PRIDE 2020: Review | 2064: Read Only Memories

2064: Read Only Memories is a unique visual novel that paints a rather grim picture of the not so distant future. This is a world where machines become integrated with our everyday lives, people live in unkempt one-room apartments in the suburbs, and get this, some folks even stoop to the level of reviewing products on the internet to pay their rent. Releasing on Steam, PS4, Switch and way too many platforms to name (it even released on the Ouya), 2064: Read Only Memories caught my attention with its endearing buddy-cop noir set in a cyberpunk infused 'Neo' San Francisco where conflicting issues arise over technological advancements and body modifications. Think Sam & Max, with a bigger emphasis on world-building and a gender-neutral robot.

Metal Gear on the MSX… Do yourself a favour and look up the back of the box description of this game’s unofficial squeal “Snake’s Revenge”. You won’t be disappointed.

Fans of the point and click genre may be a little disappointed with how easy and informed 2064's puzzles end up being. However, this simplicity creates a relaxed and engaging flow of events that perpetuates you from one to another of the game's many cutscenes at a brisk pace. The story really is at the (metallic) heart of the experience here, taking cues from one of the best visual novels around, Ace Attorney, while using its own appealing 8-bit style (reminiscent of MSX computers)which manages to convey an impressive amount of expression, even in the briefest of encounters. 

On the subject of the story’s presentation, let me gush about the voice acting for a moment, almost every line of dialogue, from a 9-hour story, is brought to life with a range of distinct voices and dialects that fits each personality just about perfectly. The cast features a couple of guest stars including the likes of Zoe Quinn and Jim Sterling, amusingly playing a conservative peace protester. Performances complement the expressive sprites in a charming video-gamey fashion, allowing the slightly over the top characters to somehow feel believable.

Nothing to see here just Dan Ryckert voicing a green skinned person called Broke… You know what, that actually seems about right.

But this wouldn't be much of an LGBT+ article if I didn’t talk about, you know, queer stuff, so what makes 2064 special besides a retro aesthetic and engaging performances? When it comes to queer content, there is an abundance of moments that teach players how to address and respect people’s choices regarding identity. 

One of the first interactions with the game is deciding upon a name, but afterward, players can choose their pronoun or even input their own custom identifier, providing a rather light-hearted way to introduce these concepts. Actually, the entire story reflects minority struggles within an ever-changing society, notably dissecting the hot button issue of body modifications and how it affects the people as a whole. The game has an expectedly liberal take on these issues, nothing is ever presented with malice towards other viewpoints, heck, I even learnt something about conservative policies.

2064 is a cyberpunk adventure with heavy emphasis on the punk, taking stances on societal issues and protesting methods. But personalities play an important role when dictating a point of view, and the colourful cast of characters on display highlights that this was made by a studio full of talented, queer developers. A lot of passion went into personifying the macho bartender Majid, who is often seen conversing with his boyfriend, the androgynous hacker TOMCAT and the neko activist Jess, who works as a lawyer for underprivileged citizens, while the cute robot sidekick has a story of their own to tell.

These character are pretty cool. But with like a couple of extra O’s… They’re cooooool.

Turing, the game’s blue-headed, gender-neutral robot was originally the mascot for GaymerX (Gaymercon) "the first gaming and tech convention with a focus on LGBTQ geek culture". Turing was aptly inspired by Alan Turing, the world-renowned gay computer scientist that helped Britain win World War 2. Both the character and convention were conceived by Matt Conn, one of the founders of BandPage, a successful music site that connected Spotify, YouTube and iTunes stores. After BandPage was bought out by Google for eight million dollars, Matt created two slick Kickstarter projects, one for GaymerX in 2012, with the other being 2064: Read Only Memories, just one year later. Both of these projects got funded (as well as Kickstarters for GaymerX's second and third convention). As successful as GaymerX would prove to be, in 2018, Matt gave up creative control of his self-made company, Midboss, after allegations of abusive work practices, including underpaying staff and sexual harassment towards workers on 2064, which he admitted to. 

I mention this because I’d like to highlight another article giving greater detail on the situation, and how such actions came to be workplace practices. Obviously, I don't agree with any of Matt's actions, and as someone that chooses whether or not to buy games based on a variety of external factors, I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending this game if I felt it brought more harm to the world than good. The messages in 2064 does not reflect the actions of Conn, and the game is ultimately a passion project of many queer developers such as Ellen McGrody, a freelance writer for a variety of media outlets and two original LGBT history and education books, and Chris Lindgren, who’s incredible work speaks for itself. For that reason and Midboss’s efforts to distance themselves from Conn and improve the company it still feels like a game I can recommend.

While this looks cool, it definitely doesn’t control great, especially on a controller.

As for the quality of the game itself, it's has a couple of flaws major, on consoles in particular, action-heavy moments do not mix well with the relaxed tone of the game, or the engine it was built on, sluggish controls and high stakes QTEs near the end of the game are unfortunate. Another thing to highlight is the pointing and clicking itself, some items seem obscured due to a strange selection method where down also cycles through items, pair this with the low-fi graphics and finding clues can be annoying at times. 

But, to me, 2064, despite its troubled development, and those minor inconveniences, showcases a bright future where people from all walks of life get along and differences are something to be proud of, or even worth fighting for. After the controversy, the new team at Midboss has continued the story with a side game in the console releases, a four-issue comic series and a sequel, Read Only Memories: Neurodiver set to release this year.