History YMMV / Transistor

** Void() by itself is practically a staple, causing a defense-reducing debuff that you can stack three times for 3.25 times the normal damage (if you upgrade with Spark(), it only takes two), it has a low Turn() planning cost, and it has a wide area of effect. You can even tack Crash() on as an upgrade to give it a second debuff on top of its normal effect. When used as an upgrade or a passive skill, it either increases that skill's base damage by 50% or every skill's base damage by 25%. For true game-breaking potential, combine it with Tap() and Purge(). Tap() and Purge() grant steady health regeneration, and Void() amps it up to absurd levels. It's not super-fast at killing, but it's irrelevant because the health regeneration will outpace any damage you take. Alternatively, swap Tap() for Get(). Void() is now life-draining black hole that enemies ''cannot'' escape from.

** Tap() does a decent amount of damage by default, affects a large area around Red, heals her for a varying % of the damage caused and has one of the best, if not ''the best'' damage-to-planning cost ratios in the game. But that's just its base potential. Combine it with Breach() and Get() to nearly double its damage if you hit enemies at the edge of its area of effect. Use Void() as described above and it can easily take out most Processes in a large radius around her with little effort. As an added bonus, Tap() can outperform Cull() when dealing with multi-stage Processes like Jerks or the Spine, since subsequent hits of Tap() won't be affected by their MercyInvincibility. With the right build, the Spine can be killed in two uses of Turn() despite being a four-stage process.

** Fetch. They move faster than you can walk and can catch up to you when using Jaunt() unless you delay them using cover, their bark does high damage and is nigh-impossible to dodge without using Turn() or good timing with Jaunt() high damage, and they have a high health pool comparable to the bigger Processes. The upgraded versions are even worse, gaining the ability to mask themselves, rendering them immune to attack and invisible outside turn, as well as a stun effect on their bark. These things can easily knock out a function if they catch you during Turn() cooldown.

** Fetch. Incredibly fast, high damage, very durable, and impossible to dodge without split-second Turn activation. Then they get stealth mode, where they are also invisible and free to hunt you. And then they get stuns with their basic attack. Then again ...[[HeelFaceTurn you get Luna]], a pet Fetch you can summon using the Help() process which is every bit as powerful.

* JerkassWoobie: Asher and Grant only ever wanted to help their city, and then when everything starts falling apart [[spoiler:Grant kills himself out of guilt and horror at what they were responsible for, and you get to hear Asher try to tend to the man he loves before going to join him. His last message to Red is completely desolate and grief-stricken.]] And then you have a look at their profiles and note that [[MayDecemberRomance they]] have [[HappilyMarried the same last name...]]

** Void() by itself is practically a staple, causing a defense-reducing debuff that you can stack three times for 3.25 times the normal damage (if you upgrade with Spark(), it only takes two), it has a low Turn() planning cost, and it has a wide area of effect. You can even tack Crash() on as an upgrade to give it a second debuff on top of its normal effect. When used as an upgrade or a passive skill, it either increases that skill's base damage by 50% or every skill's base damage by 25%. For true game-breaking potential, combine it with Tap() and Purge(). Tap() and Purge() grant steady health regeneration, and Void() amps it up to absurd levels. It's not super-fast at killing, but it's irrelevant because the health regeneration will outpace any damage you take.

** Permanence actively penalizes you for experimenting with the CombinatorialExplosion of functions, which is half the point of the game.

** Void() is overpowered by itself, causing a defense-reducing debuff that you can stack three times for 3.25 times the normal damage (if you upgrade with Spark(), it only takes two), it has a low Turn() planning cost, and it has a wide area of effect. You can even tack Crash() on as an upgrade to give it a second debuff on top of its normal effect. Alternatively, upgrade with Flood() or Purge() to turn Void() into an area of effect damage-over-time bomb, or combine it with Tap() and Purge() to gain absurd health regeneration. Finally, when used as an upgrade or a passive skill, it either increases that skill's base damage by 50% or every skill's base damage by 25%.

** Tap() does a decent amount of damage by default, affects a large area around Red, heals her for a varying % of the damage caused and has one of the best, if not THE best damage-to-planning cost ratios in the game. Combine it with Void() as described above and it can easily take out most Process in a large radius around her with little effort. As an added bonus, Tap() can outperform Cull() when dealing with multi-stage Processes like Jerks or the Spine, since subsequent hits of Tap() won't be affected by their MercyInvincibility. With the right build, the Spine can be killed in two uses of Turn() despite being a four-stage process.

* EsotericHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After beating Royce, Red gets returned to the city, which was by now completely destroyed and "processed". With the Transistor in her possession, she could remake the entire city from scratch, in her image, but she chooses to kill herself with it and spend the rest of her life (or eternity?) with her friend in the Transistor. In fairness, it seems to be vague on whether Red can bring other people back from the Process instead of just their bodies. At least the credits sequence is surprisingly upbeat.]]

** Bad Cells. A weak little cell that fires a weak beam. It's also very fast and comes with a shield at higher levels, so you have to waste at least a little time taking them out. Younglady spawns these things in packs when she dies.

** Speed Test 6 is difficult for several reasons. First, you got a ''lot'' of ground to cover, so it's easy to lose track of enemies, ''especially'' cells. Then, your functions have very small range, and like in Stability 3 below, the game assumes you have any use for Help(). If you don't die, you'll run out of time trying to find which enemy you missed after seemingly killing them all.

*** The trick is [[spoiler:you have to rely on your emergency Turn() to stay alive. Dodge constantly without using Turn(), trying to summon Help() whenever it seems safe; when you're hit and forced into Turn(), use it to kill all nearby Haircuts with Tap() and be careful not to end near any of the explosions. This will buy you enough time for your Turn() to reset. Since you get an emergency Turn() as long as you're not at minimal health, and Tap() will keep you above that, you basically can't be killed as long as you do it right. But the rage-inducing part is that doing all this requires knowing the details of how emergency Turn() and exploding Haircuts work, none of which is explained anywhere.]]

* BaseBreaker: [[BitchInSheepsClothing Sybil]]'s boundless jealousy has contributed in destroying the Camerata's plan (''[[DisasterDominoes and boy what a disaster]]''). Some players think she didn't deserve what happened to her, but there are others who think she had it coming.

*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCgCUqJ7vlY _n C_rcl_s]]," the boss fight variant has its own appeal as well.

* AwesomeMusic: It's tempting to cheat and just say, "the soundtrack," but we'll skip that and do this legitimately.

** Just FYI Supergiant themselves put the [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL53mjgVKFq7x63ke-WLKrowba3mdSEJMf entire dang soundtrack]] onto their YouTube channel. Have fun listening, audiophiles.

* FunnyMoments: [[http://37.media.tumblr.com/6fbe6fc8247c060b09fb5a94e92d49d3/tumblr_mttci67yCX1r2njwko1_500.gif The Transistor does not appreciate you going overboard with your attacks.]]

* MostWonderfulSound:

* AccidentalInnuendo: When planning mode is recharged, the Transistor will say stuff like "It's back up". Considering the one saying it is a massive sword with the soul of Red's friend, the innuendo writes itself.

** Tap() does a decent amount of damage by default, affects a large area around Red, heals her for a varying % of the damage caused and has one of the best, if not THE best damage-to-planning cost ratios in the game. Combine it with Void() as described above and it can easily take out most Process in a large radius around her with little effort. As an added bonus, Tap() can outperform Cull() when dealing with multi-stage Processes like Jerks or the Spine, since subsequent hits of Tap() won't be affected by their MercyInvincibility.

** Permanence. It actively penalizes you for experimenting with the CombinatorialExplosion of functions, which is half the point of the game.

* ThatOneDisadvantage: Permanence. It actively penalises you for experimenting with the CombinatorialExplosion of functions, which is half the point of the game.

** Speed Test 5 pits you against four Mab enemies with a loadout terribly unsuited to killing them. If you lose Cull() before you take out at least three of them, it's unwinnable, and losing it is absurdly easy since the Haircuts chase you down during Turn() cooldown. Used properly, the functions do allow you to get around the Man's cloaking and take out the Haircuts from range, but the Turn() cooldown is still the big chokepoint.

* CentralTheme: Integrity and creativity in work and life, and their effect on society.

* HideYourLesbians: Sybil's infatuation with Red is only explicitly stated in her Trace profile (and even then rather obliquely) and Grant and Asher are not explicitly confirmed as a couple at ''all''. Red and The Man in the Transistor, on the other hand, get an "I love you" and a romantic reunion [[spoiler:within the Transistor]].

** Sybil, if you're on the side of the BrokenBase that thinks she didn't deserve what happened to her in spite of how much of a massive bitch she was.

** MAN, the final enemy type. Despite being the final one, it isn't terribly dangerous on its own, since its only attack is to spit out ActionBomb Haircuts. The Haircuts, however, can knock off all but a sliver of your health bar if they connect, and do a fair amount of damage if you're anywhere in the blast radius. Though a single hit will destroy them, they get faster the longer they manage to survive. If you don't have a quick counter-attack with some knockback, they can be deadly, and they're even worse if you have to fight them off when dealing with other, more immediate threats. It gets even worse if you don't have an attack that can be used during Turn() cooldown, because those four seconds are enough for them to catch you. The cloaking version of MAN is especially bad, since you have to goad it into attacking.

** Speed Test 5 pits you against four MAN enemies with a loadout terribly unsuited to killing them. If you lose Cull() before you take out at least three of them, it's unwinnable, and losing it is absurdly easy since the Haircuts chase you down during Turn() cooldown. Used properly, the functions do allow you to get around the MAN's cloaking and take out the Haircuts from range, but the Turn() cooldown is still the big chokepoint.
** Stability Test 3 is rage-inducing. The test requires you to survive for a minute and a half against constantly spawning MAN enemies. The only problem? One of your functions is Help(), which is going to be practically useless because it must be activated during Turn() cooldown, when you're going to be running away from Haircuts. The only damage dealing function you have is Tap(), which has minimal range and isn't going to restore much health. The best strategy is simply to keep running, and even then you'll probably scrape by barely.

** "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGMWL8cOeAU In Circles]]," the other song Red actually gets to sing.

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41tIUr_ex3g The Spine]]"

* AccidentalInnuendo: When planning mode is recharged, the Transitor will say stuff like "It's back up". Considering the one saying it is a massive sword with the soul of Red's friend, the innuendo writes itself.

* EsotericHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After beating Royce, Red gets returned to the city, which was by now completely destroyed and "processed". With the Transistor in her possession, she could remake the entire city from scratch, in her image, but she chooses to kill herself with it and spend the rest of her life (or eternity?) with her friend in the Transistor. The credits sequence is still surprisingly upbeat, though.]]

** Stability Test 3 is rage inducing. The test requires you to survive for a minute and a half against constantly spawning MAN enemies. The only problem? One of your functions is Help(), which is going to be practically useless because it must be activated during Turn() cooldown, when you're going to be running away from Haircuts. The only damage dealing function you have is Tap(), which has minimal range and isn't going to restore much health. The best strategy is simply to keep running, and even then you'll probably scrape by barely.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Some fans see the end of the game as a straight downer, since Red abandons the destroyed city and ''the thousands of innocent people'' to remain [[CessationofExistence processed.]] Rather than see if she can somehow save the people, she instead decides to join 'Nobody' in what is basically a LotusEaterMachine. So Red and 'Nobody' get an afterlife. [[ItsAllAboutMe Everyone else doesn't]].]]

** Void() and Cull(). This combo, guaranteed, can kill almost every single enemy in the game in one Turn(), provided you do some scratch damage with Crash() or another attack function. Anything that gains temporary protection will survive one combo, but rarely two (only the Spine, FinalBoss, and MirrorBoss can survive more than two). Even in its base form, it's deadly. The Crash() upgrade for Void() and the Mask() upgrade for Cull() to increase backstab damage makes it downright excessive, dealing upwards of ~2500 damage a pop. Only the Spine has more health than that. This combo can beat the FinalBoss in four uses of Turn(). For extra fun, upgrade Void() with Get(), then Cull() with Load(). Void() will draw enemies in, and Cull() is now an AoE attack. You can wipe out whole enemy groups with ease.

** Tap() does a decent amount of damage by default, affects a large area around Red, heals her for a varying % of the damage caused and has one of the best, if not THE best damage-to-planning cost ratios in the game. Combine it with Void() as described above and it can easily take out most Process in a large radius around her with little effort.

* ThatOneSidequest: Speed Test 5 pits you against four MAN enemies with a loadout terribly unsuited to killing them. If you lose Cull() before you take out at least three of them, it's unwinnable, and losing it is absurdly easy since the Haircuts chase you down during Turn() cooldown.
** Arguably this test is quite easy given a little luck and smart planning. Jaunt() upgraded with Crash() takes care of the MAN's cloaking, which is arguably the most annoying part of them. Ping() is ideally suited to shooting haircuts before they get to you, and some careful positioning allows you to take advantage of backstab damage. Just spam Ping() and then tack Cull() on the end to take out one enemy per Turn().
** Stability Test 3, on the other hand, is rage inducing. The test requires you to survive for a minute and a half against constantly spawning MAN enemies. The only problem? One of your functions is Help(), which is going to be practically useless because it must be activated during Turn() cooldown, when your going to be running away from haircuts. The only damage dealing function you have is Tap(), which has minimal range and isn't going to restore much health. The best strategy is simply to keep running, and even then you'll probably scrape by barely.