Developer: Midboss, LLC
Steam Deck Compatibility?: Verified
Rrp: £12.79 (Steam)
Ten years ago I reviewed this game’s predecessor, 2064: Read Only Memories (which at the time was simply called Read Only Memories). I remember enjoying it and hoping that the developers would make a sequel or perhaps another game set in the same universe. It took the developers nine years but they finally realised a sequel. While I’m certain that they didn’t work solely on this game in that time I’m surprised to learn that MidBoss (the developers) have only two games to their name currently, this one and it’s predecessor, so unless the last game sold gangbusters I’m going to assume they had other projects on the go.
That was a strange tangent to go on, but I just found it to be a fascinating bit of information.
This game is very similar to its predecessor in that it’s a mix of point and click game with a visual novel. You play as ES88, an esper (meaning someone with psychic powers) who works for a company called Minerva. It’s your job to enter into the minds of people and fix memories that have become damaged. This is done by learning about that person, sometimes through a simple conversation or searching their living space. Once you have all you need you enter their mind and work through their memory, fixing the errors as you go by using the clues you gathered (plus others you’ve found during your time in the memory).
I feel I wouldn’t be doing my (self appointed) job if I didn’t mention the two things that slightly soured my experience with this game. This first being the voice acting, or rather the inconsistent application of it, as this game is partially voice acted. If you click on objects that are directly related to the story the characters will speak on it, however if you click on say… a plant (one that is highlighted to be interactable) you only get text. Perhaps that was a money saving measure by the devs or maybe they recorded the lines for the important bits and then added in the other items afterward, but either way it just made the game feel kind of… unfinished in a way.
Funnily enough the second issue I have highlighted the first for me, in that the latter parts of the game start to feel rushed with there being less non-essential items to click on. It just felt like the story was being fast-tracked to its conclusion. If that were limited to the final section of the game I’d understand, but it starts a chapter or two before that.
This is a fairly short, LGBTQ+ friendly game that lasts maybe four hours. Despite the small frustrations I had, I enjoyed my time with it and very much hope that the developers make another in the series.
