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MemoryCore / Low-Poly RPG

Created by Horrible Guild

A curated anthology of 32-bit era–inspired TTRPGs. MemoryCore brings the great videogame classics of the 1990s to the table, reimagining them for a shared, multiplayer roleplaying experience.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

This is NOT a Magazine. It’s a development diary, and you can be part of it.
4 months ago – Wed, Jun 03, 2026 at 07:40:59 AM

Less than a week left to launch.

Are you excited? Because we definitely are.

And in our impatience, today we finally want to reveal something we simply can’t keep hidden any longer: we’re just too proud of it.



Introducing COREPLAYER! MAGAZINE, the official art book and development diary of MemoryCore, presented as a full-blown retro gaming magazine straight out of the ’90s — packed with reviews, interviews, cheat codes, exclusive scenarios, and hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered.

The magazine will be available exclusively during the BackerKit campaign, both as a standalone add-on and included in one of the reward tiers.

Featuring an incredible cover illustration by Francesco Mazziotta, this 40-page stapled magazine will include:

  • development diaries from Claudio and Horrible Guild 
  • (fake) reviews of all six anthology games
  • exclusive one-shot adventures
  • cheat codes for alternative game modes
  • spoilers, secrets, and hidden easter eggs
  • original sketches, concept art, and photographs
  • interviews with creators from the RPG, board game, and videogame industries

But that’s not even the most important part. Because you can become part of COREPLAYER! MAGAZINE, and of MemoryCore’s history itself.



Back the Platinum Pledge during the first 48 hours of the campaign (our Early Bird period) to be credited as an Executive Producer, with a pixel-art or low-poly portrait, and the chance to share your very own Core Memories with the community.

And that's not all: every reward tier backed during the first 48 hours of the campaign will also receive an exclusive pin. Kept you waiting, huh?

…but now we need a bit of help.

Help us reach 4,000 followers before launch, and we’ll add a free bonus sticker sheet to the magazine featuring characters from MemoryCore and other beloved Horrible Guild games, including Queen Serena from The Queen’s Dilemma, Cleaver from Wilderfeast, and the Bloodsinger from Vileborn…. and many others.



We have only one week to go… help us bring back the ’90s!

Chaotic Neutral plays Solid State Machine! Download the adventure now
4 months ago – Tue, May 26, 2026 at 05:54:40 AM

Dear nostalgics,

You've asked us how MemoryCore plays, now you can see it with your own eyes! Chaotic Neutral has dropped a one-shot session of Operation White Noise, a prologue to Solid State Machine, the tactical stealth title in the anthology. Check it out here:


What's that, you'd like to play it as well? But of course! Click on the image below to download all the resources. You'll need to print some materials in order to play, but that shouldn't scare you carboard boxes aficionados.



If you want to ask questions about this, then our next live stream is the perfect occasion. We're on in a few hours, so head to YT and hit that notification bell or keep an eye on the Launch Party page.


Lastly, our latest poll is now closed! We asked you to vote for which Alternative Skin would be added to our fighting game, Final Tournament. Santo put up a fight, but in the end the Medieval Knight won. Stay tuned to continue voting and shape the game with us!

MemoryCore Live #2: A Chat With The Author on Tuesday, May 26!
5 months ago – Fri, May 22, 2026 at 07:18:33 AM

Dear nostalgics,

On Tuesday, May 26 we'll be streaming live again! Tune in and listen to Federico Corbetta Caci, our Head of RPG, ask author Claudio Pustorino all about his 32-bit collection, what it takes to bring polygons and core memories to the table, and more about his relationship with videogames in general.



We'd love to hear from you as well! Use the comment section of this update (or leave a comment during the live stream) if you have questions for Claudio and our Horrible Team, or if you want to share with us your precious memories from back when hearing a disc spin inside the tray was always the start of a good time.

► Continue? ◄ 

Don't forget about our Weekly Poll!

You still have a few days to decide which Alternative Skin will make it in Final Tournament, our own spin on fighting games! If you missed the update and want to know more about it, you can check it out here.

Module Focus: Final Tournament
5 months ago – Tue, May 19, 2026 at 06:06:08 AM

You are among the greatest fighters in the world, driven by noble ideals, ruthless ambition, or sheer opportunism. Now, you have been invited to the Tenkuryuken: a clandestine martial arts tournament organized by the mysterious and immensely powerful Kairetsu Corporation.

Welcome to Final Tournament.

Final Tournament features a slightly different clamshell structure compared to the other games in the anthology. Since classic PvP fighting games rarely revolve around exploration, the game does not include a world map or a deck of MemoryCards. Instead, it expands the playable roster, featuring up to 8 selectable fighters, each with their own unique look, combat style, and personal motivations.



Some seek revenge. Others wish to prove they are the strongest warrior alive. Some crave glory, wealth, or the favor of the Kairetsu Corporation itself. As the tournament unfolds, the backgrounds of these fighters intertwine into shifting webs of alliances, rivalries, betrayals, and shared destinies.

The front side of each Character Board describes your Bonds with other fighters. Some Bonds are active and directly tied to your motivations: perhaps your opponent serves the man who murdered your father. Others are passive, meaning you unknowingly play a major role in someone else’s story; maybe you were among the soldiers who burned their village fifteen years ago. In some cases, Bonds are mutual: two disciples competing to inherit the legacy of the same martial arts master. At the end of the PvP match, the winner will determine how their story unfolds.



Gameplay alternates between Downtime phases and brutal 1v1 PvP battles.

DOWNTIME

During Downtime, players participate in free-flow narrative scenes using the standard test resolution system. These moments may involve the entire group or smaller character interactions: SWAT raids, espionage missions inside forbidden sectors of the Tenkuryuken complex, sabotage attempts, underground conspiracies, and all the over-the-top twists you would expect from a classic late-'90s fighting game storyline.

Before each battle, the fighters entering the next match gain a dedicated spotlight scene, allowing them to train, investigate, or prepare strategies, earning situational bonuses, or unlocking powerful Special Moves.

COMBAT

Combat itself is structured as a classic single-elimination tournament: quarterfinals, semifinals, and the grand finale.

This is where Final Tournament fully reveals its unique identity. Every match is fought best-of-three rounds, just like any proper arcade fighter. Victory is achieved either by reducing an opponent’s Health to zero and triggering a knockout, or by having the highest remaining Health once the timer expires after a fixed sequence of button-mashing rolls.




The back side of each Character Board details the fighter’s combat style and signature Special Moves. Every fighting style grants specific mechanical advantages capable of influencing different parts of the match. El Chrysantemo Rojo, for example, can manipulate Crowd Favor through the Game Disc mechanics, while Haru Tatsumi gains defensive bonuses during the first button-mashing roll and offensive bonuses during the second.

Special Moves
are triggered through specific dice combinations rolled during button-mashing sequences, though narrative conditions and character choices can make them easier to activate.

Meanwhile, players not directly involved in the current 1v1 match become part of the crowd itself, actively influencing the audience’s favor and shaping the momentum of the fight from the sidelines.

In the end, only one fighter will win the Tenkuryuken and carve their name into legend. The others will be left behind as broken rivals, forgotten champions, or ghosts haunting the bloody legacy of the arena.

Choose your fighter. Enter the ring. And prepare for the Final Tournament.

Final Tournament features a gloriously over-the-top cover illustrated by Riccardo Tenani and a cast of ripped fighters designed by Francesco Mazziotta, then brought to life in low-poly form by Albert Buscio.

Your Weekly Poll is here!
Last week we asked you to decide which special vehicle will be parked in the Overdrive Crew garage.The Espada Pikes Peak was your choice and it will be included in the game!



Our fifth poll takes us back to the golden age of fighting games, where every character was a universe unto themselves and unlocking a new costume felt like discovering a secret. Alternative skins in fighting games aren't just cosmetics: they're statements. They're inside jokes. They're the reason you kept feeding coins into that cabinet. Four looks are competing for a spot on the character select screen. One will make it in. You decide.

  • Medieval Knight: Full plate. No mercy. Probably shouldn't be this fast.
  • Orangutan: Don't ask questions. Just accept it. The best skins always defy explanation.
  • Shinobi Suit: Shadow-forged, blade-ready. A classic that never gets old in a fighting roster.
  • Santo: The mask. The legend. An icon of the ring elevated to the status of myth — and the only choice that makes grown adults tear up mid-combo.

Bootleg Manual! Your totally legit downloadable preview.
5 months ago – Fri, May 15, 2026 at 08:10:42 AM

Dear nostalgics,

Some of you may remember that back in the ’90s, games, posters, and cheat-code magazines often came bundled with something else as well: hacker culture! Burned CDs covered in marker scribbles, chipped consoles, mysterious demo discs, swapped CDs passed between friends, and memory cards packed with suspicious save files for games you didn't even have.

In true retro fashion, today we’re giving you a bootleg copy of the User Manual, the actual core book containing the system that ties together every game in the anthology: test resolution mechanics, button-mashing rules, outcome handling, zones and areas, and all the foundations of the MemoryCore system.


Anyone willing to dive into the underground can download the Bootleg Manual from the link below and get access to the system’s core framework.

But be warned: like every respectable bootleg copy, this version may not contain everything you expect… and it’s probably full of glitches.

Well, at least you’re not paying for it.


Your Weekly Poll is ongoing!
Last week we asked you to decide what will be the main area in Vulture Creek, the town where Extinction Protocol takes place. The Mansion was your choice and it will be included in the game!

Our second poll is still up and waiting for your votes! In Overdrive Crew the garage will be full of cars to race and wreck, but among them one vehicle will carry a special designation. A machine with its own identity, its own legend, its own reason to exist beyond crossing the finish line first. Two candidates are competing for that honor, and they represent two very different visions of what a car (and a race) can be...

  • Red Falcon: The race? Optional. The carnage? Guaranteed. A legend of a different kind, forged in a world where winning was just one of several acceptable outcomes.

  • Espada Pikes Peak: Precision weaponized. Aerodynamics sculpted to perfection. Built for one of the most punishing courses on Earth. Every corner earned, every cut second sacred.

Which car earns a spot as Overdrive Crew's special vehicle? 
Click below to vote!