2064: Read Only Memories
- October 6, 2015
- MidBoss, LLC.
- 38h median play time
2064: Read Only Memories is an excellent cyberpunk adventure for anyone looking for a point-and-click title inspired by games like Snatcher. Don't forget the catchy soundtrack.
"2064: Read Only Memories" is a futuristic AI-themed adventure game set in Neo-San Francisco. Players explore the city, interact with various characters, and solve a mystery in this branching narrative. The game tackles themes of genetic alteration and the impact of virtual intelligences on society. Your choices significantly affect the story, as you navigate the social challenges of this colorful, dynamic world.
Reviews
- The game features a compelling story with well-developed characters that players can connect with emotionally.
- The pixel art style and soundtrack are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The game includes diverse representation, allowing players to choose their pronouns and featuring a variety of LGBTQ+ characters.
- The gameplay is more akin to a visual novel than a traditional point-and-click adventure, with limited interactivity and simplistic puzzles.
- Some players found the dialogue to be overly lengthy and tedious, leading to a lack of engagement in certain sections.
- The game can feel preachy at times, with heavy-handed social commentary that may detract from the overall experience.
- story875 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "2064: Read Only Memories" is a rich and engaging narrative set in a cyberpunk world, featuring a diverse cast of characters and themes of AI sentience and human rights. While some players found the pacing slow and the plot predictable, many appreciated the character development and emotional depth, with multiple endings influenced by player choices. Overall, the game is praised for its storytelling, art style, and music, making it a compelling experience for fans of narrative-driven games.
“I cannot overstate how much I love the characters and story in this game.”
“The story is rich, and the characters are captivating.”
“The story, setting, and characters are charming, with lots of quality representation.”
“The story needed to be half the play time.”
“The progression of the story is basically, go talk to this person, then they'll send you this person, and so on.”
“The writing is poor and the story is kinda boring.”
- music342 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its catchy, nostalgic, and atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack, often described as quirky and fun, features a mix of lo-fi electronic synth and retro-inspired tunes that effectively set the mood for various scenes. Additionally, the voice acting complements the music well, contributing to a polished and immersive gameplay experience.
“The lo-fi electronic synth soundtrack is thoroughly catchy and does wonders at setting the mood for the story and gameplay, while the game’s pixel art screams nostalgia.”
“The music is fantastic, easily the best part of this game.”
“The soundtrack is awesome and has great variety.”
“On the other hand, the soundtrack is not fantastic, and the atmosphere is a bit bland.”
“At some point I decided to turn it off due to many repetitive sounds I couldn't stand and played instead VA-11 Hall-A's soundtrack in the background which fits surprisingly well into the game.”
“Having said that, the music is one of the better things in this game.”
- graphics287 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by charming pixel art that effectively captures a retro-futuristic aesthetic, appealing to fans of 80s and 90s anime and cyberpunk themes. While some players appreciate the nostalgic visuals and vibrant character designs, others find the graphics occasionally difficult to read, particularly in more complex scenarios. Overall, the art style is praised for its creativity and attention to detail, contributing significantly to the game's immersive experience.
“The pixel art aesthetic really works for the game and has clearly been designed by people who know what good pixel art looks like.”
“The graphics give the game a very pleasant look, everything being colorful and nice, a refreshing step out of the typical dystopian future look of cyberpunk stories.”
“The overall visual aesthetic and soundtrack of the game is both pleasing to look at and hear, furthering the immersion into the game world.”
“To be honest, the visuals aren’t the strongest part of the game.”
“If you are used to modern graphics, there really aren’t a lot to admire about the graphics.”
“The only complaint I have relates to the late 1980s EGA graphics aesthetic.”
- gameplay242 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay in this title is primarily a point-and-click adventure with minimal mechanics, focusing heavily on narrative and dialogue rather than complex puzzles or challenges. While some players appreciate the retro graphics and story-driven experience, many criticize the simplistic gameplay and lack of meaningful interaction, particularly in the final chapters where mechanics feel disconnected and less engaging. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy visual novels and narrative-rich games, but may disappoint players seeking more substantial gameplay elements.
“I just love the retro graphics, and the simple gameplay style.”
“Excellent gameplay with LGBTQ themes and very thought-provoking when it comes to bodily autonomy, AI, and what it means to be alive.”
“The soundtrack is genuinely nice to listen to, the characters are charming and unique, the gameplay is fun enough to keep it from becoming a monotonous cycle of dialogue, the art style is cute and nice to look at, and the story is really enjoyable.”
“The gameplay elements are few and very simplistic, not up to any real adventure standards: click here, click there ... the inventory is basically useless/unnecessary ...”
“What gameplay there is feels largely circumstantial and adds very little to the overall experience - I would even argue they detract from some of the things the game does right.”
“The final chapter features a lengthy portion of gameplay that comes out of nowhere and doesn't feel like a test of skill or intelligence.”
- humor80 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging characters, and a mix of quirky, feel-good silliness that resonates with players. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to elicit genuine laughter through witty dialogue and amusing interactions with objects, while also balancing emotional depth and thought-provoking themes. Overall, the humor is seen as a significant aspect that enhances the exploration and narrative experience, though some moments may not always align with the story's tone.
“Loved the humor, from puns to meta to feel-good silliness.”
“The writing in that game was so real; the game was so instantly immersive and consistently gripping throughout, and the writing struck a perfect balance between touching, deep, and hilarious.”
“Additionally, the at times side-splittingly hilarious dialogue responses which occur when interacting with objects make it so worth clicking on everything and trying everything out.”
- emotional50 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its emotional depth, with players reporting strong connections to the characters and impactful storytelling that elicits tears and mixed emotions. The combination of a compelling soundtrack, engaging writing, and immersive visuals enhances the emotional experience, making it a standout in the genre. Many reviewers noted that the game successfully balances humor and heartache, leaving a lasting emotional impact long after playthroughs.
“The soundtrack slaps incredibly well, the characters are original and actually drive the story, the latter despite the usual underdogs vs the big ones is incredibly emotional and refined, pairing that with brilliant voice acting and the charismatic chiptune graphics results in a game that is truly a ride.”
“In half a play-through it jumped to one of my favorite games, and by the time it was over, all it did was leave me an emotional wreck, and wanting more.”
“This game made me cry about robots and now I can't play the bad ending because I can't be mean to these characters, I just can't.”
- atmosphere48 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging cyberpunk and retro sci-fi elements, complemented by a nostalgic art style and an evocative soundtrack. Many players appreciate the depth of the characters and the inclusive themes, which enhance the overall experience, although some note that the atmosphere can feel bland at times. Overall, it successfully creates a captivating environment that encourages exploration and emotional connection, making it a standout feature of the game.
“My favorite thing is the sci-fi / cyberpunk atmosphere and the little details of how things could be in the future.”
“This nostalgic visual style is complemented with a tight 80’s synth inspired soundtrack by 2 Mello that provides an atmospheric backdrop to the locations and a sense of personality to the characters you meet during your journey.”
“The game's inclusiveness feels natural and gives it a pleasant and also personalized atmosphere.”
“On the other hand, the soundtrack is not fantastic, and the atmosphere is a bit bland.”
“The game's atmosphere reminds me of the days when playing Snatcher on Sega CD or even Frederik Pohl's Gateway.”
“You come here for the atmosphere of the future - not for controls.”
- character development24 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Character development is a standout aspect of the game, particularly highlighted through well-crafted characters like Turing, who exhibit clear motives and relatable traits. While the visuals and character designs are praised for their vibrancy and artistic quality, some players feel that the overall plot lacks depth, leaving certain character arcs underexplored. Despite these criticisms, many reviewers express a strong attachment to the characters, indicating that the development is engaging enough to evoke a desire for more.
“The middle chapters, 2-5, were pretty great, a typical cyberpunk novel storyline quite well-executed, with branching choices, good character development, and some nice commentary.”
“I find that it's very well done; descriptions of things in the vicinity give you plenty of world-building, making it easily accessible yet non-invasive. I love all the character designs; the characters all feel very human with clear motives that line up with their actions.”
“The ending, while good, did leave some threads I wanted tied up, although the majority of these were about wanting more character development, so it is kind of a mixed blessing of being attached to some characters.”
“The ending, while good, I did feel left some threads I wanted tied up (although the majority of these were of me wanting to have more character development, so it is kind of a mixed blessing of being attached to some characters).”
“I find that it's very well done; descriptions of things in the vicinity give you plenty of world-building, making it easily accessible yet non-invasive. However, I'm not sure if there's multiple endings. I love all the character designs, but I wish there was more depth to their development.”
“While the character designs are appealing, I felt that the character development was lacking, leaving me wanting more depth and connection with the characters.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive dialogue and the inability to skip conversations, which detracts from replayability. While the story is engaging initially, multiple playthroughs to achieve different endings can feel laborious, especially given the game's relatively short length. Additionally, puzzles often require either straightforward solutions or frustrating trial-and-error, contributing to the overall sense of tedium.
“The story is great the first time through, but it does get tedious after going through the lectures for the fifth time trying to get all the achievements.”
“At $20 it seems a bit overpriced, considering the length (excluding replays, which I'm not too interested in... 5ish hours for a different ending is too tedious for me).”
“You can't really skip over the dialogue or anything, and so it's tedious if you've read it already.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a mixed experience in terms of replayability. While many players appreciate the engaging story and the potential for multiple endings and hidden achievements, some find the process of obtaining these endings to be tedious, which can detract from the overall replay value. Despite this, several users express a desire to replay the game, indicating that it still holds significant appeal for multiple playthroughs.
“I'll be replaying it again soon for all those juicy hidden achievements, great replay value!”
“It's got a lot of replayability; I still don't have all of the endings and achievements, and I've played it 3-4 times.”
“Some may take issue with this as it reduces the replayability of it, but I think in this case it wasn’t a matter of lazy design but rather to give the developers the most control over the exact experience they wanted you to have.”
“A lot of fun with an engaging story, even if it doesn't have a lot of replay value.”
“My one complaint is that replayability to get the different endings is a chore, which is why I haven't gotten them all yet.”
“Some may take issue with this as it reduces the replayability, but I think in this case it wasn’t a matter of lazy design but rather to give the developers the most control over the exact experience they wanted you to have.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezing that renders it unplayable for many users. Additionally, the interface is reported to be buggy, further detracting from the overall experience.
“I can't keep playing this game; it freezes every few seconds, making it completely unplayable.”
“The interface is buggy; the puzzles are simple; the dialogue is often very long-winded; the plot doesn't really deliver any of the serious commentary or big reveals that the cybernoir genre thrives on.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's voice acting features a diverse cast of talented actors, including notable cameos, but the quality varies significantly, with some performances being exceptional while others fall short. Overall, the voice work contributes positively to the narrative experience, despite the inconsistency.
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is perceived as significantly lacking, with comparisons made to outdated and insensitive marketing tactics, suggesting a disconnect with modern consumer expectations.
Critic Reviews
2064: Read Only Memories Review
2064: Read Only Memories is an excellent cyberpunk adventure for anyone looking for a point-and-click title inspired by games like Snatcher. Don't forget the catchy soundtrack.
90%2064: Read Only Memories Review - Edited Memories
2064: Read Only Memories is a fantastic update to the original game that tells a noteworthy story with some great characters supported by mostly good voice acting. There are just a few sour spots that drag down the game and stop it from connecting like it should.
75%A lot to do in 2064: Read Only Memories
2064: Read Only Memories is a free expansion to the original game, available on Steam for $19.99. With a cyber-punk setting and a retro vibe, Read Only Memories is filled with a host of interesting and colorful characters to get to know, a complex and escalating mystery to navigate, puzzles to solve, and a sinister plot or two to overthrow, making it a great investment for fans of the point-and-click adventure genre.
85%