"You got on the Camerata's shortlist. More than just a name to them now." -- Unknown
Red is one of the two main protagonists of Transistor.
A well-known performing artist who has never missed a show, Red lives at Apartment 3, Terrace Apartments, Terrace Plaza, in Cloudbank's Highrise district. She is a fan of the Highrise Hammers and enjoys Sea Monster flatbread from Junction Jan's. She has frequently performed at the Empty Set.
After a terrifying incident ocurred, she eventually formed a partnership with Unknown, who resided inside a weapon called the Transistor, to stop the Camerata and acted as one of the two heroes in the story.
Red's vocals were provided by Kristin Wilson, who also provided voice work for Sybil Reisz. Her singing voice was provided by Ashley Barrett.
Backstory[]
Red was a popular singer in the city of Cloudbank. Before the events of the game, she was attacked by the Camerata in an effort to kill her and steal her voice. She was protected by Unknown, and was mysteriously teleported across the city in the middle of the assassination attempt. She awakens from a brief unconsciousness and finds a powerful weapon, the eponymous Transistor, which she then uses to fight the Process. She eventually forms a partnership with the weapon, seeing it as more of a companion than a tool.
Appearance[]
Red has deep red hair and bright blue eyes. At the time of her attack by the Camerata, she was wearing a gold dress with a large feathered collar, a plunging neckline, and moderate cleavage. The waistband of her dress is black and features a gold and yellow triangle in the center. She wears a gold, triangle-shaped ring, yellow nail polish, and heeled black boots with gold accents. After she acquires the Transistor and begins to fight, she makes her outfit more suitable for movement and combat by tearing her dress to above her knee, breaking the heels off of her boots, and donning a dark black overcoat with a yellow triangle symbol on the back, acquired from Unknown.
Her outfit contains multiple equilateral triangles, specifically on the breast area of the dress and on her ring. Equilateral triangles are also prominent throughout the design of the rest of the world.
After The Process "took away [her] voice", Red was unable to speak or sing with words, though she was still able to hum, strangely enough.
Trace[]
Her trace is the Crash() file, which makes enemies vulnerable. It is unique in that it came simply from her voice, not her entire being, unlike the rest of the traces.
Function Files[]
Background[]
Ranked in the top percentile of Cloudbank's contemporary performing artists for five years, Red demonstrated early interest in music despite studying at Traverson Hall. Traverson groomed many of the city's most ambitious civic planners, though Red spent the majority of her time developing the academy's nascent arts program, and was the first on record to select two nontraditional disciplines. Records indicate she was reluctant to explain, citing personal reasons. She remained reticent even after gaining the spotlight, and when asked about her past and influences, would often say her work spoke for itself. She did admit, however, that she never wrote her music with intent to stir controversy.
Career[]
To appreciate the impact of Red's music, consider first the current state of Cloudbank's social climate and how it evolved over the past two decades. When an altercation finally erupted in the crowd during one of her performances, it was the first such incident in four years. It escalated to the point where administrators were summoned to the scene. As one of the suspects was banned from the premises, he accused Red of being an instigator and provocateur. Red later stated it was in this moment that she fully understood the potent effect her music had on people. She decided to take certain precautions from that point, receding from the spotlight to compose new material in relative privacy. Rumors swirled. Then, once she finally re-emerged, trouble followed.
Disappearance[]
The Camerata found her one night once the crowds dispersed after one of her performances. They had reason to believe that she would be alone, rehearsing said new material. But she was not alone, and the presence of another individual disrupted aspects of the Camerata's plan for the night. Red survived the incident, becoming separated from the Camerata due to these unforeseen events on their part. Although her trace data remains intact, partial transfer did occur, including transfer of ownership status of something the Camerata believed theirs.
Legacy[]
Red, 27, Mourned as 'Process' Toll Climbs
Vigil held for popular musician after she vanished in the week's catastrophic outbreak.
IN MEMORY
One of Cloudbank's most influential voices has gone silent amid the 'Process' epidemic spreading through the city unchecked. Red became active as a musician from a young age, though her popularity surged in recent years, as her songs consistently charted in the top tenth percentile for the past five years according to OVC data. While Red is but one of thousands of disappearances this week, thousands more gathered to honor her life and her music on the eastern perimeter, as the sound of her voice cut through the darkness.
Trivia[]
- Red is the only character other than Olmarq to be listed with a single name, possibly a professional alias, rather than a given name and surname.
- Unknown describes Red as having an excellent memory, always having a plan, being able to take care of herself just fine, and having been loved by everyone except the Camerata.
- Various songs on the soundtrack are attributed directly to Red as her own works, in-universe. These include We All Become, In Circles, Paper Boats, and The Spine.
- Posters of Red appear on walls throughout Cloudbank. Red can stop to look at some in Goldwalk Plaza, which have been there for 48 days. Later, several Snapshots surround the wall of posters, taking pictures of them and ignoring Red unless provoked.
- In the process of integrating Unknown, a subject who had no records on file whatsoever, Red's voice was also integrated (as evidenced by her function, Crash() being a part of the Transistor.) It's likely that the Transistor malfunctioned due to not knowing how to properly integrate a subject that wasn't on record, instead partially integrating the person closest to him at the site of integration. This is also likely the reason why Red and Unknown are teleported far away from the Empty Set, though in unused dialogue Royce Bracket explains that one side effect of killing someone with the Transistor is that the device itself will "take you away - wherever you are, it'll take you away."
- In throwing the Transistor at Red, Grant inadvertently ceded User access to it, losing control of the Process and leaving himself vulnerable to it. Upon retrieving the Transistor from Unknown's body, Red inadvertently signed in as its new User, with the site where she laid hands on it later designated "User Sign-In Site." Unlike all the other Trace Banks inside the Transistor, whose occupants are listed by name, Red's Trace Bank is labeled CURRENT_USER.
- Red's name likely comes from the color of her hair, but this is not confirmed.
- When Unknown is in the Transistor and unaffected by the Spine, he can see Red "where the sky should be."
- A chryon associated with a news post by Amelia Garbur, dated 06-27-67 at 05:04, reads, "Performing Artist Red Unreachable After Empty Set Incident." Despite Red's public comments at various terminals, her survival is not noted by the OVC; a later post by Garbur, timestamped 06-27-67 at 09:08, details a vigil held in her honor.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Ashley Barrett, who provides Red's singing voice, was also the voice of Zia in Supergiant's previous game, Bastion.
- Red's Steam trading card reads, "When asked about her past and influences, she would often say her work spoke for itself."
Gallery[]
