2064 ROM (Read Only Memories) is a cyber-punk, point-and-click adventure. The game’s story takes place in Neo San Francisco in the year 2064, and you have to help your friend’s robot, “Turing”, discover what happened to its creator and why he is missing.
General Gameplay
The gameplay is more of a “point-and-click” style adventure that includes some puzzle solving elements. It is more of a linear story that guides you throughout the game. Gameplay is about being observant of your surroundings, making the right choices, and gathering clues to progress. As with any “point-and-click” game, there are a great deal of things that you can do, from speak with other characters to light puzzle solving, to progress in the story.
Audio
The audio of the game is top-notch. Midboss, the creator of the game, has an all-star voice cast that provides the dialogue in the game. As the game is mostly “point and click”, the in-game audio, from background noise to ambient sounds, is done well. The game is also in surround sound, and judging from our playtest, it is done very well. Parents should note that there is some language in the game’s audio, but nothing that you would not hear in a PG-13 movie. If anything, the game’s language helps sets the tone for the story. During our playtest we did not run into any issues with 2064 ROM’s audio with any of our family gaming members using a headset while playing the game. Again, parents, please use caution when allowing younger gamers to play with headsets for extended periods of time. Also, for those who are using a headset, there is an option in the menu that allows you to adjust the game’s volume settings.
Visuals
2064 ROM is done in a retro style of artistic design taken from the 8-bit era and makes the story visuals around. From the character design to backgrounds, 2064 ROM is designed to make you feel that you are playing a retro game. Even the menus feel very retro. During our playtest of the game we did not see anything that would be offensive to anyone in the game, however, as a story that takes place in a distant future, there are some characters and designs that mimic characters that look like they are dressed like animals (no spoilers here). There is no graphic violence, nudity or anything that would be normally be seen in an M rated title. The game does not support a colorblind mode, but with the retro styling of the graphics, it does not need one. The only thing that we ran into during our playtest was that some in-game options were a little hard to see during gameplay with the in-game selection of objects, but that was quickly fixed by adjusting the graphics on our Smart TV and the game.
Controls
Being a point-and-click game, the controls are very easy to pick up and play for 2064 ROM. Needed are only the left thumb stick to select the objects and one button to input the selection. There are parts of the game with light puzzle action, but they use the same controls. The game control’s interface is designed for the player to be able to freely roam the environment without too many button controls. For PS4 users, you can use the touchpad on your controller to navigate throughout the game, but we found the thumb stick much easier to use. Also, there is no need for any special type of controller or user interface for the game. In our playtest with our gaming family, we found that everyone was able to pick up and play the game without any issues. Our special needs gamers liked using the controller stick more than the touch pad on the PS4 controller.
“2064 ROM is one of those games that simply has to be experienced by engulfing yourself into the story and seeing the beauty this game”
Delivery
For those that love adventure games or even a great story, 2064 ROM is the game for your digital library. For those in your gaming family that are not adventure story-driven game fans, this game is still a must-try! There are some games that tell a story so well that you get hooked, and 2064 ROM is one of them. It’s difficult not to get sucked into the game’s story. During our playtest, everyone in our gaming family loved the game and how it was very easy to get into the story and gameplay. Yes, this is an M-rated game, but do not allow the rating to steer you away (more on this in our Family Friendly section). Also, with the game being very heavily narrated, the voice over work is very well done and adds to the enjoyment of the game’s story. The controls are so easy to pick up and play that it is easy for those who are not heavy gamers to play.
Family Friendly
There was some discussion in our office when writing this review about whether this game was appropriate for older children (13 and up in age), and if the rating was justified; here is our breakdown from that discussion and our honest thoughts about 2064 ROM being family-friendly. First, there is some profane language in the game’s voice acting (equivalent to a PG-13 movie’s dialogue), and there are characters that are of different lifestyles portrayed in the game that some families may not approve of, however, these are minor things in the game’s story and they only add more depth to the storytelling. We do know that there are some gaming family members out there that do not wish to have their gamers see and hear that type of content, and that is perfectly fine, but if you are ok with this (it is only a small portion of the game), then 2064 ROM is a great game for you. We do advise parents to take caution with younger gamers playing the game because of the language (occasional f-bombs), however, if you are ok with your teen/younger gamer hearing an occasional curse word, you should be ok. As with any game that is M-rated there will be some concerns about if this is a family friendly game, and we feel that the rating of the game should have been more of a T – For Teen rating. For those in your gaming family that love a good story and adventure game, 2064 ROM is a must-have for your digital library. Offering around 10 hours of gameplay, this is a great title and your gaming family will not be disappointed with the game itself. We had a lot of fun playing this game here and we highly recommend it.
Closing
With a great story, voice acting and overall action, 2064 Read Only Memories is a great game, but parents please do take some caution before letting your younger teens/children playing the game.
