Transiruby

About

Transiruby is a single player hack and slash game with fantasy, kids and science fiction themes. It was developed by ESQUADRA,inc. and was released on December 9, 2021. It received very positive reviews from players.

Explore the mysteries of an unknown land! Transiruby is a metroidvania game where you explore the world as a cyborg protagonist named Siruby. Slash and shoot your way to reveal its hidden secrets!

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91%

Audience ScoreBased on 152 reviews

music37 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

Charming pixel art and well-crafted, catchy soundtrack with an excellent FM synthesis DLC option.
Smooth, tight controls and satisfying gameplay combining metroidvania exploration, light puzzles, and platforming.
Engaging level design with interesting secrets, varied environments, and enjoyable bosses, suitable for casual players and speedrunning.

Excessive and sometimes tedious backtracking with a confusing, difficult-to-read map and limited fast travel options.
Collectathon progression gating requiring 100% item collection to advance can lead to frustration and aimless wandering.
Combat is very easy and simplistic, with some bosses and puzzles lacking challenge or depth, reducing replay value for hardcore players.

music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
34%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic, chiptune and FM synthesis style, creating a fitting retro atmosphere and complementing the pixel art well. However, many note the soundtrack's limited variety and repetition, which can become tiresome without the optional music DLC that offers enhanced and more diverse tracks. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong and enjoyable aspect that helps elevate the game’s charm despite its brevity.
- “The strong suits of the game are excellent artwork, a stellar soundtrack, and engaging puzzles.”
- “Some of the things I liked about Transiruby were the tight yet responsive controls, the game’s OST is amazing. The FM synthesis styled music slaps hard; Misoka did a brilliant arrangement of the music.”
- “The FM synth music pack is totally worth it; it sounds amazing, truly some blast processing going on with these FM synthesis songs.”
- “The game has little music variation and only one soundtrack that you'll be listening to for 95% of the game.”
- “Add more music variation, or else the main track becomes less cheerful and cute, and more of a migraine inducing tune.”
- “I quickly solved this with YouTube, but if I need to use a 3rd party to tolerate your game's music, there's a problem.”
story
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
6%
The story in the game is generally viewed as simple, lighthearted, and not a primary focus, serving more as charming window dressing to complement the gameplay. While it features a cute protagonist and quirky characters, it lacks depth, complexity, and significant plot development, with many players describing it as reminiscent of "Cave Story" but less compelling or memorable. Overall, the narrative provides a pleasant backdrop but offers little in the way of meaningful lore or engaging storytelling.
- “The art and story are charming, the core gameplay and lite resource management for your ammo/health kept me engaged, and there are a couple of nice surprises.”
- “I have mixed feelings on the writing and story, but despite sometimes feeling it tries a little too hard to be quirky, the overall tone is cute and charming.”
- “In terms of its story I would say it’s relatively simple on the surface: Siruby has to explore a mysterious continent which has suddenly appeared, meets a colorful cast of characters, and kills the evil bad thing. I like how there is some background lore and explanations, like how Siruby is using a customized frame of Hinome or how the mother Dramos is the creator of all universes, which explains why Dramoses appear in every Skipmore game.”
- “While the gameplay and exploration flow are apparently competently put together, that is the only positive thing I can possibly say about Transiruby, because somebody clearly took the day off when it came to telling the story – you learn nothing truly definitive whatsoever about the story that supposedly exists throughout the entire game.”
- “The problem is that despite the amount of work that went into the character designs, there is nothing much to the story other than a few chuckles here and there.”
- “I expected there to be more story and action in regards to the characters you meet, and the protagonist wanting to return to her home ship in space.”
gameplay
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
59%
10%
The gameplay of Transiruby is generally described as simple, accessible, and fun, combining exploration, platforming, and light puzzles with a satisfying combo and freeze gun mechanic. While the combat and challenges tend to be on the easier side and the progression quite linear, the game offers tight controls, clever level design, and enjoyable mechanics that keep it engaging despite some repetitiveness and occasional frustration. Overall, it’s a charming, straightforward metroidvania experience that appeals to fans of the genre but doesn't innovate heavily or present deep complexity.
- “The maps themselves are very dense and riddled with secrets and the game strikes a good balance between platforming and combat - the combat generally feels a little easy, even, with how overpowered your downstab is, but ehh, it's fun, and the tradeoff mechanic of freezing enemies for health pickups or killing unfrozen enemies to get more gun ammo is really smart.”
- “Some of the things I liked about Transiruby were the tight yet responsive controls, the game’s OST is amazing like seriously the FM synthesis styled music slaps hard, Misoka did a brilliant arrangement of the music, the simple yet beautiful pixel art and the overall gameplay itself with it also having some puzzle sections which really test you if you’re not paying attention to your surroundings which I must admit is pretty satisfying to solve, kinda taking a page out of Fairune’s puzzle design.”
- “The last level is a bit manic in its design, incorporating some interesting map design with more complicated puzzles, a few homages to other classic games like Raiden and Donkey Kong before transitioning back and forth between a bullet hell and the original gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is somehow both dull and tedious.”
- “And the most frustrating and boring mechanic was definitely charging up the gun.”
- “The game funnels you along such a linear path that while each level gives you a bit of that exploration gameplay that underlies most metroidvania, most of the time it doesn’t.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
50%
9%
The game features beautiful and polished pixel art graphics with a charming, cave story–inspired aesthetic that is widely praised for its detailed spritework, varied backgrounds, and expressive character portraits. While visually pleasing and artistically solid, the graphics emphasize simplicity and complement the lighthearted, cute atmosphere of the gameplay. Overall, the visuals are a standout element, enhancing the game's appeal despite some critiques of other aspects.
- “The art style / spritework is absolutely exquisite, and the gameplay / combat is nice and tight.”
- “+ Visuals are great – even inside one level there are different areas with their own moods, rooms don't feel repetitive, and the spritework is simply gorgeous.”
- “The artstyle fits the simplicity of the game, yeah, we may have seen a lot of pixel graphics lately, but it goes really well here, and there's some "artistic liberties" (in other words, not limited to the capabilities of the NES), so background elements glow and in general look pretty nice to look at.”
- “The pixel art style reminds me of Cave Story, but the combat feels too easy, with an overpowered downward strike that ruins the experience.”
- “While the artwork and music are fantastic, the graphics are overshadowed by a confusing map system and aimless wandering, taking the game back to frustrating Metroidvania days that many developers have since improved on.”
- “Though the art design is pleasing in its pixel-art aesthetic, the visuals lack innovation and rely heavily on common tropes without much distinction.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and dull, largely due to frequent backtracking and repetitive farming of respawning enemies. Limited shortcuts and unclear maps exacerbate the monotony, making required tasks feel more like a chore than engaging gameplay.
- “Tedious backtracking is a staple of the metroidvania genre, but that's all this title has to offer.”
- “I ran into a few situations where I had to run back and forth farming the infinitely respawning enemies to charge my gun to open a door.”
- “The backtracking to grab something you missed or couldn't get before is both tedious and required.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a strong and memorable element, highlighted by the witty banter between the two main characters and amusing boss encounters. While some side characters lack depth, the dialogue often delivers charming and playful moments, particularly through character contrasts and lighthearted jabs. Overall, the game balances a simple story with a humoristic tone that enhances the experience.
- “In spite of a somewhat spotty translation, the banter between the two main characters was endearing and funny, and definitely one of the more memorable parts of the game for me.”
- “The story is simple but enjoyable, the bosses are interesting and at times pretty funny, and the dialogue is pretty funny too.”
- “There was also that kitsune astronaut lady with a very cute design that completely contrasts her frankly egotistical personality while trying to act all mysterious, and how Siruby takes jabs at her egotistical personality is funny.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Character development is minimal to nonexistent, with characters having little meaningful dialogue or growth. However, the charming and detailed character designs, along with some fun writing, provide enough appeal to make the experience enjoyable for those seeking light exploration.
- “All that with some amazingly cute character designs and fun writing make Transiruby an easy recommend for folks looking for an exploration itch scratcher.”
- “Character designs are incredibly interesting, but sometimes they're reused as recolors for other characters.”
- “Characters meet and talk without ever saying anything of intrigue, and character development is totally non-existent.”
- “The problem is that despite the amount of work that went into the character designs, there is nothing much to the story other than a few chuckles here and there.”
- “The character designs and dialogue, while minimal, had a certain charm about them that left me wanting more.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers moderate replayability, encouraged by achievements like time-based challenges that motivate multiple playthroughs. However, unskippable cutscenes and slow segments slightly hinder the experience. Despite a short overall runtime, it balances content well to avoid feeling too brief or repetitive.
- “There are three achievements for finishing under a time limit, which motivate you to play the game again even if you don't plan to 100% it.”
- “Despite its short runtime, the game feels replayable and doesn't wear itself out, making it likely I'll play it again in the future.”
- “There are only a few gripes holding back replayability and speedrunning, such as unskippable cutscenes and slow 'door opening' segments.”
- “There are only a few gripes that hold me back for replayability and speedrunning, such as unskippable cutscenes and the slow 'door opening' segments.”
- “I'd say there is some replayability—for instance, there are three achievements for finishing under the time limit to motivate you to play the game again even if you don't plan to 100% it.”
- “It does run a bit short, though I think it does a lot in its short runtime so that it doesn't feel too short and doesn't wear itself out either. Again, I find it hard to complain, especially given how replayable it feels, something I'll likely do in the future.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a fun, lighthearted, and cheerful atmosphere that is well-executed and enhances the overall experience. The soundtrack, particularly the FM music DLC, is highly praised for fitting the game's vibe perfectly. Overall, the atmosphere strikes a good balance, contributing to enjoyable and engaging gameplay.
- “Fun and lighthearted Metroidvania with a very nice and cheerful atmosphere.”
- “Get the FM music DLC; it's stunningly good and fits the game's atmosphere very well.”
- “Very nicely done and atmospheric; the difficulty is balanced—not too difficult but not too easy.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Stability in Transiruby is enhanced by simple, reliable mechanics like the freezing bullet attack and versatile movement options, ensuring smooth and consistent gameplay without unnecessary complexity.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users generally describe the optimization as focused on performance, indicating that the game runs smoothly and efficiently without major issues.