Bright Memory: Infinite is two parts gorgeous tech demo and one part developer miracle. First bursting onto the scene last year with the prologue Bright Memory- Episode 1 being shown off during an Xbox showcase. First impressions were that this was a big budget title from an unknown Xbox studio but everyone was surprised it was an indie title created by one person. A year has passed and now FYQD studios has returned with this pseudo sequel expanding on everything from the first game.
The slicing and gunplay looks amazing in action in Bright Memory: Infinite
The Set Up:
The Story from Bright Memory: Infinite sees the protagonist Sheila, a special agent of sorts who gets tasked with stopping an evil general from destroying the world. You will travel mostly through flooded rural streets mowing down enemies but there are also several chapters that switch the formula up like a stealth mission, a driving section and even a section where you end up grappling hooking between planes. I don’t want to sound negative but after the initial cutscene the story decides to take a backseat. The main villain General Lin doesn’t even end up as the final boss. Instead you will end up fighting this really cool looking monster that I don’t want to spoil and then have the story conflict complete in a cutscene that left me with more questions than answers.
Sheila starts the game with a sword that can slice anything and repel enemy shots if timed correctly. Psychic abilities such as a force blast and a force pull. And four weapons you find along the way, an assault rifle, a shotgun, a handgun and a sniper rifle all of which come with alternate firing modes. All of these tools can be used in different ways to move from place to place. I loved combining the force pull and then unloading whatever gun was in my hand and finishing out with either a sword slash or a force push. As you travel through the game you earn currency for killing foes and also for smashing boxes and there’s also artifacts strewn about. Those two units can be combined to upgrade Sheila’s abilities and even have level tiers.
Cutting Through The Fat:
It took me two hours to finish Bright Memory: Infinite. I played on the standard build of the game and the Ray tracing enabled version for about an hour each and only noticed minor differences like the water and foliage having more detail on the RTX build. The combat had to be the bulk of FYQD’s focus because it looks just as good as it plays. Watching foes get sliced and then force pushed out of the way always puts a smile on my face. I just wish the same could be said for Sheila and any other character with a face as they appear rough anytime they show up in a cutscene.
Shelia in all her fuzzy glory.
I also had a load of bugs during my time. Most commonly the game would crash while loading up a chapter. This happened seven times, four times on the regular build and three more on the RTX review build. I had two combat issues that I think might have been patched on day one. And one traversal issue in the middle of the game where the wall run ability wouldn’t work and I just had to keep trying until it just worked and I prayed I wouldn’t get sent back to a checkpoint. I also played with a controller so I switched to keyboard and mouse and the game progression locked me 3 times in under 30 minutes. Hopefully upon release these issues can get cleared up because I want to go back back in and play at a higher difficulty.
Not even bugs can stop me from a S Rating
IN CONCLUSION:
I think Bright Memory: Infinite is a fine game; its two hour run time doesn’t overstay its welcome and all of Sheila’s arsenal gives you plenty to do and many ways to do it. I wish it was a bit longer or had a more coherent story but the visuals and gunplay are great and I can’t wait to see what FYQD follows this up with. The bugs will definitely hinder some from finishing this game but for the price of admission I will keep this game as a Bright Memory (pun intended).
Bright Memory: Infinite is available now on PC, with PlayStation and Xbox versions set to release next year. And if you bought Bright Memory- Episode 1 last year you’re getting Infinite for free!
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