A cyberpunk mystery with a classic adventure feel? Count me in! Check our 2064: Read Only Memories review to see why this is a must-play PS Vita release!

2064: Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk thriller that merges classic adventure gaming with ultramodern storytelling. A struggling journalist turns reluctant detective, teaming up with the world’s first sapient machine. Together they will uncover a shocking conspiracy that could shake the foundations of Neo-San Francisco.

 

2064: Read Only Memories – PSX 2017: Launch Trailer | PS Vita

2064: Read Only Memories was a game I was looking forward to playing on Vita… something that at one point seemed very unlikely. We received the PS4 version at the beginning of last year, with no Vita version in sight. The team went silent, and rumors spread they were having issues getting this going on the little portable that could. But fear no more, because Midboss surprised us with what was pretty much a stealth release on Vita!

2064: Read Only Memories is a throwback to adventure games of the past with modern storytelling sensibilities. I love a good Cyberpunk theme, I love modern storytelling, and boy do I love old obtuse adventure games! This game was made for me!

The game itself tells the story of a sentient robot named Turing who has sought you out to help solve the mystery of its creator’s killer. The story itself touches on many issues including diversity and equal rights, giving this future timeline story a very contemporary feel. As this is a mystery thriller, I am not going to talk a lot about the story since its the game’s strongest asset, and I don’t want to spoil things for you, especially since this one is very replayable. That’s right: the designers went with multiple endings, which means your choices affect how the story develops! Normally adventure games bring you down the same path every time, but for 2064: Read Only Memories there is a good reason to replay the game.

This game doesn’t give you the traditional point and click combo you would experience from old-school adventure titles. You do, however, pick up items and can use them in conjunction with other items. I love that the game often explains why certain combinations won’t work, even joking about it. The game almost plays like a visual novel as you work through the story, introducing you to characters while having you make important decisions about how you are going to proceed with your investigation.

The game uses a retro pixel art style to tell its story, which looks awesome on my Vita’s screen. Sure, it’s “just” pixel art, but the team has found way to make it look very hip and modern, in a good way – this game certainly could not have been made way back in the day! The voice acting is great as well, featuring the talents of people such as Melissa Hutchison (Clementine from Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead), and even the WWE’s Xavier Woods (Also known for his youtube gaming channel UPUPDOWNDOWN).

The game also has a plethora of trophies to get for a total of 65 trophies and a Platinum. To get that precious Platinum you will need to play the game multiple times to see all the endings. Doing a bit of research, it seems one would need at least two full runs and some bits here and there, but that requires that you get creative with your save files.

Final Thoughts

This game really spoke to me and hit all the right chords. I love retro art and adventure games with cool stories, and the multiple endings were a nice twist…everything is working for me here. That being said, if you don’t value those things, this might not be the right game for you. I feel like it’s a love letter from my past being channeled through a cybernetic email from the future and becoming a neat sentient package. If any of this sounded interesting to you, then be sure to give it a shot!

Disclaimer
This 2064: Read Only Memories review is based on PS Vita copy provided by MIDBOSS LLC.