2064: Read Only Memories (ROM for short) is an 8-bits point and click adventure game that releases today on the PlayStation 4. This port of the beloved PC release has been in development for a while, and now the wait is finally over! Is the PlayStation 4 version the definitive release? Is this the right game for you? Come read our 2064: Read Only Memories review to find out!
This is a double review for 2064: Read Only Memories. The game was played by EdEN and Ceidz. This review presents what they both had to say.
2064: Read Only Memories – Launch Trailer
2064: Read Only Memories is set in Neo-San Francisco. The basis of the game is that we now live in a world where humans can have some body parts enhanced. As the game begins, the main protagonist must review a new headset he just got. The first steps of the game work as a short tutorial that explain the basics of the controls to you. After that, a robot by the name of Turing enters your room. Why is this robot here? You’ll have to play the game to find it out!
The gameplay consists of clicking on every single thing on the screen. Clicking on an item usually gives you between two to four options, which requires you to move the reticle to the option you want to select so that you can then click on the requested action. For this, I think it would have been easier if the developer had assigned the Triangle, X, Circle and Square buttons to each potential action instead of having to move the reticle to a sub-option for everything before having to press the X button to confirm.
The voice acting is done by professionals such as Melissa Hutchison (who perfectly voices Clementine in The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series), but this time around her voice is modified to sound like a robot – for some reason this particular take on her voice just didn’t click with me.
The game’s visuals are presented in a charming 8-Bit style that will grab your attention right from the start. It might seem a bit minimalist at first, but as a fan of pixel art, I have to say I really liked this aspect of 2064: Read Only Memories.
My one complaint about 2064: Read Only Memories is for how slow it was for the game to get going. Moving away from a static scene sometimes took around 15-20 minutes between having to review everything on the screen, scrolling through a lot of text, finding what you need and being able to continue. The game eventually picks up the pace, but its start might be something that makes some of you get a bad first impression.
2064: Read Only Memories is a game I’ve been looking forward to playing on PlayStation 4 for a while now. I’ve been following the game’s development after it funded on Kickstarter, waiting for this day. I’ve also kept in touch with MidBoss CEO Matt Conn over the last couple of years to keep all of you updated on the game’s PS4 release – and its eventual availability on the PS Vita.
For the game, you can either go old-school and use the left analog stick to move a crosshair around to click on the stuff in each location so that you can interact with objects. The other option is to simply use the D-Pad to quickly cycle between all the objects you can interact with. It’s a nice touch for us fans who used to play adventure games back in the day, and the D-Pad option shows how the game pays homage to the old while also adding some 21st-century gameplay mechanics and improvements.
This release features a varied and wide range of characters you’ll interact with as you try and solve the mystery of what really happened to Hayden. The conversations are interesting, the writing is top-notch, and the voice acting considerably enhances the entire experience.
A short game this is not, so you’ll be spending around 8-10 hours during your first run as you investigate and interact with all items for clues. The fact that it has multiple endings also means that your choices do matter and that if you want to unlock all endings, you’ll need to spend some considerable time with the game.
Trophy hunters will have plenty to do in the game, especially since there’s a handful of very missable trophies for this one. Sure, there’s several trophies that you cannot miss, but those missables – which I won’t spoil here – might mean you’ll have to replay large parts of the game. Be sure to always have two saves at all times, one current and one from an hour or two behind that one, just in case you need it for some clean up!
Final Thoughts
In the end, we both liked playing through 2064: Read Only Memories. Though at first it had some pacing issues, its charming retro look and feel, the great voice cast, and its homage to the classic point and click adventures from another era keep us coming back for more… and we hope the game has the same effect on you. Be sure to check this one out on PlayStation 4!
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Cost:
$19.99 (PS4)
PSN Game size: 790 MB (PS4)
Disclaimer
This 2064: Read Only Memories review is based on PS4 copies provided by MidBoss.
