Read Only Memories
| Read Only Memories / 2064: Read Only Memories | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | MidBoss |
| Publisher(s) | MidBoss |
| Director(s) | John "JJSignal" James |
| Producer(s) | Matt Conn |
| Programmer(s) | Ted DiNola |
| Composer(s) | Matthew Hopkins |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4,[1] Ouya,[2] Razer Forge, FireTV |
| Release date(s) |
Windows, OS X, Linux, OUYA
Razer Forge, FireTV
PlayStation 4, Windows, OS X, Linux
|
| Genre(s) | Graphic adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Read Only Memories is a cyberpunk adventure game released on October 6, 2015. It is directed by John "JJSignal" James and produced by MidBoss and Matt Conn for OS X, Linux and Windows.
2064: Read Only Memories, a "deluxe" version of the game with voice acting and enhanced story and puzzles, has been announced for release on PlayStation 4 and OS X, Linux and Windows as a free upgrade in January 2017.
The game was heavily inspired by Snatcher, Rise of the Dragon, Gabriel Knight and other 1990s PC adventure games.[4]
Plot
The game is set during the middle and end of December 2064 in Neo-San Francisco. The player takes on the role of a journalist trying to locate their missing friend Hayden Webber, an artificial intelligence researcher, with the aid of Hayden's Relationship Organizational Manager (ROM) Turing, the world's first sapient machine.
Development
Read Only Memories was funded through Kickstarter where it raised $64,378 from November 12 to December 12, 2013.[5][6] The game is slated for an October 6 release on SteamOS, Mac, Linux and Windows, with a release at least 6 months later on iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One due to the game's participation in Ouya's Free The Games Fund which doubled the raised funds for a period of mobile and console exclusivity to what is now the Razer Forge platform.[7] A Linux port of the game was planned if the Kickstarter reached $82,064, but that goal was not met.[5] However, MidBoss announced a Linux version in a later Kickstarter update, nonetheless.[8]
Read Only Memories is described as a queer-inclusive video game, and its developers are also involved with the GaymerX series of LGBTQ video gaming conventions. Setting the game in the future, MidBoss aimed to posit a future where LGBTQ characters face less discrimination, allowing queer characters to be presented on equal terms with straight counterparts. Speaking with Gamasutra, MidBoss founder Matt Conn said, "instead of waiting for Sony and other big companies to include gay characters in their games as more than just tokens, we should just do it ourselves." The player can specify which personal pronouns the game refers to them as: he, her, they, xe, ze, or a custom player-specified pronoun set.[9]
The game is built in Unity and uses a Twine-like scripting language to manage game logic. Director John James cites Bubblegum Crisis and Phantasy Star IV among the game's visual inspirations. A playable demo of the game was shown at the March 2014 Game Developers Conference, and a demo was released to the public in November 2014.[10][11]
Reception
The game received generally positive reviews from video game critics.
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External links
References
- ↑ http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/06/23/2064-read-only-memories-coming-to-ps4-ps-vita-on-august-16/
- ↑ https://www.ouya.tv/game/Read-Only-Memories/
- ↑ http://readonlymemori.es/
- ↑ Conditt, Jessica (November 13, 2013). "Cyberpunk adventure 'Read Only Memories' from GaymerX founders". Joystiq. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- 1 2 "ROM: Read Only Memories by GaymerX". Kickstarter. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ Sarkar, Samit (December 13, 2013). "Cyberpunk adventure Read Only Memories funded on Kickstarter". Polygon. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ↑ "OUYA Free The Games Fund; Successful Projects". Ouya.
- ↑ "Read Only Memories Public Demo". Kickstarter. November 24, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ↑ Kris Ligman (2013-11-29). "Q&A: Inside the social futurism of MidBoss's Read Only Memories". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ↑ Kris Ligman (2014-04-03). "Q&A: The retrofuturistic aesthetics of Read Only Memories". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ↑ Graham Smith (2014-11-17). "Read Only Memories: Cyberpunk Adventure Gets A Demo". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ↑ "Read Only Memories for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Read Only Memories for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ↑ Davis, Ben (2 October 2015). "Cyberpunk chic". Destructoid. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ↑ "Point-and-Click Cyberpunk Excellence". Game Revolution. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2015-10-06.