Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER

About

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER screenshot

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 286 reviews

story88 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The voice acting is top-notch, bringing the characters to life and adding depth to the narrative.
Luna, the protagonist, is a fun and nuanced character, and the story explores interesting ethical questions as a psychic detective.

The game is significantly shorter than its predecessor, clocking in at around 4-5 hours, which leaves players wanting more.
The plot feels rushed and underdeveloped, with many story elements and character arcs left unresolved.
There are inconsistencies in audio mixing and dialogue, with some voiced lines not matching the on-screen text, which detracts from the immersion.

story
270 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
66%
1%
The story of "Read Only Memories: Neurodiver" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its engaging characters and emotional moments, but criticizing its brevity and linearity. While some found the narrative compelling and a worthy continuation of the original game, others felt it relied too heavily on familiar characters, resulting in a less substantial experience. Overall, the game is seen as a charming side story with potential, but many players wished for deeper storytelling and more impactful choices.
- “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 demo was a strong start that had me looking forward to the full release hoping maybe we'd (neuro-) dive a little deeper into all this esper business, but the plot never thickened from there; instead, plucky sailor moon wannabe es-88 dragged me along for an excruciating where-are-they-now-style tour of cardboard standees of the beloved Read Only Memories cast before shoving me face down into a conclusion so flaccid and unearned it left me wondering how we'd even got there.”
- “The story is threadbare, and feels like a primetime serial that got cancelled in its first season.”
- “There's many story elements that just seem unfinished, and the way the story progresses there's an overarching feel of 'there's got to be more to this right', until the moment it finishes and it's... just done.”
music
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
38%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its quality and fitting integration into the overall experience. While some noted that it may not reach the heights of the previous game's soundtrack, it still evokes nostalgia and enhances the game's atmosphere. The voice acting, although occasionally overshadowed by the music, is also highlighted as top-notch, contributing to the game's immersive storytelling.
- “The soundtrack and even effects and menu sounds were just as good as I had hoped.”
- “The music is great and I've been humming some of the tunes to myself even after the game ended.”
- “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.”
- “Though there are some complaints to be had in the vocal mixing and balancing for the voice acting, the music was predictably a highlight of 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.”
- “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.”
graphics
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their impressive artwork, vibrant color schemes, and nostalgic pixel art style, effectively capturing a retro cyberpunk aesthetic. Many reviewers noted the high polish of the visuals and the engaging UI design, which enhances the overall experience, despite some criticism regarding the game's short length and occasional lack of interactivity. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
- “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.”
- “Also nominated this game for the best art style, as I loved looking at every pixel this game has to offer.”
- “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.”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
48%
10%
The gameplay has been described as largely linear and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels more like a visual novel than a traditional point-and-click adventure. While the neurodiver mechanic shows potential, it ultimately leads to repetitive and unsatisfying interactions, diminishing the overall engagement. Despite improvements in art and voice acting, the gameplay mechanics are criticized for being stiff and unvaried, leaving players wanting more complexity and choice.
- “Gameplay is through first-person perspective, and puzzles are solved through finding visual clues.”
- “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.”
- “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. It just didn't feel as alive.”
- “Gameplay is rather stiff; there are no choices and no freedom to explore the city and locations.”
- “Extremely boring and linear gameplay; just click on everything until you find an object that is saved to your inventory bar, then dump all collected objects on a memory fragment. That's all there is, every time, with no nuance.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its engaging story and beautiful art, with a focus on the protagonist Luna's heartfelt journey and her relationship with Gate. While some players found the ending personally touching, others felt that the overall emotional impact was less significant compared to previous titles, noting a shift towards a more heartwarming and lighthearted tone. Overall, the game is described as having a heartfelt core, making it a meaningful experience despite varying emotional resonance among players.
- “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 I believe are the most important things in a visual novel.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Character development in the game is criticized for being insufficient, with a greater focus on legacy characters rather than the new ones, leaving players with limited insight into the protagonist and other key characters. Despite stellar voice acting and character design that captures a nostalgic cyberpunk aesthetic, the lack of depth and tension-building in character arcs detracts from the overall experience, making the ending feel unsatisfying. Players express a desire for more exploration of character backgrounds and relationships, particularly for the new characters introduced.
- “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.”
- “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: 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.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
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 overall world-building, creating an engaging experience that stands out in the genre. Despite being shorter than its predecessor, the game successfully captures a rich and well-crafted setting that newcomers can appreciate.
- “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.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted by clever writing that elicits genuine laughter, with memorable lines like "it's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-dive" standing out. However, some players feel that the game undermines its own mystery by providing solutions too quickly, which can detract from the comedic timing and engagement. Overall, while the humor is appreciated, it may not always align with the gameplay experience.
- “The writing is also quite funny too ('it's time to d-d-d-d-d-d-dive' had me laughing so hard for a solid 5 minutes).”
- “The writing is actually funny when you get to it.”
- “The humor in the game really adds to the overall experience and keeps things light-hearted.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not specifically address the aspect of "grinding," focusing instead on the game's visuals and audio quality. There is a mention of character dialogue pacing being tedious, but no direct comments on grinding mechanics or experiences.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not provide specific feedback on the game's optimization, focusing instead on the quality of the music and vocal performances that enhance the overall experience. Therefore, no conclusions about optimization can be drawn from the provided texts.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game is noted for being relatively linear and short, with a playtime of around 4-5 hours for the first playthrough. While it offers some replay value through a few multiple choices, the overall experience may not encourage extensive revisits.
- “The game is pretty linear and short (4-5 hours on my first playthrough), but it offers some replay value with a few multiple choices.”
- “The game is pretty linear and short (4-5 hours on my first playthrough), with some replay value due to a few multiple choices.”
- “The game is pretty linear and short (4-5 hours on my first playthrough), with some replay value due to a few multiple choices.”