‘Bright Memory: Infinite’ Console Edition Review

The history leading up to the release of Bright Memory: Infinite is an interesting one. Originally released as Bright Memory on Steam Early Access in 2019, it was a bit of a miracle. The game had the fidelity and action of a AAA release but was created by a single person, Zeng Xiancheng.

The game was a well received, albeit very brief experience, and instead of a sequel the developer, FYQD Studio, decided to remake the original game and expand on both its gameplay and story. The result is Bright Memory: Infinite which is quite a different experience from the original game but still reflects the small-scale development it started from.

Centered on the character of Shelia, Bright Memory: Infinite is a fast paced FPS with a slightly goofy storyline involving strange energies in the sky, enemies from a different dimension and a black hole that is swallowing up the world. Goofiness aside, the game itself is shockingly fun to play and at times as stunning as any major studio game out there today.

The fast-paced action is a mix of melee and gunplay with some grapple traversal mechanics. The starting loadout is interesting right away and as the game progresses new weapons and skills can be unlocked.

By the end of the short adventure I had access to a pretty hefty arsenal and some devastating special attacks that were easy and satisfying to use. There is a basic but straightforward levelling system that uses relics found on the adventure to enhance weapons or special attacks.

All the guns have an alt-fire mode that has limited ammo, which made for some crazy battles when I had access to my full loadout. One of the things I felt could be improved was the quantities of these special ammos as they made some battles far easier than they should have been.

With a mix of enemies ranging from grunts, heavies and shielded foes to hulking bosses, there was a nice variety of foes standing in Shelia’s way. I actually quite enjoyed the action mechanics and the speed with which the levels, gunplay and melee attacks flowed in Bright Memory: Infinite.

Graphically this game pleasantly surprised me often with stunning visuals and effects. The human characters were the weakest visual aspect; all else was shockingly good. Part of this is due to the developer modeling the environments after some real-world places, and also just to great design work.

In the end Bright Memory: Infinite is a very short but capable game with great aesthetics and some truly fun combat. The experience is well worth checking out at the low price point if just to see this world in action and experience the over-the-top story as enemies are mowed down.

We were provided a PlayStation 5 key by the publisher as part of the review process. Bright Memory: Infinite console edition is available now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation platforms.