever in the digital realm. Presumably this happily ever after will end once the Transistor is destroyed, or decays over time like any piece of tech would. But the Transistor does have the ability to move around in reality, so maybe it has ways of sustaining itself, which would mean they truly would get to live together forever in the digital realm.
I need to pick this game up
So if she was singing what the camorka were going for why try to kill red
+artmanxp While the Camerata did "integrate" some people into the Transistor as targets of opportunity (the reporter is a good example), the primary goal was not to "murder" anyone, but to assimilate key voices within Cloudbank into the Transistor, and use them and it as a paintbrush to more or less "perfect" Cloudbank.
Red's music was very controversial in Cloudbank society as it was vividly imaginative and emotive, striking a chord with the citizenry and encouraging them to look beyond the traditional mindset of how the city was run. In a city filled with secrets, this was considered dangerous thinking by those in power, yet the Camerata recognized the need for such impassioned creativity to be assimilated into the Transistor, and devised a plan to retrieve her "Trace", as it's referred to. Blue (/Boxer) intervened, and then we got the events of the game.
What Deacon said, but if my memory serves because i've played this a while ago. Sybil Reisz, the camerata member who selects targets was obsessed with Red to the point that she made Red the next target even though she knew it was too dangerous, which causes the rest of the camarata to attack Red at a point where she is not alone and Blue is able to defend her. which does in turn support the theory that Red and the camerata basicly wanted the same thing.
Did you ever get to play Pyre?