It’s not when you get there, it’s always the climb.OutsiderThe Outsiders (1983) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Like why during Sybil’s fight does she begin singing “In Circles” in place of Red? Or why do we never see the Transistors face and what could his jackets insignia refer to? In the end, that might also be part of the point. While I feel like I’ve answered this question suitably enough for me, I’m still left with many. With further research who knows what sort of hidden meanings could be subtlety implanted within the narrative. The same evidence given here could be used to support a wholly different claim given the right context. The beauty of a game like Transistor is that it opens itself up to many interpretations with the level of detail given to each aspect of the game. While she doesn’t truly have choice, she is given the appearance of choice by fulfilling actions that counteract the wishes of other characters, or in the case of the ending, what most players would expect or desire. Despite knowing that she has no control over her actions or the world she inhabits, she still defiantly declares that she does have choice and wants no part of the system she is trapped in. The part that makes Red’s realization chilling comes later in the song. If I should choose to rise I’m still descending If there was any question left that Red knew she was without actual agency look no further than the very next stanza. She was already conscious of the fact that nothing can change this world anyway, and that she was destined to return to her lover from the start. This idea comes to its ultimate fruition in the ending as Red appears to take her own life despite the fact that she is granted the power to remake Cloudbank. Red actively calls out the audience, and developers, by acknowledging that she has no capabilities of causing change in this world. Look out below, I know there’s no decision Step out beyond the edge and start the motion This idea of Red acknowledging her position as a construct doomed to repeat the same cycle starts to make more sense within the lyrics of “Signals.” The shift to “you” suggests that Red speaks directly to her audience, the players. This changes in the next chorus line and persists throughout the rest of the song. She understands the inner workings, or spine, of the world she is inhabiting, which, I suggest is not necessarily Cloudbank, but refers instead to the constructed world of the game itself. This song isn’t describing the enemy encountered later in the game like the title of the song might suggest, but is actually how Red sees herself. The placement of this song within Transistor’s opening minutes as Red stares at posters of herself plastered on a city wall is telling. What I found surprised me and offered an understanding that not only is Transistor an exploration of agency, but that Red herself seems somewhat aware that she is a character in a game. The problem then was finding how the songs, “The Spine,” and “Signals,” fit into this reading. Nissa did a pretty fantastic job of piecing through the songs “In Circles,” “ We All Become,” and “ Paper Boats,” to help support her interpretation. Nissa pointed out several aspects of the game and dug heavily into the lyrics of Transistor’s soundtrack to support her analysis that the game was an exploration of agency. Recently, while preparing for an interview with Supergiant Games Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett I came across an analysis of Transistor written by freelance writer Nissacam. Readers beware this post and the articles I link to contain spoilers for the game Transistor, if you haven’t played it yet go do it! Moving on…
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