Queer cyberpunk game Read Only Memories: Neurodiver is coming to consoles and PC early next year
Read Only Memories: Neurodiver. (Midboss)
Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, the forthcoming title from LGBT+ developer MidBoss, will be released on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via the Epic Games Store at the start of 2022.
This will be alongside the previously announced Xbox One, PS4 and Steam release planned for 2021.
Set in a cyberpunk futuristic world, the point and click game follows protagonist ES88, an “Esper” able to make psychic links with clients to uncover hidden memories using the titular Neurodiver contraption.
ES88 must use the Neurodiver to stop a psychic menace known as the Golden Butterfly from corrupting the minds of Neo-San Francisco’s inhabitants.
A demo for the game is now available on Steam and the Epic Games Store, offering a prologue that introduces ES88 and her psychic abilities. For our initial thoughts on Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, see our preview here. Its retro futuristic style and unique story certainly has us intrigued.
The game follows the studio’s previous release 2064: Read Only Memories and is set in the same world, with a similarly vibrant pixel art style.
Both games are joined by a series of comics, which will be released in a paperback collection in August 2021. With writing by Sina Grace (who worked on The Walking Dead, X-Men and Iceman comics), the paperback will combine the full Read Only Memories series into one volume and will include a Steam game key for 2064: Read Only Memories.
“Our passionate community is in love with Neo-San Francisco and we’re happy to give them a taste of what we are working on ahead of the console and PC releases later this year,” said Cade Peterson, CEO of MidBoss.
“This demo shows off the new puzzle mechanics and some of the characters adding flavour to the next entry in our LGBTQ+-friendly world.”
MidBoss is an LGBT+ focused studio in San Francisco, whose games feature diverse characters and inclusive cultures. They’re also responsible for Summer of Pride, an annual celebration of diversity in games.
