...But not much of an actual game, is it? This would have been much better in pretty much any other medium BUT as a game. As a book, I could have read it at my own pace; as a movie I wouldn't be interrupted constantly by silly and immersion-breaking boxes and circles; and as an audio drama, I could have engrossed myself in the great acting and soundscapes.
First thing first, I own the game on Steam, not GOG :( Second, this is not a game you should buy on impulse, if you think it's going to be based on the actual Rogue Trader TTRPG. It's only superficially so; more like a 40K skin pulled over a Pathfinder core. Third, the game is clearly nowhere near finished. It's very buggy, with bugs ranging from cosmetic to game-breaking, with the bugs becoming increasingly severe the longer you play and progress in the game. Many talents don't work as advertised, or just don't work at all. Additionally, the UI is woefully clunky and inadequate, feeling barely a step above the UI in Fallout 1, a game more than 25 years old. But what about the game itself? Apart from boss battles, combat is a painfully boring slog, with each encounter dragging on for ages; and as soon as you finish an encounter, you are often tossed right into another one. The story and writing aren't bad, but are unfortunately tacked onto a game that is. Stay away for at least a year.
Core gameplay is an OK bit of fun, and easy to learn. Solid, but nothing exceptional. Visually, it's easy enough to parse and understand; again, nothing exceptional. Sounds and music are quite pleasant to listen to, if nothing exceptional. I got it on a give-away, and I was kinda entertained for a while, until I saw I had grind for unlocks; I don't like grinding in games, so I uninstalled it at that point. It's not actively bad, just... bland. Purchased at any price above free, you're bound to be disappointed by this game. If you can get it for free, well, there might be an hour or two of entertainment to be had - besides, what do you have to lose?
To keep the review short and to the point; What I liked: The puzzles; even on hard difficulty, I was never stuck for more than 30 minutes, and it was usually because I was a bonehead who hadn't looked at all the items in my inventory. Gone are the days of cat mustaches and monkey wrenches. I also really enjoyed the voice acting; some of the actors were a genuine treat. So-so: The humor and the story were really good in places, and pretty bad in others. What I didn't like: Related to the above, I found the meta aspect of the humor/story to be grating the further I got into the game, and by the end I felt it had thoroughly wore out its welcome. Summary: A good, classic adventure game with good puzzles, but with a sense of humor that relies too much on references to past glories.
I originally bought Read Only Memories because I found the premise intriguing; cyber-punk adventure, dealing with the age-old question, of what it means to be human? Fascinating! The gorgeous screenshots also helped sway my decision. And initially, I was pleasantly surprised - I really liked the aesthetics, which reminded me of Interplay's Neuromancer, the soundtrack was genuinely good, and the first few characters you're introduced to were interesting. However, that initial good impression soon soured. Those first few interesting characters (one of which is your "quirky robot" side-kick) are the only ones who aren't cardboard cutouts, and that quirky robot soon becomes a nagging pest you wish you could dump in the ocean. And the plot, which was what drew me to the game initially, has been done many times before, and with much greater skill and grace. The worst offender, however, is the utter lack of any gameplay. ROM is painfully linear, and you are railroaded from one location to the other. The "puzzles" are non-existent, and yet the game insists on holding your hands to a degree that is infuriating. In the end, I found myself simply clicking to advance, deprived of any agency as a player. And that was when I gave up, and uninstalled the game. I did not finish the game, but after checking playthroughs on Youtube, I'd estimate I've completed 2/3 of the game, and what was left assured me that I made the right decision. For a better cyber-punk story, go watch Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. The writing is much better, and the experience is about as interactive as ROM, except you don't have to click your mouse. TL;DR: + Beautiful pixel-art + Nice soundtrack - Underwhelming story - Impoverished gameplay Get it if you enjoy the Visual Novel genre, 'cause this isn't your traditional adventure game.
