Transience

About

Transience is a single player tactical shooter game with a violence theme. It was developed by RESURGENT and was released on December 4, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Become an Accountant - a hired mercenary who keeps the books balanced by any means necessary. This time though, you are the intended target. Take a journey through New Houston in the year 2056 and follow one man's tale of redemption as he escapes Transience.

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 636 reviews

story119 positive mentions

optimization20 negative mentions

Solid and satisfying gunplay with well-executed weapon animations and customization system.
Atmosphere and art direction deliver a nostalgic cyberpunk, noir-inspired vibe with engaging sound design.
Game offers a tactical, challenging experience with options for different playstyles and a story that improves after the initial missions.

Slow and tedious pacing in the early missions with excessively long monologues and cutscenes that break immersion.
Enemy AI is inconsistent and often rudimentary, showing poor tactics, unrealistic spotting, and occasionally acting like aimbot cheaters.
Technical issues including poor optimization, frame drops during intense scenes, bugs, and lack of manual save system frustrate gameplay flow.

story
556 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
72%
7%
The story in this game is a mixed bag: it starts slow with heavy exposition and lengthy monologues that can become tiresome, but picks up after the initial missions, offering a decent noir-inspired narrative with a dystopian, corporate-controlled world. While some players find it engaging, immersive, and enjoy the character development and comic-style cutscenes, others criticize it as generic, corny, overly verbose, and sometimes confusing or poorly paced. Overall, it provides a solid backdrop for the gameplay but is unlikely to be the game's most memorable feature.
- “The story is well designed; although slow at first, it gets very good.”
- “The games story is amazing if you have an open mind to the wording; the gunplay makes me feel like John Wick but with realism meaning real thinking, snappy room clearing, and satisfying gun handling.”
- “Huge respect to BigFry and his team for delivering such a story-driven experience for the small price of 20 euros, which I think is the perfect price for what you get.”
- “Some parts of the comic strip story sections repeated information just told with different words, so I found myself not paying at some parts and still being able to follow the story.”
- “The story/writing definitely isn't this game's strong suit; it provides a decent enough context to the missions and the world, but it's pretty generic overall and can be cliché at times.”
- “The story is incredibly boring so far; I struggled to keep up with what was going on initially until I eventually just gave up trying because it's just so boring.”
gameplay
263 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
67%
6%
The gameplay offers solid gunplay, tactical shooting, and a variety of customization options, blending stealth and action elements with a generally slow, methodical pace that rewards patience. However, stealth mechanics and enemy AI are often criticized as inconsistent, underdeveloped, or easily exploitable, with light/dark visibility mechanics feeling ineffective and some frustrating design choices limiting player freedom. Despite a slow and sometimes clunky start, many players find the core combat engaging and see strong potential for refinement and expansion.
- “Gameplay mechanics are well thought-out, offering multiple ways to complete encounters using available gadgets and environmental interactions.”
- “The gameplay is solid with a nice balance between moments of stealth and guns blazing.”
- “The guns felt good, shooting enemies felt satisfying, and aside from minor bugs, the core gameplay was solid and well done.”
- “This game feels more like a tactical action game with only stealth elements added last minute; the stealth mechanics are really half-baked, especially the light/dark visibility system—it might as well not exist.”
- “Unfortunately, playing in the shadows and taking out light sources doesn't affect the game much. Although presented as helpful, enemies spot you only slightly slower in darkness, and many have flashlights or night vision goggles, making the light system underutilized and largely superficial. Using your scanner is more effective for stealth.”
- “The stealth mechanics are completely bad, and the AI has aimbot-level accuracy.”
graphics
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
59%
7%
The game's graphics feature a distinct comic-book, semi-cell-shaded art style that evokes nostalgia for titles like XIII and blends stylized and realistic elements, creating a unique but sometimes inconsistent visual tone. While many praise the art style, atmospheric lighting, and weapon models as well-executed and fitting the cyberpunk noir setting, others find the graphics dated, uneven in quality, and occasionally underwhelming compared to modern standards, with performance and cutscene visuals being noted issues. Overall, the visuals are considered solid and impressive for an indie title with a small team, though they may not appeal to everyone and sometimes suffer from technical shortcomings.
- “The graphics are gorgeous and exceeded my expectations given the price of the game (2 London beers).”
- “The environmental art style and comic book storytelling is quite decent and works to convince you of the world Transience is trying to sell you, and the weapon and accessory models find a nice balance between their real-world counterparts and stylistic creative liberties, avoiding the comically bulky guns often seen in science fiction media.”
- “The visuals are impressive, the gameplay feels great, and the amount of interactable elements in the world makes exploring genuinely fun.”
- “Graphics look straight out of an early PS3 game, in all the bad ways, while also utilizing a bunch of cheap toon shading shaders that look absolutely horrible, all mixed with the realistic tone it is going for.”
- “The cutscenes could use a remake/overhaul in terms of art style and sometimes the voicework too, making the faces more hand-drawn rather than screenshotting the cell-shaded models and using those directly would've made it cleaner.”
- “The graphics and level design are poor, most textures you are able to see individual pixels.”
optimization
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
66%
19%
Optimization for the game is highly inconsistent, with many users reporting severe performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and poor framerates even on high-end hardware, particularly during specific levels or when using scopes. While some players experienced stable and smooth performance, others noted that significant patches improved but did not fully resolve optimization problems, and lack of features like DLSS or FSR further limit performance. Overall, the game requires substantial optimization work to deliver a stable and consistent experience across different setups.
- “The game is very well optimized and runs at 130+ fps 1440p max settings.”
- “On top of that, the game ran very well on my PC with little to no hiccups in performance.”
- “The game itself is good, the concept behind it is solid, there's certainly a great amount of development behind it and it shows with the performance out of the box - at least in my case, I didn't get any performance issues - and the overall graphical fidelity of the game.”
- “Mission 6 (a simple meeting, the undersea nightclub) has some godawful stuttering, jaggies and framerate issues, sometimes going well under 20 fps, which makes no sense since I'm running a GeForce 5070ti with 32GB RAM and an Intel i9; this should be easy to max out, yet something's clearly wrong.”
- “No way, is it for real that they launched it in such an unbelievably awful optimization state?”
- “I'm genuinely shocked at how unoptimized it is—some sections run at a smooth 60+ fps, while others turn into a literal PowerPoint presentation.”
atmosphere
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, moody, and neon-lit cyberpunk vibe, often drawing comparisons to Blade Runner and Deus Ex, with standout sound design and music that enhance the experience. While some find certain aspects like dialogue or AI intrusive, the overall ambiance, level design, and art direction create a compelling, tense, and unique setting that deeply engages players.
- “Neon-soaked cyberpunk streets, perfect atmosphere and moody lighting.”
- “The atmosphere is very Blade Runner-inspired, with neon-lit environments and a strong sci-fi vibe that pulls you in.”
- “The animations, the ambiance OST, and the dark cyber style look to the atmosphere is truly unique; it's hard work and passion and it doesn't get enough appreciation and admiration it deserves.”
- “And while Big Fry did put his money where his mouth is in terms of atmosphere and passion, the AI just makes it feel somewhat like the early access slop that he has criticized so much in his career, and I hate saying that, but it's just the truth.”
- “There was clearly someone or groups of people who had a real passion when creating the guns, animation for the guns, the art style, as well as the general tonal atmosphere that comes from the music that plays throughout the missions, with occasional hiccups like a rap song randomly included that took me out of the otherwise forgettable experience that mission was.”
- “The voice acting doesn’t match the atmosphere the game is aiming for, and nothing in the introduction grabbed me or made me excited to keep going.”
music
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
45%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric, moody, and well-crafted soundtrack that enhances the cyberpunk noir vibe and mission ambiance. While generally considered solid and fitting, occasional critiques mention forgettable or poorly looping tracks and an out-of-place rap song. Overall, the soundtrack is a standout element that significantly contributes to the game's immersive atmosphere.
- “The music composer absolutely cooked a five star meal.”
- “Another thing the game does very well is the soundtrack, it is very well produced and crafted and the person that handled the soundtrack deserves some huge props for creating a great soundtrack.”
- “Atmosphere is off the charts, the soundtrack especially nails that moody, futuristic vibe perfectly.”
- “The gun sounds are all (yes all of them, though there are only like 12 guns: 3 pistols, 1 shotgun, 1 sniper that's never useful since the game can't render enemies far away, 3 ARs, and 3 SMGs) also kind of weak, like they've all got super suppressors attached, and the music is so forgettable I forgot what I thought of it.”
- “There was clearly someone or groups of people who had a real passion when creating the guns, animation for the guns, the art style, as well as the general tonal atmosphere that comes from the music that plays throughout the missions with occasional hiccups with a rap song randomly included and took me out of the otherwise forgettable experience that mission was.”
- “I took too long in the subway and the music just stopped altogether, and you can clearly hear where the songs cut and restart.”
humor
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The game features a quirky and lighthearted sense of humor showcased through funny easter eggs, witty internal monologues, amusing enemy reactions, and humorous world details like labeled snacks and clever references. Players enjoy the comedic moments in both gameplay and dialogue, though some find the humor could be stronger or more consistent. Overall, the humor adds charm and enjoyment, making exploration and encounters entertaining despite some repetitive AI behavior.
- “Full of funny easter eggs, secrets and references to things I know like Randy and Mr. Lahey from Trailer Park Boys (possibly even a Harrier Du Bois reference in there somewhere).”
- “I love the sleep darts because the way the enemies fall is so funny!”
- “A fun little cyberpunk noir-ish espionage game where the main character does these funny internal monologues.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
Replayability in the game is mixed, with some players appreciating stats, multiple approaches, and modes like holdout/horde for replay value, while others find the campaign missions repetitive, slow, or lacking in content to sustain long-term engagement. Collectibles and alternative playstyles add some incentive to replay, but repetitive dialogue and rushed final missions detract from the experience for some. Overall, replayability is decent but limited, with more appeal in post-campaign modes than the main story.
- “I appreciate that there are stats and feedback at the end of levels, providing replayability if you want to try for cleaner runs or different approaches.”
- “Seriously though, take a look at the FPS space and this game stands out as a unique entry, and despite being single player, there is some replay value between the horde mode and the different ways you can approach levels.”
- “Replayability for the campaign itself is limited, but the holdout mode appears to be where long-term potential truly lies.”
- “Why make a game at all if it has literally 0 replay value?”
- “Desperately needs more added to the missions as they are hardly replayable and can sometimes be a slog.”
- “The replay value grows stale fast, considering you start off without a suit and unmodified pistol every time you want to boot into that mode and have to go through set of oblivious enemies before the real fight can begin.”
monetization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
15%
77%
The game’s monetization is praised for avoiding typical microtransactions, loot boxes, and season passes, presenting itself as a nostalgic indie experience rather than a cash grab. However, some gameplay issues related to aiming down sights (ADS) mechanics, which affect playability and feel frustrating, have led to mixed impressions about polish and design choices, though these are not directly tied to monetization. Overall, the monetization approach is viewed positively despite some gameplay frustrations.
- “The developers describe Transience as a throwback to the old days before loot boxes, microtransactions, and season passes.”
- “It honestly feels like a cash grab.”
- “This feels less like a passion project and more like a cash grab riding nostalgia.”
- “Took me back to a time where games were more worried about building a solid experience rather than a formulaic platform for microtransactions.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often tedious and repetitive, with slow stealth sections that require replaying due to limited manual saving and low enemy ammo drops. Although the stealth-based concept and story are intriguing, the execution leads to frustrating pacing and frequent forced combat, making the grinding feel more of a chore than rewarding.
- “What would make the pacing more bearable is if I could manually save and didn't have to play a tedious section over and over again... but I can't.”
- “It's tedious to have to slowly sneak my way through a section, only to get discovered, killed, and then have to replay that section over and over again.”
- “This made the stealth feel more tedious than rewarding, and while the game doesn't really punish or reward you for being stealthy or going loud, it kind of bums me out that you get forced into open combat so often.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
88%
The game's stability is generally solid with no major game-breaking bugs and smooth performance at high frame rates, though some minor visual glitches and AI issues persist. Certain features like weapon swapping and full screen options can be buggy and slow, and save loading occasionally causes animation resets and 360-degree glitches.
- “Game runs great, solid 165 fps on my setup with no stutters or major performance issues.”
- “Swapping weapons with the scroll wheel is buggy, but no big deal.”
- “I noticed a fair amount of issues with enemy flashlights causing some visual glitches.”
- “The performance is not great, and the fullscreen options are extremely slow and buggy.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact is mixed; while the ballistics offer satisfying and immersive firearm usage, the overall delivery and inconsistent AI behavior hinder deeper emotional engagement, making the experience feel somewhat dated and less impactful.
- “When you get into the nitty-gritty of it, it's actually good, but the delivery makes it harder to get emotionally invested.”
- “This made me feel like I was playing a single-player game from the mid-2000s.”
- “The ballistics were very satisfying, immersive, and made me feel like I was really using a proper firearm.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development is primarily reflected in the solid and decent character designs, particularly notable in the distinctive enemy suits and atmospheric elements like the red and blue eyes seen from a distance, contributing well to the game's style and feel.