Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER

72%
Game Brain Score Based on 123 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER Game Cover
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In "Read Only Memories: Neurodiver," play as ES88, a psychic agent for MINERVA, using the Neurodiver tool to dive into people's memories and uncover the mystery behind the elusive Golden Butterfly. This game offers a fresh adventure in the colorful sci-fi world of Neo-San Francisco, inviting newcomers and series veterans alike to explore a thrilling, original story with a diverse cast of characters. Embrace your psychic abilities to unravel the conspiracy threatening Neo-San Francisco.

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Reviews

72%
Audience ScoreBased on 123 reviews
story41 positive mentions
grinding1 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning pixel art, excellent voice acting, and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The story, while shorter than its predecessor, is engaging and introduces new characters alongside familiar faces, providing a nostalgic connection for fans of the original.
  • The gameplay is streamlined and accessible, making it a delightful visual novel experience that is easy to enjoy.
  • The game feels rushed and lacks depth, with many plot points and character developments left unexplored, leading to a sense of incompleteness.
  • Puzzles are often trial-and-error based and can feel unsatisfying, with limited interactivity compared to the more complex mechanics of the original game.
  • The overall length is significantly shorter than expected, leaving players wanting more content and a more substantial narrative payoff.
  • story120 mentions

    The story of "Neurodiver" is generally well-received for its engaging characters, beautiful art, and strong voice acting, but many players feel it falls short compared to its predecessor, "2064: Read Only Memories." While some appreciate the emotional depth and intriguing plot, others criticize its linearity, rushed pacing, and reliance on returning characters, leading to a sense of incompleteness and missed potential. Overall, it is seen as a charming side story with a compelling premise, but many hope for further development or expansion in the future.

    • “For me, the story absolutely landed and ended in a satisfying way, and I hope there is a chance I can spend more time with these characters in the future.”
    • “The story was awesome as well, had a really interesting plot and the ending was very impactful, gotta be one of my favorite ones in games ever.”
    • “The emotional core of Luna's story: her relationship with Gate and her desire to use her position as an esper to be the hero she's always dreamed of becoming was really gripping for me.”
    • “The overall story felt a bit underbaked and rushed.”
    • “The characters were boring and the story was poorly paced, not to mention exceptionally short.”
    • “It has all the hallmarks of foreshadowing a conspiracy, but then it just gives up and wraps up what plot threads it can with easy answers while throwing everything else away as if it never existed.”
  • music37 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its nostalgic and fitting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. The voice acting is also highlighted as top-notch, complementing the game's art direction and character design. While some fans miss the motifs from the previous game's soundtrack, the new compositions are still considered fantastic and memorable, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere.

    • “The magical girl fantasy angle for the protagonist, the amazing new characters with truly top-notch voice acting, the art direction and music absolutely blowing it out of the water… I couldn’t put it down.”
    • “The soundtrack is sick, the voice acting sounds great, and the vibes are extremely on point.”
    • “Special mention must be made of the music and vocal cast, whose performances perfectly complement the retro vibe, adding depth and emotion to the experience.”
    • “If you want to pick this up for yourself to give it a fair shake, turn the music down and expect the dialogue to vary in volume and adherence to the subtitles.”
    • “I must confess that I really wanted 2mello to come back and work on the soundtrack for this game.”
    • “The voice acting is excellent, but I'd recommend lowering the default music volume as sometimes it drowns out some of the voiced lines; around 66-70% of the lines are voiced, and the experience can be a bit incongruous when clicking on one object will result in a voiced line, but clicking on another object won't.”
  • graphics25 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their impressive artwork, vibrant color schemes, and nostalgic pixel art that effectively captures a retro 90s anime cyberpunk aesthetic. Reviewers noted the high-quality UI design and stellar voice acting, contributing to an immersive experience, although some mentioned a lack of interactivity compared to its predecessor. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's storytelling and atmosphere.

    • “The visuals got me gasping in awe since the first scene: such a pretty color scheme, wonderfully styled characters, the UI looked so fun, and the composition was very intriguing, allowing the writing to shine and your brain to fill in the blank.”
    • “The art direction, sound design, voice acting, and writing are masterfully executed, achieving a very specific aesthetic with great success.”
    • “The graphical style is really well-done -- somehow very modern but also nostalgic to me having grown up with DOS games.”
    • “The visuals are nice, but there's a lack of interactivity compared to the first one.”
    • “While it doesn't have the strongest voice acting or most riveting story and I wouldn't say it's precisely the 2064 follow-up I was dreaming about, the pixelated aesthetics and downright groovy music of Neurodiver still hit hard and even the weaker moments remain memorable by the game’s intermingling flavor of sci-fi.”
    • “In an age where I want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less, I think this game is exactly fine for what it is.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily described as linear and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting its resemblance to a visual novel rather than a traditional point-and-click adventure. While some mechanics, like the neurodiver feature, show potential, they ultimately feel underdeveloped and repetitive, leading to a sense of emptiness in both gameplay and story engagement. Overall, the experience is characterized by a lack of meaningful choices and varied interactions, resulting in a gameplay experience that many found boring and unsatisfying.

    • “I also appreciated the Ace Attorney-like detective gameplay and the numerous cameos.”
    • “The snatcheresque gameplay is fantastically done, and I actually prefer the UI in this game to 2064 for sure.”
    • “Music is good, the style, art, and point-and-click gameplay is great as well; not too far from what you did in the last game.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, it's definitely more of a visual novel than a point-and-click adventure.”
    • “The neurodiver mechanic had potential, but ended up kind of boring, as exploring and fixing the fragmented memories seemed extremely linear and interacting with anything other than the relevant things seemed unsatisfying and pointless.”
    • “Gameplay is rather stiff; no choices, no freedom on exploring the city and locations.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a touching story, particularly Luna's relationship with Gate and her aspirations as an esper, which resonates deeply with players. While some find the overall emotional impact less significant compared to previous titles, the game's heartwarming and lighthearted tone, combined with beautiful art and engaging storytelling, contributes to a heartfelt experience.

    • “The story, and the ending especially, was personally touching.”
    • “The emotional core of Luna's story: her relationship with Gate and her desire to use her position as an esper to be the hero she's always dreamed of becoming was really gripping for me.”
    • “The art is beautiful, the story is engaging and sometimes even emotional, which in my opinion are the most important things in a visual novel.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for being insufficient, with a focus on legacy characters overshadowing new ones, leaving players with limited insight into the protagonist and other key figures. While the voice acting and character design are praised for their quality and alignment with a 90s cyberpunk aesthetic, the lack of depth and exploration in character arcs detracts from the overall narrative experience. Players feel that more could have been done to flesh out the characters, particularly the new ones, resulting in a less satisfying emotional payoff.

    • “The voice acting and character design is stellar, and it really captures the cyberpunk vibe of 90s anime.”
    • “While we did get quite a bit in the previous outing, there's still more that could be explored, and I feel like we could've gotten a whole lot more character development with ES88 and Gate, not to mention the older characters especially.”
    • “By the end of the game, we know very little about the protagonist herself, and it feels like a waste given she has full voice acting and a presumably established character compared to 2064 ROM's faceless protagonist.”
    • “You can probably accept the ending based on what little information you know, but it's not a satisfying experience since you missed out on all the character development, setup/payoff, tension-building, and so on.”
    • “While we did get quite a bit in the previous outing, there's still more that could be explored and I feel like we could've gotten a whole lot more character development with ES88 and Gate, not to mention the older characters especially.”
    • “There’s not a ton of character development either; more time is spent on legacy characters from the last game than the new ones introduced here; by the end of the game we know very little about the protagonist herself and it feels like a waste given she has full voice acting and a presumably established character compared to 2064 ROM’s faceless protagonist (who we barely hear about in this game): we learn that ES88 has parents who she misses, apparently, she has a crush on her bodyguard, and she’s a fan of a specific manga/anime.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Neurodiver" is highly praised for its immersive neo-sf and cyberpunk elements, reminiscent of its predecessor, "2064: Read Only Memories." Reviewers highlight the exceptional visuals, music, voice acting, and writing, creating a rich and engaging setting that enhances the overall experience.

    • “I knew going in that Neurodiver was going to be shorter than 2064: Read Only Memories, but I still loved the story and fully enjoyed returning to that good-good neo-sf atmosphere.”
    • “The visuals, the music, the voice acting, the script (sometimes), the characters, atmosphere, set and setting -- all of it is S-tier work.”
    • “The overall atmosphere is akin to midboss' other game (2064: Read Only Memories) and is still a very cyberpunk visual novel PNC adventure game. You do not need to have played or read any of the material in the universe before playing this, but it is all very well written and worth checking out.”
    • “The overall atmosphere is lacking depth and fails to immerse the player in the game world.”
    • “The game tries to create a unique atmosphere, but it often feels disjointed and uninspired.”
    • “While the visuals are decent, the atmosphere feels flat and doesn't evoke the intended emotions.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The game's humor is noted for its clever writing, though some players feel it undermines the mystery by providing solutions too quickly. While the comedic elements are appreciated, the pacing may detract from the player's engagement with the narrative.

    • “The writing is actually funny when you get to it.”
    • “It sort of feels like the game was asking me to solve the mystery of the laughing man (the villain from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), but before I could even try to solve the case myself, the game just prescribed a solution, told me the exposition behind it, and then asked me what I wanted to do with the villain.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    While the game is praised for its beautiful visuals and great audio, some players find the character dialogue overly lengthy and tedious, which can contribute to a sense of grinding in the overall experience.

  • optimization1 mentions

    The reviews highlight that while the music and vocal performances enhance the retro vibe of the game, there is no specific mention of optimization issues or performance-related concerns. Overall, the focus remains on the quality of the audio rather than technical optimization.

  • replayability1 mentions

    The game is noted for being relatively linear and short, with a playtime of around 4-5 hours for the first playthrough. While there is some replay value due to a few multiple choices, overall, it may not offer extensive incentives for repeated play.

    • “The game is pretty linear and short (4-5 hours on my first playthrough), but it has some replay value with a few multiple choices.”
    • “I found the replayability to be quite engaging, as there are different paths and outcomes to explore.”
    • “Each playthrough offers new experiences and choices, making it worthwhile to dive back in.”
    • “The game is pretty linear and short, taking about 4-5 hours on my first playthrough, with only a little replay value due to a few multiple choices.”
    • “After completing the game, I found that there wasn't much incentive to replay it, as the story and choices felt limited.”
    • “While the game has some interesting mechanics, the lack of diverse outcomes makes replaying it feel unnecessary.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

6hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
6-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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