While installing Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, I took a moment to go back over my thoughts for the original 2064: Read Only Memories. A game that underwent a hellish cycle of re-releases and public scrutiny, there were so many things I enjoyed, namely the world, the style, and the soundtrack. The divisive nature of the protagonist, the rambling gameplay, and the rather self-satisfied tonality of nearly every NPC tainted the overall flavor, though, and left me feeling it had potential but no impact. VA-11 HALL-A, crafted by a different dev entirely, was an important step in saying “We like the idea, not the execution.” This, I believe, inspired MidBoss to take the good, throw out the bad, and deliver something that, on all points, is heads and shoulders better than the initial game.

Neurodiver takes place in the year 2070, with the events of 2064 in the rearview but still important. You play Luna, a modified psychic entity who works for catchall massive company MINERVA. Luna is partnered with two beings: GATE, a BCA (brain-controlled android) who is Luna’s muscle and potential love interest; and the Neurodiver, a completely synthetic being that looks like a cuttlefish that also can read your mind. Luna and the Neurodiver can enter into someone’s mind and examine their memories, looking for corruption or psychic damage that may have made the recall of an event or detail impossible. Luna quickly learns that some kind of mind criminal is hiding in the memories of seemingly random people, and it’s her job to ferret them out and stop the escapades.

Luna, or ES88 as her work handle states, views memories in a point-and-click motif in which players must navigate an encapsulated memory space full of items, NPCs, and interesting but pointless interactions. Once you find enough relevant items, you then can apply them to the digital distortion that represents a memory block and uncover the truth, helping to remember lost passwords, missing MacGuffins, and familiar faces. There may be multiple blocks, and only certain found items can unlock the block, so a bit of the “diving” is spent mixing and matching clues until they fit together and the memory unlocks. It’s far and away the least interesting part of the game, and something that NEEDS to be done to move chapters forward.

Before we get too far into the nitty gritty about Neurodiver, it should be noted that this title is a shockingly short play, especially compared to the original 2064. Without breaking a sweat, players can get from start to finish in about seven hours, potentially less if you choose answers that engage on a lower tier. From what I’ve seen, there aren’t multiple endings: my very different answers still delivered me to the same conclusion (albeit with different implications), which did feel a bit unsatisfying in today’s world of multipathed, epic-length visual novels. I also understand that Nuerodiver has been gestating for years now, including a few that were understandably difficult, and so the need to release SOMETHING became imperative for the team.

As a smaller, tighter title, it’s no surprise that Neurodiver comes across as incredibly polished, and, in many regards, it is. The pixel art style from the first game has been refined into a gorgeous palette of colors and shapes that defies players to not get drawn into the future of 2070. The animation style, which is still reminiscent of days gone by, is crisp and evocative, giving players a good deal of information about character quirks and personalities with small movements. There’s a massive deal conveyed through singular, wordless moments, and I think the details of Luna, GATE, and Trace are probably the most readable from a player’s perspective. It would be even better if the animation was consistent, but there are moments where the animations will forget to trigger, resulting in flat avatars delivering some pretty important lines.

Speaking of lines, the voicework that Midboss has selected is easily some of the best English dubbing I’ve ever heard. In a world where anime is still sometimes hammed up by even the most professional actors, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air for everyone to deliver their lines so earnestly and concisely. The character of GATE is particularly well voiced, with tons being conveyed in a very droll, almost seductive tone throughout, with some moments of real emotion slamming in when necessary. Everyone from fanatical Harold to the crisp and silly L.U.C.Y. are worth listening to, and it made the time spent in the world feel even more genuine and special. Given that we still have AAA titles from Nintendo where nearly no one speaks at all, having this game be nearly fully voiced is downright impressive.

The line readings of Neurodiver are only further enhanced by the soundtrack. Working with equal parts chiptune, electronica, and heavily inspired 90s animation, the music of Neurodiver stands proud as an aural landscape of storytelling unto itself. The tracks can sharply cut between moments, which sounds like it should be jarring but really keeps you firmly locked into the overall feel of the game. Rather than have some gentle segues to keep the music naturally progressing, the jumps only further put me into the Snatcher vibe that was so clearly an inspiration for 2064 and elements of Neurodiver now. It’s too easy to rely on synth and darkwave to insinuate the cyberpunk future in a game, and coda made a great choice to lean into some popular tropes while still being singularly apart in performance.

In the vein of performance, I will say that playing Neurodiver is probably easier on a computer than on a console. With a vast majority of the game being pointing and clicking, it can sometimes be easy to miss important targets to move the game forward. The first time I visited the Psionics Lab, I literally had no idea where Trace was situated and kept panning back and forth till I noticed a red pixel blob in the upper left corner. Similarly, when I dove into Lexi’s memories, it took me way too long to notice a particular item that could be used to defragment one obstacle, though I’ll chalk that one up to my own inattentiveness. It’s all mousework, so joystick and button aren’t my favorite, though I appreciate the devs adding in touchscreen support for faster response. 

Which brings us back to the story of Neurodiver itself. One of my biggest complaints of 2064 was how drawn out things felt, be it character exposition or just worldbuilding explanations, it certainly took its sweet time. By comparison, Neurodiver does a fantastic job for the first three chapters of setting up ideas, characters, and locales while also keeping the overall plot moving forward. Luna feels like she spends exactly the right amount of time in each case, and it helps that the game does a magnificent job of throwing longtime fans some bones by having familiar faces be integral parts of the overall tale. It’s done in a fantastic way that you can enjoy these callbacks without having ever played the first title, though the nuance of recognition for these returning NPCs is enjoyable. I never thought I’d actually be happy to see Jess after the first game, but here we are.

Sadly, once you get past the fourth chapter (which was a little touch-and-go in terms of pacing), the wheels totally come off for the fifth and final chapter. Everything seems sudden and rushed, with revelations being hurled at you without any time to fully digest them. The voice cast does their very best to sell the drama throughout, but even the best-read version of Waiting for Godot still is full of absurdist questions, and Neurodiver does that unironically. By the time you get yourself oriented, you’re at the finish line, with everything wrapped up in a neat package that’s clearly missing some key ingredients. It’s not disappointing, but it is dissatisfying. I honestly could have used one more chapter to help lead up to Luna’s big reveal and the truth behind the Golden entities.

Having said that, I’m still really happy with Neurodiver. It’s got the shine and polish that you wouldn’t have expected, and the interactions and storytelling are excellent right up until the end. It does what I wanted: it gives me more of the world that is Read Only Memories without forcing you to go back and play the first or sit through a rehash of the initial story. It’s got the meat and bones that let it exist independently, and gives me more of a Shadowrun vibe than I would have imagined, though less grim. I honestly hope that Midboss finds success with this sequel and that we might see even more tales told in Neo-San Francisco. Don’t cheat yourself out of a fun time just because the ending is lacking: this is one memory you’ll be excited to make.

 

Graphics: 10 I will sing the praises of well done pixel art all the live long day. Stunning and well crafted, it’s like watching an HD broadcast for the first time: going back to the original 2064 and you see how rough it was in comparison to this new incarnation. A visual feast, bar none.	Gameplay: 7.0 Point and click with minimal interactive choices, the gameplay does what it needs to do, but feels empty and unsatisfying in certain sequences. Hard-to-spot objects or persons can stall gameplay, and the autoselect of conversation responses can throw off a player who isn’t ready to accidentally select the wrong answer.
Sound: 10 I’m listening to the soundtrack as we speak. I keep listening to the soundtrack. I wish to buy the soundtrack on CD and then get a 1983 Toyota AE86 and cruise down the Chiba coast, bumping this soundtrack. I cannot stress how much I love this soundtrack.	Fun Factor: 8.0 Superb character craft and great execution trips and falls at the finish line, jamming everything important and essential into what felt like a few minutes of explanation after hours of setup. It’s still worth the trip, but make sure to brace yourself for impact.
Final Verdict: 8.5

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Read Only Memories: Neurodiver was provided by the publisher.