Transistor came out today, and it's pretty great. But you know what's even better? An original soundtrack posted in full on YouTube, you say?
My thoughts exactly! Thankfully, it seems like the good people over at Transistor developer Supergiant Games had the same idea, because that's just what they did.
You can listen to the whole thing right here:
It's also available on a song-by-song basis on the same Supergiant YouTube channel and the company's website. Or on Spotify under the artist name "Darren Korb" if you're into that sort of thing.
Fair warning, though: Supergiant cautioned expectant fans this morning that they might want to hold off on listening to the whole thing before playing through Transistor "since the soundtrack is deeply connected to the game's story."
Personally, I don't think this is an issue. If anything, listening to the soundtrack beforehand helps me appreciate the music in-game even more because I could enjoy it without the distraction of fending off killer robots. Also, the in-game music has three versions of each song—the filtered pause mode, the hummed one played whenever Red goes into planning mode, and the full orchestral version. Listening to the soundtrack on its own helps the more tin-eared gamers out there (such as yours truly) pick up on just how extensively these musical motifs play out in the game.
Whatever your preference is, the music from Transistor is well worth more than the single listen you'll get when playing the game. Supergiant showed a real knack for orchestration and sound design in Bastion, and the studio played up these strengths with its terrific second title. I mean, the game even has a "hum" button. A hum button! I love everything about this.
If you like what you hear, consider buying the thing on the Supergiant store as well.
To contact the author of this post, write to yannick.lejacq@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq.