Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PC) review "Minor flaws don't dull the gleam of this well refined story driven franchise shooter."

I remember having qualms about the new aesthetic High Moon brought to the table in the wake of Micheal Bay's adaptation of Transformers. My favourite autonomous technological organisms were, at a glance - from a distance - malformed and unfamiliar in design. Not to say I hadn't seen some interpretations of these characters before, but the embattled, edge-worn style took some getting used to. But then I started playing it and forgot all that because this is the one where they got everything right.



You could play this game without paying attention to the story, which is deep and many decades old by this junction. This franchise has a specific appeal, but you could comfortably ignore the multilayered narrative elements without detriment to game mechanics. That's good because if you appreciate the characters and their violent universe, you'll notice the ample amount of time and work that has gone into reproducing well-known situations and characters.
As this is the direct sequel to War for Cybertron, it bears mentioning that this is the more mature, experienced and attractive evolution of its older cousin on nearly every front. I say cousin because Fall of Cybertron feels like a different game, though most characters have the same models and designs. Environments are brighter and more varied in pallet and design; story progression is more linear but caters more favourably to variety in playstyle and new mechanics; events are more epic and combat less frustrating, shorter in duration with more frequent breaks to reduce combat fatigue.



I want to gush about this game, but I have to get one - and possibly the only - gripe off my chest right now: Every cutscene has badly mixed audio! Sound effects and music blare over dialogue, which is drowned out to be incomprehensible. This may not be Shakespeare, but we did pay to hear our favourite characters' voices, so it's a disappointment when High Moon pulls off a decidedly epic starring appearance and flubs it so hard. As the cutscene audio is baked in, there's no way to make adjustments, and it just feels like the result of rushed development.

Fortunately, the rest of the game fares far better, and its high points easily compensate for minor flaws. However, before we get to those high points, why don't we traverse the battlefield specifically to know what we're dealing with? This is a story-based shooter wherein you assume the role of famous and infamous Autobots trying to escape the dying planet, Cybertron, and the Decepticons trying to enslave/destroy them. The story is presented in chapters, where you'll play one select character for some - if not all - of the duration of that chapter.

At any point during a chapter, you can and will automatically be shunted from one character to another, and the story will provide a sort of "on rails" vector for these transitions. It's quite smooth and, most of the time, entertaining to try out a new character with interesting abilities and personality. You'll begin by playing as Bumblebee for a tutorial mode to acquaint you with game mechanics, have a major run-in with the story, and then be sent on your way to play through the game to catch up to this major plot upset.



Yes, it's got one of those "oh no, that's bad" moments, but I have to say it didn't exactly have me hanging on the edge of my seat. I've seen these characters go through so much at this point that ... well ... I don't care except for what the game allows me to do about it. That's the point and a good standpoint for a game. I can't cite a single complaint about the characters I was given to play with, except for Soundwave, who was underutilized, but combat isn't exactly his forte. It could be more fun being the odd bot out, even if he is one of the coolest of the lot.

The pacing of the level design allows you to properly explore characters like Jazz, Cliffjumper, Starscream, and Megatron. There are enough recognizable Generation One story beats and recreations to endear this game to anyone looking for those cues. However, you may be disappointed by the lack of Frank Welker. Still, his replacement does a fine job as Megatron. In voice acting, the team assembled here gives as much as they can, and I am trying to remember hearing a single weak performance or false note from these industry regulars.

However, a big shift in mechanics comes in how the 'bots use abilities and upgrades. Instead of gathering floating energy bits to recharge abilities, they recharge automatically over time and can be augmented by upgrades purchased at Teletraan stores throughout your journey. You'll spend your hard-earned currency there on weapon upgrades, performance enhancements, drones, shields, and more. Anything you unlock is available to all subsequent chapters, irrespective of your character. They'll even be preserved if you play again after completing the game, which is handy.



There's even a rating system that will show you what other players think of all this, but it was wise of High Moon to omit comments. Overall, it's much easier to deal with Teletraan than hope you'll stumble into what you need because you can equip weapons you've unlocked along with all their upgrades, which is very useful. The only drawback I encountered was that it's only possible to unlock a couple of weapons and all of their upgrades fully on a single playthrough, but that may be fine for you if you plan to play through more than once.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron had to step up in a big way thanks to the accomplishments of War of Cybertron, which was a return to form for the franchise. How many Transformers games can you rattle off that had mainstream appeal before this one? It might not be aging all that well, but it brought the franchise back into gaming relevance, and that is not to be underappreciated.

High Moon took two big chances by giving us one playable Combiner and one unplayable but suitably presented Metroplex, who takes center stage in his commanded performance. Both are fun, and the latter is even awesome. Imagine being a kid and getting to play with these digital toys. Pardon me for sounding like a grizzled old man when I remark that all we had was our imagination and plastic to batter around. Not to digress too far here, but I can see how the full realization of these characters may be underwhelming compared to our imaginations - a point I made in my review of War for Cybertron.



At the end of this review, it's worth mentioning the other two modes of this game that aren't Campaign: Escalation will pit you against foes of increasing strength, while Multiplayer pits you against anyone still willing to do so. You can unlock two female Transformers to play in these modes, but unfortunately, they don't have a place in this game's story.

If you enjoyed the previous game, you'll undoubtedly fall in step quickly with the improvements made here and have a thunderously good time. I haven't even mentioned some of the most exciting cameos simply because they're worth discovering for yourself. Even so, your place in the action is assured, and your role is well defined, so I'd recommend you try this examination of Cybertron's civil war.

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Community review by hastypixels (May 22, 2019) Wisdom comes from effort and mistakes.