Transmogrify Review - The Shape Of Things To Come

Transmogrify has been both a surprise and a delight. Odyssey Entertainment’s physics puzzler has been a lot of fun in just how simple it is. And we all know that simple sometimes offers the best results, right? In this case, we have a tidy little platformer worth looking at.

This will be a brief review. That’s not a slur on gameplay, but it’s much of the same throughout, and there’s no real story to dive deep into. Again, no slur, just putting it in perspective as this is bona fide gameplay that increases in complexity as you progress.

You play a janitor named Chris. That could go on the Transmogrify poster and sell units in itself. Chris is armed with a special gun that allows them to morph some of these bizarre science experiments into useful matter that enables them to get through a stage easily. 

Transmogrify Review

On paper, the game aims to get through each stage as fast as you can, use as few shots as possible, and potentially collect all specimen collectables. Your gun is unlimited, but the fewer shots, or let’s say… moves you take, the better your bragging rights. 

There are no lives or health. Should you die, you’ll respawn, but it’ll affect your performance. Transmogrify is comparable to a twin-stick shooter in that you control Chris with the left stick or keyboard, and aim with the right or the mouse. Accuracy is fine, but jumping can be awkward, especially when you have to shoot enemies to form moving platforms.

Rather than liquify an enemy, the gun solidifies them into something tangible that will get you from A to B. Should you cock up, and you will, you can blast them again to return them to their previous form, occasionally watching out for them leaving an area, only to be blasted and then respawned by, erm… security.

Saving Grace

It’d be a lonesome job for dear Chris if it weren’t for his AI companion Grace. She’s a charmer, hovering over you in holographic form, giving nuanced expressions to show their delight or disapproval based on your actions. Like a significant other. Mine is eyeballing me and asking how many reviews I will do tonight. Last one. Then I’ll be playing another game. Maybe this again?

Yes, Transmogrify is an enjoyable game, and with the speedrun timer option, there’s plenty of opportunity for repeat plays. With tidy visuals and a decent soundtrack, I’d say it’s not such a bad thing to be a janitor in this facility. Even better, there’s a demo available on Steam, so if you think my opinion won’t sway you, try and rate it yourself. Me? I’m giving it a…