2012 | High Moon Studios | Playstation 3
This review contains spoilers for Transformers: War for Cybertron
After War for Cybertron placed me on the edge of the rabbit hole, Fall of Cybertron was the one to pull me through the looking glass and showed me how deep it goes. The second installment in the Cybertron trilogy came as more than a pleasant surprise, as High Moon Studios has gone above and beyond to improve upon the first game. Most of my criticisms towards the first have been checked off the list (you can read more on that here) and what I was left with was an experience that made me, in an off-key and unapolegetic falsetto, pipe along to Stan Bush’s The Touch as soon as the credits started rolling. It’s a breath of fresh air, even contrasted by the previous installment, with the game providing an absolute spectacle of the highest order. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is, in short, a grand crescendo of a song that has been building up tension for over two decades, and delivers on a finale that’s akin to the most bombastic of firework shows. I don’t think I need to explicitly state that this is my favorite Transformers title, but I will tell you why it is!
Fall of Cybertron picks up right at the tail end of War for Cybertron. With Megatron succesfully corrupting the core of Cybertron with Dark Energon and his trump card, Trypticon, laying soundly defeated on the decaying planet’s surface, the Autobots are now faced with the challenge of evacuating as many Cybertronians as possible. The planet is rapidly becoming unable to support life and to ensure the survival of the Cybertronians, the Autobots built a massive space ship to evacuate the remaining population with, known as the Ark. The Decepticons, however — Megatron in particular — will stop at nothing to ensure the total submission of the Autobots. The game opens up with the Decepticons staging a large scale assault on the escaping Ark. On the hull of which Optimus and Megatron duke it out as a last ditch effort to either save or destroy the Autobots. Megatron nearly manages to kill the distracted Optimus, but is saved by Bumblebee jumping in front of the shot, sacrificing himself for the Autobot leader. Unlike the previous title, in which the campaigns were freely selectable, Fall of Cybertron intertwines the stages for the Autobots and Decepticons. This gives the game an incredible tug of war dynamic, where you try to fend off the Decepticon onslaught as the Autobots in one stage, and do the slaughtering as the Decepticons in the next. The entire game revolves around the Autobots trying to find a way to get themselves, and the All-Spark, off-planet, while the Decepticons mercilessly try to hunt them down.
After the grand cinematic opening we flash back to the Ark being under siege by the Decepticons prior to takeoff. With the Energon supplies under attack, Optimus Prime and the Autobots stage a large scale defensive operation. Megatron used the Decepticon flagship, Nemesis, to attack the storage silo’s that contain the fuel for the Ark. Immediately the stakes feel incredibly high, and the scope equally grand, with hundreds of Decepticons pouring onto the Ark. In a desperate bit to salvage what remains of the Energon, Optimus takes to the front line. During this sequence of events we get the coolest introduction to my favorite Transformer in the roster. While mounting an artillery weapon, Optimus stumbles into a chamber containing a spark core. After pulling a lever he unintentionally awakens the city sized Metroplex that serves as a massive pillar to the defense of the Autobots, as well as the stupidly satisfying patty caking of Megatron. The Decepticon leader gets the serious short end of the stick during Metroplex’s rampage through the Decepticon hordes, as he gets compacted into a pancake of scrap by the titan. With the battle won, Megatron decommissioned, and Starscream taking control of the Decepticons, the Autobots are left with an Ark without a means to fuel it. The remainder of the story intertwines the search for the missing Dinobots, a new source of energon, Starscreams rule over the Decepticons, the creation of the flagship Nemesis, and the inevitable resurrection of Megatron.
The game doesn’t shy away from weaving these many plot points into a satisfying 8 to 10 hour experience, while still delivering on an extremely satisfying conclusion.
The way the story is divided into less of an even split, but rather a chronological tale told from multiple perspectives, improves the overall pacing of the narrative presented. The characters we get to follow get a much larger spotlight shone on them, allowing for them to really flourish throughout the game. Megatron’s deep-rooted, obsessive nature allows players to really experience the depths of his spiteful personality, but the game also doesn’t shy away from challenging this authority through interactions with the rest of the Decepticon cast. Even Starscream gets a lot of time to shine, as well as a very goofy crown and statue. Fall of Cybertron drastically improves the feeling of individuality with the, frankly, large cast, and still manages to provide each character with a sufficiently satisfying amount of screen time. The move away from the 50:50 split from the first game was the right move for this entry, as it also makes for a much more cohesive story. Instead of flashing back and forth or having a narrative that develops into a problem you then have to resolve, feels more enjoyable and offers higher intensities and momentum for the narrative. This trajectory opens the way for a massive finale that is honestly so cool that the only way you can end it is with the iconic theme from the Transformers movie from 1986.
When compared to Transformers: War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron does an astonishing job at improving upon every criticism I had in that review. When viewed on its own, however, the game holds up as a phenomenal action spectacle with polished gameplay, satisfying shooting and marvelously grand action sequences. One of the leading criticisms I had when playing War for Cybertron was the readability of the game as a whole. The Decepticons did an especially good job at blending into the environment with the purple colors being somewhat muted and drab. This led to me frequently losing track of enemies as their camo index exceeded 100% between all the mechanical infrastructure. Fall of Cybertron feels incredibly vibrant in contrast, with characters popping off of the screen in their more cartoon accurate color palettes. Not only did this greatly enhance the already fantastic design for each individual Transformer, but it also makes them pop out of the environment a lot better. This goes for all the named characters, as well as the John Decepticons, and Archie Autobots among the crowds (referring to the grunts). It gave each character a greater sense of individuality, and with them no longer being part of a generalized class, allowed the developers to explore each character’s ability a lot more. In the previous installment there wasn’t a whole lot of difference between playing as Megatron and Barricade (Steve Blum’s performance is dearly missed as Barricade, but can still be heard as the ever awesome Shockwave).
It’s not just the characters that received a heavily contrasted overhaul. The environments also come in a surprisingly large variety. While there is still plenty of in-door action to go about, a lot of the fighting now takes place in more open areas, as well as during the day. As a result, the total package feels incredibly vibrant in comparison to its contemporary shades of brown and gray that permeated through this era of game design. It also gives the game the added benefit of scale. In the previous installment it was quite difficult to get a full grasp of the true scope of Cybertron, as most of the stages took place in enclosed spaces. With the game opening up a lot more, it allows us as players to experience the true scale of the Transformer planet. The new environments also allow for a richer abundance of variety for gameplay. A lot of the playable characters now have dedicated abilities that provide unique methods of interacting with the stages. Such as Cliffjumper’s cloaking ability, which turns the stage into a stealth mission, or Jazz’s grappling hook allowing you to quickly traverse the crumbling ruins of the Sea of Rust. The changes made by High Moon Studios to focus more on the abilities of the individual Transformers also compliments the gameplay variety incredibly well.
If there is one thing I will absolutely have to hand to High Moon Studios, it’s that they nailed the shooting in Fall of Cybertron. Most of the game operates at the scale of the Transformers, meaning that a hand cannon may seem imposing, but in the hands of someone like Optimus or Megatron, these seem like the equivalent of a pea shooter. So, to prevent the game from feeling floaty and unimpactful, the developers put an even greater emphasis on the impact of shots and the sound design surrounding it. Heavy cannons will shake the screen and send enemies scattering into bolts and other bits of metal with a heavy mix of good explosion sounds and screeching metal. The smaller, but faster weapons provide a similar sensation that does the scale and caliber of the guns justice. The greater emphasis on the gunplay does come at the cost of the transformation mechanic. This mechanic allows you to swap between humanoid and vehicular form with the press of a button. It’s incredibly satisfying to do, and also feels a lot snappier and mobile than its War for Cybertron counterpart, but lacks a reason to use it outside of a few edge cases. I will say that this is also largely influenced by my own playstyle, but a lot of the levels feel less accommodating to actually use the mechanic at all. You’re frequently navigating small platforms, corridors and generally enclosed spaces. It does make the moments that put vehicular combat in the front and center feel thrilling and fresh.
Even without comparing Transformers: Fall of Cybertron to the first game, it feels as perfect as a Transformers game can be. High Moon Studios shows time and time again that they have a deep passion for not just delivering on a solid shooter experience, but an authentic and intriguing Transformers experience. There is a deep rooted understanding of the source material, and what it entails to make every character feel unique and satisfying, whilst adhering to the core of that character. As a result Fall of Cybertron feels like much more than just a strong entry into the franchise, it feels like a well written, passionately driven love letter to a deeply loved brand. When directly compared to War for Cybertron you can clearly see the steep line of improvement that breathes new life into an already strong foundation. The narrative is structured in a way that allows the player to get invested in both sides, and still have the luxury of picking one before the end credits. The tweaked visuals pop off the screen and paint Cybertron in a beautifully vibrant light that makes the characters shine much brighter than the duller tones that were used in the first game. I’m a bit sad that the transforming mechanic isn’t as important as with War for Cybertron, but the game more than makes up for it with incredible sections as Bruticus, Grimlock and Metroplex. As a kid who used to stuff his G1 Metroplex toy in his backpack with every chance he got, this game speaks to me in a language I understand (and I’m liking what I’m hearing). The soundtrack does a fantastic job at elevating the dramatic tension at the right moments, with some classics taking center stage during pivotal plot sequences. Overall Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a game that is loved as much by its fans as it is by its creators, and I’m adding myself to the list of fans. With the recent news that the games are coming back to select platforms, now would be the ideal time to try to see if you can make it to that list yourself!
Till all are one/10
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