Happy Birthday, Neurodiver
There are still a few days before we submit our game for certification. Our release date announcement trailer is behind us and we are adding the final updates to Readable Memories Only: NeurodiverFor the eye-catching sequences, I give the Neurodiver itself a birthday: May 16, 2024, and then we let it go out into the world.
The day after
May 16th has passed and the game is now out. I have been working on it for the past six years with several others who have come and gone. A lot has happened to MidBoss, our team and the world in that time, but the game is finally out and a wave of relief has washed over us, quickly followed by a lot of fear. The game is at least shorter than our previous one and its story is well-paced. I still play and enjoy it in my free time though and am proud of what our team has accomplished. I have had the pleasure of working and collaborating with many wonderful people.
Past and present: planning the game
Read-only memory: Neurodivers is a very personal project, both in its history – however short – and in its development. I was the original director and lead artist/animator for 2064: Read-only memory. It’s a game I have a complicated relationship with. A lot has happened, with the original team and with me. I finally feel comfortable sitting with my roommates and watching them play as we celebrate the release of our current game. My head is spinning with all the interactions and logistics involved. It’s very impressive that we’ve done this. I’m proud of this game too, but it came at a high cost to develop.
We couldn’t aim for the same scope as the previous game. It just wasn’t possible. But after we had worked out the initial story plan, we were very happy with the result: a gripping] light and fast paced adventure. A pseudo-sequel with an established protagonist who can delve into memories and chase after a renegade psychic hiding within them. Whose memories would we be exploring? I wanted to see some old friends from the original game again, a chance to see how they were doing five or six years later.
Dive into the details
Luna Cruz de la Vega, or ES88, is a young and ambitious paranormal agent who works at Minerva. She is the only one connected to a special genetically modified esper called a Neurodiver. This Neurodiver allows her to not only view and interact with memories, but also repair them. Every day she wakes up and throws herself straight into work. ES88 wants to prove something to herself and her colleagues, and although she is confident in her abilities, she still doubts herself.
A psychic being known as the Golden Butterfly haunts people’s memories, fragmenting them and causing lingering fears. These fragments range from something as simple as a lost password to forgetting where you left off with someone important to you. It’s ES88’s job to repair these fragments and drive Golden Butterfly away. It’s a tall order. Could it be too much? How far is she willing to push herself?
Read-only memory: Neurodivers is a capsule filled with many things we love. ES88’s days play out like an episode in an anime, commercials and everything. She dreams of herself as a magical girl. The soundscape is filled with shiny, vibrant FM tones reminiscent of old Yamaha-powered sound cards. It was a joy to bring each expression to life. Each character has exactly the voice we imagined in our heads. And it’s all wrapped up in an homage to Japanese adventure games of the past.
Readable Memories Only: Neurodiver is a game that expresses our passion for the things we love. It was an opportunity to spend time with old friends and meet new ones. Even though it’s only a short trip, I hope it will stay with you for a long time.
Read-only memory: NEURODIVER
Chorus Worldwide Games
14,99 $
ES88 is an esper tasked with capturing Golden Butterfly, a psychic being hiding in the memories of others. Play as ES88 and join forces with her fellow cyborg GATE and the creature known as NEURODIVER to repair the memories damaged by Golden and stop her in this “psy-fi” adventure! You are a psychic agent. Take on the role of ES88, a young esper employed by MINERVA, a powerful organization specializing in information science, neurotechnology, and extrasensory phenomena. She has been tasked with tracking down Golden Butterfly, a mysterious psychic being hiding in and fragmenting the memories of the citizens of Neo-San Francisco. Who are they? Why are they doing this? And how will you stop them? The NEURODIVER The Neurodiver is a bioengineered psychic creature designed to enhance an esper’s natural abilities. With its help, you can gather clues and thoughts in your subject’s memories to piece together distorted fragments within and force Golden Butterfly out! New and Old Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER is a return to the vibrant sci-fi world of Neo-San Francisco from 2064: Read Only Memories, with an all-new story and a whole new cast of characters. It’s an adventure that newcomers will find easy to immerse themselves in, but those familiar with the original game may notice many familiar faces making a comeback! An FM Sound Sensation! NEURODIVER’s soundtrack is inspired by the OPNA/YM2608 sounds of the PC-8801 and PC-9801 series of computers, and is brought to you by Scarlet Moon composer and sound designer Ken “coda” Snyder (Tree of Knowledge)! If you love the sharp and shiny tones produced by late 80s and early 90s FM chips found in a variety of old computers, sound cards, arcades and consoles, then you’ll feel right at home here. Long live the power of FM sound! 🎹
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