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Dive into a great mystery of who dun it and why in “2064: Read only memories integral”. Follow the clues, get leads, and interact with several interesting characters (all in a world that shows politics that are going on in a non-preachy way). It is just how it is done that makes you care about what is going on for each and every character, where each of the main characters has a fairly well fleshed-out background.

2064 read only memories some arcade action

Retro-like graphics tend to fit really well with a cyberpunk theme (just think “Snatcher” and “Shadowrun”, for example). However, 2064’s visuals leave a lot to be desired.

As “2064” focuses primarily on the story this is the direction that this review will focus on. Starting the game you are given the standard character creation, except for one thing, you are asked to give your character a gender pronoun.

There is a really great story that’s being told in “2064”, and it’s being told truly well too.

This list of available pronouns seems very long, maybe it has all 76+ genders to choose from, of this I am not sure. When faced with this, I have to admit that I faced a sudden dread that I was walking into a ham-fisted gender studies class that really will have no merits to drive the story on. Of this, I was very happy to find out that I was extremely wrong about. These things exist but more as just a backdrop for information, and really nothing more than that.

There is a decent amount of main story characters that have their own back stories in “2064”. In other words, there’s a lot of meat to this game in terms of stories to be told and unfold.

You play as a struggling journalist, reviewing what you can to just pay the bills. You wake up to a robot that gives the story that his creator had been kidnapped, and this person is someone who you personally have a connection to. Now it is up to you to travel around Neo-SF to find the clues that will send you tumbling down the rabbit hole.

“2064” is the kind of game that has characters that you actually care about, there are also characters who you will love to hate (for different reasons).

While in this adventure, you interact with billionaires, robots (called ROMs), and hybrids (the 2064 version of trans), and activist groups that are against gene splicing of people, and the dependence that humanity has on ROMs. The most interesting with these groups are the hybrids, the future that furries and other-kin may one day evolve into.

2064 read only memories hacking the streets

You got over ten hours of adventure to look forward to in “2064”, and that includes everything from exploring, mystery solving, having tons of interesting conversations and different challenges (there are also multiple endings to be found in the game).

They are a group that has had their DNA spliced with that of animals, some because they feel a kinship with this other species, and some for pure survival. This is where that a parallel is drawn between hybrids and trans. In “2064”, the politics are surrounded that hybrids are looked down on because they are no longer fully human.

2064’s dialogs consist of everything from dark humor, politics, dead serious stuff to everything in between.

As such they are fighting for their right to simply exist, but what else is shown here, that parallels the real world is that the people that really care are just the extremists on both ends of the battle. Where everyone else, just simply exists and treat people as people.

There are plenty of reasons why you should pick up “2064” for the Nintendo Switch (such as the fact that “2064” is a really good game). For example, you get to play the Switch exclusive and new side-story” Punks”.

Then there is Parallax, the monopoly company that runs everything. Just how shady are they? Well, you will just have to play “2064” Read Only Memories to find out. Nevertheless, let me say just this, it is a correct interpretation of what happens when companies are allowed to get too big. As it’s something else that we can see happening right now in the real world.

2064 read only memories old-school games

As much as I like “2064”. I still can’t deny that there is a handful of cons to be found in the game…Such as the fact that there isn’t much gameplay to be found in “2064”, the same could also be said on the challenge front.

These are just some of the things that the investigation moves through to find out the truth of just what happened. Leading into a giant conspiracy, where only a small handful of people really know what is going on. So, will you be able to tie all the strings that bind? Time will tell.

As for the game itself. Well, “2064: Read Only Memories” may be far from flawless, but it’s still a well-done interactive cyberpunk/mystery novel. So if you like cyberpunk and visual novels, then you might want to give “2064” a try.

Pros:
+ A great story well told
+ Pulls in political climates that are happening now without being preachy
+ Characters that you will actually care about (and some you will hate)
+ A decent amount of main story characters with their own back stories
+ Inferred mysteries that can only be speculated on

Cons:
– Not much for gameplay
– Endgame new mechanics are introduced that didn’t exist anywhere else
– There isn’t all that many challenges to be had in the game

Gameplay: 2/5
Graphics: 2.5/5
Sound/music: 3/5
Controls: 2.5/5
Replayability: 3/5
Story: 5/5

tgg grade 3 out of 5

Verdict: 3/5
All in all, “2064: Read only memories integral” isn’t as much of a game that comes to mind when we think about games. What it is instead a well-done interactive mystery novel. There is no high score to hit (other than that one arcade game), instead, it is introducing one medium into another. Really, it works out well, and if you like reading mysteries, you might think about curling up in a blanket with your Switch.