FYQD-Studio and Playism have created probably one of the most fun, cheesy sci-fi action games that I have played in a long time in Bright Memory: Infinite. The incredible and wonderfully developed action sequences are propelled by a story that reminds me of the old 90’s action movies like Time Cop. They even gave Bright Memory: Infinite a runtime that is comparable to the films of old as well. The only downside for me is that the ending came too soon, and I felt like there was more than could come from it, like a sequel that may never see the light of day.
Bright Memory: Infinite doesn’t have your basic storytelling like other first-person shooters. It is more of just a series of events that just happen over and over. Shelia Tan, the heroine of the game, is an emotionally void but very capable soldier specializing in supernatural phenomena. When a black hole appears in the sky, she is called upon to deal with its consumption of anything within its range, like that out of The 5th Element. This void is somehow connected to an ancient mystery in which your run-of-the-mill evil organization is led by General Lin, who must control this power. Your goal is to figure out what the hell is going on, and above all else, stop the bad guys.
When you’re not tangling with high-tech soldiers that are armed well beyond a normal evil empire should have, then you’re battling centuries-old warriors and otherworldly demons. The supernatural creatures look like they were crafted or designed after the late and great Ray Harryhausen. Unfortunately, I was unable to see where they are truly explained on how they came to be.
Just like most 90’s movies, the plot barely makes any sense, and you are just following along with the carnage because it feels great. Then right when it seems like the biggest fight of all fights is about to kick off, the credits roll and you are just left wondering what the hell just happened. I have actually started to play the game again to see if I missed something, but from others who have played as well, we all came to the same conclusion – TO BE CONTINUED?
Bright Memory: Infinite is without a doubt a thrilling roller coaster ride. With its silky smooth, fast-paced combination of sword and gunplay, or as it was called in Equilibrium, Gunfu. Shelia’s sword combat is so pleasurable from slicing and dicing my victims to doing a parry that deflects bullets and stuns foes.
Then when you get the upgrades to the sword, it takes it up a notch or 2. All I will say is that Energy Beams turn your sword into a ranged weapon. The firearms in Bright Memory: Infinite feel good in their own right as well. All of the four weapons have their own firing mode, some of which are delightfully silly.
Even without her sword or her firearms, Shelia is still a weapon of mass destruction. Her Exo Arm allows you to not only pull enemies toward you, but with an EMP blast, you can explode your target. Once her Exo Arm is upgraded this was a very great and sometimes felt broken technique to use on ranged enemies.
I could pull them from the opposite end of the map to me and boom. Blood and visceral were all over me. Upgrade points are easily found across all the linear environments and make leveling up so easy and tasks motivating. I think I had half my abilities completely upgraded playing just the first 2 hours of the game.
The jaw-dropping action, outstanding graphics, and killer tactics made this game so fun, but for me, it was very short. Bright Memory: Infinite looks gorgeous. And it’s not just the raw visual power. There’s a part where you’re running toward a firefight in an alley, and a giant black hole is centered in the sky: showcasing some of the wonderful level design and the framing. Now again don’t get me wrong, short games aren’t bad games. I just felt that Bright Memory: Infinite was way shorter than I wanted and I am left hollow with a void to fill and wanting so much more. Bright Memory: Infinite is available on Steam for PC now for $9.99.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of Bright Memory: Infinite for the PC provided by FYQD Studio and Playism.
