On Could 20, 2014 developer Supergiant Video games (the group behind 2020’s hit roguelike Hades and its recently-released-in-early-access sequel) launched its second recreation, Transistor. The sci-fi motion RPG was broadly thought-about an exquisite sophomore outing for the developer, receiving a 9/10 from the likes of Recreation Informer and IGN.
I purchased Transistor days after its launch (Could 24 in response to my PSN trophy listing) and instantly fell in love with its distinctive world. Jen Zee’s beautiful artwork, Darren Korb’s energetic rating, tight fight that combined real-time motion and planning, and a top-notch story made it among the finest video games I had ever performed). I used to be so in love with the sport that I did one thing I hardly ever do, I purchased merch within the type of a T-shirt. A decade later, I nonetheless love Transistor and I nonetheless put on my T-shirt.
Let me inform you about this T-shirt. It’s a grayish-blue short-sleeved quantity with a giant piece of artwork emblazoned throughout the entrance. The artwork, carried out by Zee, is a rendering of protagonist Crimson on a motorbike atop a superbly simplistic line drawing of the sport’s setting, Cloudbank. All of it combines to kind a form evoking the titular Transistor, a cyberpunk sword. The easy line work and the usage of solely white and lightweight blue make it stand out in a sea of boring, by-product online game merch. It doesn’t have the sport’s title or major character ostentatiously and lazily slapped on a shirt, which is why I purchased this merch within the first place—it evoked the sport’s world and magnificence whereas not precisely rehashing the in-game artwork. It was, dare I say, cool?
In writing this text I found/was reminded of one thing fascinating: The Transistor T-shirt didn’t drop proper when the sport launched. It was first revealed in a September 2014 weblog submit as a part of a line of merch for the sport (together with a Transistor USB I nonetheless remorse not shopping for), practically 4 months after the sport’s launch. This meant that, regardless of ending the sport in solely two sittings,) I continued to obsess over Transistor for months, a lot in order that I purchased a T-shirt for it that I nonetheless proudly put on at the moment. In fact, I hadn’t stopped enjoying the sport after rolling credit for the primary time— I performed Transistor practically every single day for weeks, beating it over and over and accumulating as many trophies as I might.
After I lastly acquired the shirt and wore it out it was principally mistaken as TRON merch— Like rather a lot. And because the years handed, I held on to it. It went with me to school and I even stored it round after I started my transition and threw out the vast majority of my boy garments. Transistor stayed! Whereas locked inside my condominium in the course of the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I might pull on the comfortable shirt and sit on the sofa replaying Supergiant’s finest recreation (for my part). I had but to platinum the sport, principally as a result of I acquired caught on the Efficiency Checks (particular problem rooms with progressively larger problem). So on April 7, 2020, I hunkered down and cleared the final hurdle between me and that platinum trophy. I tweeted Supergiant about it and acquired a form congratulations.
Almost a decade later, the shirt is exhibiting its age. I’ve stored it in fairly good situation however it’s worn sufficient that my fiancée has come to hate it, making it an “contained in the condominium solely” shirt. She has performed Transistor now, and whereas she stays an even bigger fan of Hades, she sees its deserves. Nonetheless, I do suppose she can be happier if I threw it out altogether, which is rarely gonna occur as that is now formally a collectible (Supergiant doesn’t promote the shirt anymore).
In honor of my fiancée’s needs, I don’t put on the shirt out anymore—besides at the moment. Joyful anniversary to Transistor, a one-of-a-kind recreation, and completely satisfied anniversary to my T-shirt. Right here’s to a different decade.
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