They all expect her to do the right thing, instructing her and assuming she’s not only listening but agreeing. Three men try to direct her: Transistor, and two members of the Camerata, Asher Kendrell and Royce Bracket. And maybe (desperately) to fix what’s been done to him.īut at some point along the way, Red decides that she isn’t out to fix things. They’re trying to solve the problems, to fix what’s been done to Cloudbank. He believes that together, they’re trying to find the answers. And that’s how he explains everything she does from then on out. Maybe she wants what any good woman would want: to fix things. But then she doesn’t, so maybe she isn’t that scared. Red is hurt, she’s lost her lover, she’s scared-she should flee. He has no special insight into Red’s actions, so he frames them as best he can from his limited perspective. He’s a character in the story, talking to fill the silence. Transistor isn’t an external narrator, omniscient and infallible. She was supposed to defeat the Camerata and save the day.īecause… Because that’s what we wanted, and what the sword said she was doing. It’s Transistor forcing you to pay attention to the meaning, the message, because it’s just far too awful otherwise, isn’t it? Romantic, in a Romeo and Juliet sort of way, but brutal. That moment is a record scratch, even as the lovely strain of Paper Boats begins to play over the credits. Then she sits down and ignores his pleas from within the weapon as she turns it on herself. Instead of doing any of that, she repairs only what she needs to find the body Transistor was pulled from, the body of her lover. She literally holds the key to remaking Cloudbank in whatever image she’d like. She doesn’t try to fix the city, to make the best of what’s been done, even though the power is explicitly hers. Here’s the big, giant spoiler: when everything is said and done, Red doesn’t take the action anyone expects her to. You might think you shouldn’t ruin it by overthinking anything. All that glitz settles atop the game’s emotional heart, the relationship between Red and Transistor, leaving little need for much deeper reflection. There’s a lot of game to play, but sometimes it feels like you’re sightseeing in Cloudbank rather than plumbing its secrets. It’s slick as hell, beautiful, overwhelming, and more than a little aloof.

He just has his voice.Įven once it’s clear that Red holds the agency in this game, it’s not as obvious that the game is about agency. She’s a woman without a voice, but she still has her body. She’s the one doing the acting, though-Transistor can only react.

She wields him like a tool, and keeps him close for comfort. To fight the Process that are slowly devouring the city of Cloudbank, to find the reasons why the mysterious Camerata killed him and took her voice. She’s heading into town, and the little voice in her sword can’t do anything to stop her. And that’s where it becomes clear that Red has all the agency she needs, because she leaves that exit in the dust. So he guides her as best he can, leading her to the bike she can take out of town. Be quiet, and mourn her voice (and everything that’s been taken from her) in safety and silence. There’s a lot between Red and Transistor, and it’s important to him that she do the sensible thing in reaction to being targeted by dangerous enemies. Not out of any desire to crush her or keep her contained-he just wants to keep her safe. She doesn’t listen to Transistor, as we’ll call her sword-bound companion, who wants her to keep her voice down. See, Red may be silenced (literally, when silencing women is usually a figurative act), but that doesn’t keep her quiet. We’re going to dive deep into spoilers (right through to the game’s end), so stop here if that’s a problem. Red doesn’t just have agency within the world of Transistor-the game itself is an exploration of what that means. It’s so glaring that it seems like Supergiant Games wants you to think that going in, because the first thing they do is turn that impression on its head. If Red doesn’t have a voice, then it’s really the sword’s story, isn’t it? That’s the glaring red flag that comes with Transistor: it sure looks like a game where you’re not supposed to project yourself into the character of Red as much as want to protect her. Like, say, a woman without a voice, and the sword who’s there to fill the silence? But everything she does is by the men around her. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: there’s this girl, see-a pretty little thing-and she’s supposed to be the hero of the story. Finding Her Voice: Red’s Agency in Transistor

Transistor game main character