Bright Memory: Infinite (not to be confused with Bright Memory) is a first-person shooter action game developed by a solo developer whose studio goes by the name of FYQD, and published by Playism. Bright Memory: Infinte is a tough game to describe, but if I had to try, I’d say it is a mix of Devil May Cry and Doom. Fast-paced first-person shooting mixed with melee combat and magic to boot. A combination that may sound odd, but in terms of combat enjoyability, is right up there with those two titles.
Having played Bright Memory (Episode 1) on Xbox Series X upon it’s release, I knew pretty much what to expect when picking up its successor. This game isn’t one for story lovers. If the player is a lover of sprawling worlds with exceptional storytelling, they won’t find that with Bright Memory. This game is all about destroying everything in front of you. Nothing more, nothing less.
The developer does attempt to deliver a modicum of story with a few cutscenes and dialog as well as lore on the loading screens, but the player still doesn’t really have any idea of what is happening in the world and why. As previously mentioned, the latter is not a dealbreaker as the main reason to play Bright Memory: Infinite isn’t for its story.
Before the player starts their game, they can choose skins for their character and weapons. Some of these are strange, such as a bikini or schoolgirl outfit. Personally, I found these specific additions rather crass and unnecessary.
The player takes on the role of Shelia (I couldn’t help but read this as Sheila my whole playthrough), an SRO agent who is tasked with some sort of mission to investigate a black hole. The game has a large amount of replayability with multiple difficulties and achievements that require more than one playthrough. A single playthrough is only around 3 hours long, and in that time the dev has managed to fit in a surprisingly broad set of gameplay features and modes. At points in the campaign the player will find themselves piloting an aircraft, making their way through enemy territory in the shadows a la Metal Gear Solid, in a car chase, and running across rooftops among a few other settings. The main draw for Bright Memory though is its hectic combat. The combat itself is equally split between melee, gunplay, and magic (for lack of a better term). The player can combine shots with their assault rifle, handgun, shotgun, or sniper rifle with a sword that has magical properties, and telekinetic style abilities to damage or affect enemies from distance.
The combat is very fluid and extremely fun, and can be relatively difficult to master on harder difficulties. It rewards the player for optimising their attacks which is always good.
The graphics vary wildly from some character models looking odd and needing work, to the weapons animations and models which are some of the best in FPS gaming period. The world itself is a strange one, I don’t really understand why, but sometimes it’s stunning, and other times it’s clearly lacking. It’s obvious where the developer put the most time in graphically.
Given that the game is extremely violent and rated R18 accordingly, this is a title that would be best played away from the kiddies.