Bright Memory | Xbox Series X Review

On May 7th, Microsoft held its “Inside Xbox” online events. We saw several upcoming releases, but one that stood out to me was Bright Memory: Infinite. It looked stunningly beautiful, incorporated multiple genres and play-styles into one game, and was developed by one person. I was immediately intrigued. Although the game doesn’t release until 2021, we received a small taste of what’s to come in the bite-sized Bright Memory. Unfortunately, I think this glorified demo has done more harm than good for me. Although the game looks incredibly impressive, I can’t say I had a good time playing it. It shows a bit of promise, however, so my interest isn’t completely diminished. So what went wrong for me here?

Cyberpunk 2036

Shelia (pronounced SHELL-ee-uh) is an agent of the Supernatural Science Research Organization (RSO). This entity operates technology that surpasses that of even the government. Their goal is to research strange phenomena in the sky connected to some archaic mystery. During the opening mission, Shelia is transported through a wormhole to an unknown location. She has to fight her way through hordes of enemies while attempting to stop a rival organization whose motives were unclear to me.

Admittedly, however, I had to look up those story beats to be able to share them with you. I had absolutely no idea what was going on while I played the game. I was thrust into an opening scene as if I should have already had some sort of background knowledge behind the plot. But I was devoid of any such luxury. My hope is that this is fleshed out much more in the full game’s final release, because I was completely lost.

The universe that Chinese developer FYQD Personal Studio & publisher Playism created here is super interesting, I have to admit. But Bright Memory feels like a prologue to a much grander experience. This is no coincidence, obviously, since the “game” is merely an hour-long experience. It reminds me of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, which was supposed to set up the later-released Phantom Pain. Except this feels even more empty than that “demo.”

Ready for the World

The gameplay shows some promise, but I simply didn’t get enough time inside Bright Memory to really get a feel for it. On the surface, it feels like another Unreal Engine first-person shooter. It turns out to be much more than that, however, as Shelia also has a melee weapon and seemingly psychic abilities at her disposal as well. This multifaceted approach to a game is what ultimately drew me in when I first saw the trailer. But what I played got old far before I rolled credits an hour later.

There are multiple options to attack your opponents which, by the way, include monsters as well human enemies with swords and shields. I found myself sticking primarily with my firearm, however, as it felt most natural to me. This quickly became a chore as the enemies are heavy bullet sponges. I spent the majority of my time dodging enemies, running in circles, firing until they got too close, and repeating the process again.

As I mentioned above, Shelia also carries a sword, which can be used to deflect enemy attacks as well as go on the offensive. In addition, she has the ability to “force push” enemies away from her or up in the air. This is super helpful, provided you don’t miss any in a group. Otherwise, you’ll get hammered when you try to shoot them from the sky. The extra abilities offered little in the way of variety, partially due to the bare bones skill tree. That’s not a fair criticism, however; I understand that’s due to this being merely a vertical slice of the final project.

Qualified to Fulfill Your Needs

I’ve heard a lot of people say, “Bright Memory looks great considering it’s made by a single person.” I’m going to disagree with that sentiment, but not in the way you might think. This game looks great…period. It would be impressive for an entire team of developers. The fact that one person was able to put something this stunning together is impressive beyond measure. I found myself staring at the reflections of the weapons, the high level of detail in the environments, and the fascinating enemy designs. It’s truly a visual masterpiece that makes me excited to see what Bright Memory: Infinite has in store for us.

There’s more to the game than combat as well. During my brief time with this title, I came across a puzzle or two that changed things up a bit. There’s also replay opportunities to extend the length of the game. You’re graded after each enemy encounter, so making attempts at perfect runs may be something completionists will want to tackle. Personally, I found it frustrating since the game doesn’t tell you how to get higher ranks. This isn’t the type of game where I want to spend time experimenting over and over to figure that out. But that’s also a personal preference.

Bright Memory Final Verdict

It doesn’t feel entirely fair to judge this game, considering it’s not the complete, final product. With that said, I wasn’t blown away by the gameplay at all. I see some potential for Bright Memory: Infinite. I’m just not certain that this appetizer does a great job of selling the final product. The gorgeous visuals and interesting world are enough to keep this title on my radar at least. I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on it for the future, but I’d be lying if I said I was holding my breath.

 

To hear me talk more about Bright Memory, be sure to listen to Episode 322 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 34:27 time stamp.

This review is based on an Xbox Series X copy of Bright Memory provided by Stride PR for coverage purposes. It it also available on the Xbox Series S, Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows.